Redskins Owner Gives Rare Interview To WSJ

Shirley S. Wang, of the Wall Street Journal had a very rare interview with Dan Snyder, owner of the Washington Redskins. Snyder BASHES the Washington Post. The Redskins have been publicly at war with the Washington Post over the last few years...and I don't see it stopping anytime soon. Media is very competitive and both the Redskins and the Post are in it together. While the fight is entertaining to watch, it is annoying at the same time. The fans are the ones that get screwed in this situation. Oh....and vacationing with Jerry Jones? What?

Here are some of the excerpts:

WSJ: In June you bought a radio station, WTEM, which is a very popular local sports station. There's some concern among fans that it might become a propaganda tool for the Redskins. What do you say to that?

Mr. Snyder: It's actually just the Washington Post. We have a problem in this marketplace with our local newspaper. There's a monopoly. I have no problems saying that. They have been losing circulation by the droves, losing advertising by the pound load and they are desperate to create controversy. They had a Washington Post radio business at the time -- it's since gone out of business -- that was a competitor. We did write them a letter saying obviously you're a competitor, so don't use your newspaper to affect the business. Other than them, you won't find any of that type of talk.

WSJ: Are you saying there's a not a reason for concern?

Mr. Snyder: No, I think we're careful to ensure that content remains content. Eighty percent of the local talent -- on-air talent -- I don't even know, never even met. So they're doing their thing. They can say whatever they want. If we're winning, they're going to say good things and if we're losing, they're going to say bad things. That's life.

WSJ: How would you characterize your style of ownership?

Mr. Snyder: I'm a passionate owner who wants to win on the field and off the field. I also think [the fans have] seen me grow as an owner. When I bought the club, I was 34 years old. I was much more naive and probably immature than I am today. Since then I've had cancer, my wife's had cancer, I've lost my father. I think I'm probably a lot more patient than I was when I first got here.

WSJ: Some people have described that as more micromanaging.

Mr. Snyder: I'm not in any of the coaching meetings. I never have been. I don't watch film with the coaches. I let the scouts scout and the coaches coach. What I try to do is help get the deals on the business side done. After the scouts and coaches come up with the grades, for example, on free agency, I'm the one that's eager to go sign the player and negotiate the contracts with their agents. When it comes to, 'OK, this is the player we really would like to have,' then I'm going to help with the help of the salary-cap people to make that work.

WSJ: Are you still in touch with Coach Gibbs?

Mr. Snyder: I talk to him probably every three or four days. We're good friends. He's very respectful of Jim Zorn being the [new] head coach.

WSJ: Gibbs's tenure wasn't the same is it was the first time around when he led the team to the Super Bowl. What do you make of that? Did his time pass?

Mr. Snyder: No, I think if you look in the last three years we made the playoffs twice. We got close. We should have beaten Seattle two of those years and I think we would have had a lot of fun playing Dallas. But I think we just didn't finish. We got close but didn't finish. It's a shame that Joe felt that at 67 he needed to retire again. He just felt that he couldn't give it everything, the commitment.

WSJ: Are there owners you admire?

Mr. Snyder: I admire Pat Bowlen [of the Denver Broncos]. He has a tremendous desire to win. And in the offseason, I get along great with Jerry Jones [of the Dallas Cowboys]. We have a lot of fun times together with our wives. We vacation together. But during the season, we are definitely enemies.

Full WSJ article link here

Joe Bugel's Daughter Passed Away

According to the Washington Post and Redskins Blog - Washington Redskins assistant coach Joe Bugel's daughter, Holly, has passed away from osteosarcoma, a rare and aggressive form of bone cancer. She has fought this since December 2007.

The Washington Times did a story on the Bugel family back in January.

Another good story from Mike Wise was written in July. It gave you a glimpse into the Bugel family and the strength Holly and the family have. Just about everyone (including me) has been affected by cancer somehow. Just earlier today Gene Upshaw passed away suddenly from cancer. It really is a devastating disease that affects so many people.

Thoughts and prayers with the Bugel and Upshaw family.

UPDATE: The videos on Redskins.com show some pretty sad football players.

