Tag: Daniel Snyder (Page 3 of 5)

2009 NFL Power Rankings: Week 9

Here’s how I see things 1-32 in the NFL after eight weeks in the books:

1. New Orleans Saints (7-0)
The Saints have the most balanced offensive attack in the NFL, have been a more aggressive and opportunistic defense under new coordinator Gregg Williams and are off to their best start in franchise history. There is a lot of season left, but this team has a Super Bowl-feeling about them.

2. Indianapolis Colts (7-0)
I don’t know if the 49ers necessarily laid out a blueprint on how to stop Peyton Manning and the Colts, but they at least showed how to contain the potent Indy offense for four quarters.

3. Minnesota Vikings (7-1)
I bet Brett Favre and Jared Allen wish they could play the Packers every week, because they’ve owned Green Bay in two games this season.

4. Denver Broncos (6-1)
Teams always learn more from losses than they do wins, so it’ll be interesting to see how Josh McDaniels and his coaching staff adjusts heading into Monday night against the Steelers.

5. New England Patriots (5-2)
We’ll see what kind of team the Pats are over their next five games: vs. Miami, at Indy, vs. the Jets and at New Orleans. Is Tom Brady back to his usual self or did he just benefit from putting up outrageous numbers against two bad teams in the Titans and Bucs the past two games?

6. Cincinnati Bengals (5-2)
The Bengals should be fresh coming off their bye, but they face two opponents in the Ravens and Steelers in the next two weeks that are looking to avenge losses to Cincinnati earlier in the season. Can the Bengals at least earn a split to stay atop the AFC North?

7. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2)
The Steelers are feeling good after beating the Vikings two weeks ago and then getting Week 8 off. But they travel to Denver and then host Cincinnati the next two weeks, so we’ll see whether or not their record isn’t just a byproduct of facing bad teams like the Titans, Lions, Browns and the ever-inconsistent Chargers.

8. Dallas Cowboys (6-2)
Wade Phillips’ defense is starting to do a better job of creating turnovers and getting pressure on the quarterback. In the Cowboys’ last two games, they’