From Washington Post, Joe Gibbs on Holly Bugel:
"Obviously, our heart goes out to coach Bugel, Brenda and the Bugel family," Gibbs said in a phone interview between meetings at Joe Gibbs Racing in Huntersville, N.C. "I left voicemails for Joe and Brenda and I talked to Brenda personally. I told her I was praying for her and praying for their family. Everybody is so close.

At this time of the year, coach Bugel is probably spending more time with the football team than he does with his own family, and so it's like family, you have two families.

"What happens is, when you have a loss and somebody grieves, it has a big effect on everybody. It is a grieving process. But the thing that you have there is that you get real comfort from all that are around you who care about you."

Jim Zorn:
"Win or lose it'll be somber after that football game, but also they will take pride in doing a good job without Joe there, and if he does happen to come back, they'll work hard for him as well. It's just very, very difficult, but I think his wife and Holly his daughter, bless her heart, I think they both realize this is his passion, and they've figured this out. ... It was surprising that he would come out and be on the football field, but the way he explained it was this was where he needed to be in order to lose himself a little bit in the familiar surroundings. I think that was one of the things that he touched on when he came out here. These were very family surroundings to him and this is where he felt most comfortable."

"We try to do what it is that he'd want us to do, which is prepare and play. I don't think there's anything you can say to anybody to make the loss of a child any easier. They've known she's been sick for some time, but my guess is that you can think you're prepared mentally for something like this to happen, and then find out you're totally not. My heart breaks for him, It's got to be the most unnatural thing in the world to bury your child. You just wish him peace of mind and that he gets together with his family and that their hearts heal quickly, because there's really nothing else you can do."

Casey Rabach:
"Whether it Sean's murder last year, or Vernon Fox losing a dear friend early in camp and now Coach Buges losing a daughter, this is not just a football team, this is a family. When one's person heart is hurting is affect everybody on this team, especially with us offensive linemen having such a close relationship with Buges."

The Weird World Of Washington Redskins Stuff

There is a reason why Dan Snyder makes so much money. I've stumbled across some random Redskins stuff for sale on the net. Note to bachelors: tread lightly or you may look like the 40 year old virgin Redskin fan.

Take your date home and show her your room:

When hanging a giant "Dallas Sucks" sign:

Trust me, chicks dig these bro:

And girls love this stuff, it's all about the logo...not the fit:

You can sit on your couch, watching the clock tick until kickoff, drinking a brewski:

Then play some games during half time:

Or fire up the grill:

Ok, that's enough. I gotta stop. It's obvious Dan Snyder has half of China hard at work building us these incredible products. For real though, a jersey is sufficient, there is a thin line between bleeding burgundy and falling victim to commercialism.

I love seeing the old school stuff that fans made with their own hands. You know, the old bus that was converted to a tailgating machine, those Redskins bean bag toss games you see in the parking lots, an old refrigerator painted burgundy and converted into a giant kegerator, or a simple Redskins blanket hand made by a relative. That's the good stuff. Made for fans by fans. Let me know if you have any custom built Redskins stuff and I'll post it. Or tell me about a cool Skins contraption you've seen.

Hail.

Redskins Have Two Weeks To Get It Right

I happened to catch the first half of the Giants/Browns game on Monday night. The first 15 minutes of the game was total domination by the defending champions. I immediately thought, "Wow, Zorn better get things going before September 4th". In case you missed it, the Giants ran the ball with ease, threw the ball all over the field, and scored at will....that was just the offense in the first quarter. Then their defense shut down the Browns (who were actually very good last season). They even knocked the Browns starting quarterback out with a concussion. And, for the hell of it, they blocked a punt for a safety, then returned a kick for a touch down. All of this happened in the first quarter. Score: 30 - 3.

The Washington Redskins will open the season in the Meadowlands in a couple weeks. I have liked what I have seen from Zorn & Campbell so far, and I think the defense will be just as good if not better than last year. But after that performance against the Jets it makes you wonder a little. Who will show up come September 4 when the Redskins and Giants kickoff the NFL season on prime time? Will Jansen and Samuels hold off Umenyiora and Tuck to give Campbell time to throw? Will Taylor and Carter keep Manning out of a groove? Will Portis and Betts out gain Jacobs and Bradshaw? Will Fletcher out-tackle Pierce? These teams are pretty similar, huh?

We'll have a better idea after Saturday's preseason game in Charlotte. This is the best chance to see what we've got. The Redskins plan on playing the starters a full half of the game. This is when Jason Campbell must take some shots down field...air it out, it's the preseason! This is a great chance to put Cooley and Davis in on two tight end sets...let's see how a defense responds to that. This is the chance for Fred Smoot and Shawn Springs to actually intercept a football instead of pounding the turf as the ball wobbles on the ground next to them (they've each dropped an easy pick this summer). This is when we should see Clinton Portis rip of a 75 yard run like Rock Cartwright did last week. Jake Delhomme seems like a fine specimen for the Andre Carter/Jason Taylor experiment to be unleashed on. And last, lets see a couple of those creative fleaflickers that Zorn dreamed about doing while being an assistant in Seattle all those years.

You see, some of these things need to be "tried" in case the season opener against the Giants turns into a shootout...or nail biter. So better test them this weekend for two full quarters. I don't think there will be much time the following week against the Jaquars. So Zorn, let it rip this weekend. Practice makes perfect. We may just need it come Thursday night, around 10:15 p.m. on September 4th.

Hail.

Former Redskin Heath Shuler Is "Washington's Finest"

Upcoming Washington, D.C. magazine "Washington's Finest" has former Redskins Quarterback of the Future - Heath Shuler on the cover in one of their preview ads. I saw it and did a double take. Washington's finest? Seriously?

For those that do not know or remember, Heath Shuler was the Redskins first round draft pick (number 3 overall) in 1994. He was dubbed the Redskins Quarterback of the Future for all of 18 games that he started for the Redskins. Shuler was traded to the Saints after his third season in Washington and losing the starting job to Gus Frerotte (who is still in the NFL).

I am sure Heath Shuler is a good guy, and maybe even a great congressman, but Washington's finest? Maybe this new magazine should consider putting Brandon Lloyd on the cover for a special Christmas edition of Washington's Finest. LMAO.

Almost, but no cigar

At least the Redskins moved on from Shuler very quickly. The recent drawn out quarterback projects in Detroit, Houston, San Fransisco, Chicago, and Baltimore have paralyzed those respective teams for years (then again, so were the Skins after Shuler). Maybe Joey Harrington, David Carr, Alex Smith, Rex Grossman, or Kyle Boller can one day return to their inaugural team's city and run for mayor or something....maybe they can be on the cover of that city's newest and lamest magazine.

Hail.

Redskins Depth Players Put Up Stats

With two weeks left in the preseason the Washington Redskins make their presence known on the NFL stat tracker. Sure, they had an extra game to pad their stats but so did Indianapolis. And when it comes to the Colts, it's a good thing to be in their company when mentioning stats for offense or defense.

According to NFL.com the Redskins are in the top 5 in four of the six main categories (Passing Yards, Rushing Yards, Receiving Yards, Tackles). Marcus Mason leads the NFL in rushing with 233 yards, but Rock Cartwright is third with 148 yards. Matt Sinclair is second in the NFL with 18 tackles, Khary Campbell is right behind Sinclair with 15 tackles, Billy McMullen is fourth with 142 receiving yards, and Colt Brennan comes in fifth with 239 yards passing.

If you look a little deeper you'll see Shaun Suisham is fourth in kick offs. Yeah, kickoffs. Suisham was pretty lousy at that last season, so it's good to see him averaging 70.9 yards per kickoff with 2 touch backs. He'll need to keep that up when the season starts, but this is promising.

Durant Brooks in 10th in the league in punting (not bad for a rookie) while Derrick Frost is 38th. I think the writing is on the wall for Frost.

This shows that our depth players are starting to stand out in the league. It's always a good thing when your third and fourth string guys out perform the rest of the leagues third and fourth string guys, especially under a new head coach.

Again, it's just preseason, but to see our depth players make these kind of contributions is definitely a good thing and long overdue. Teamwise, the Skins are just so-so in the middle of the pack, but they have been pulling out wins this preseason and have been lucky at times. The next games against the Panthers and Jaguars will wrap up the preseason, but I think we've seen enough from the guys mentioned above...I say they all make this squad.

Hail.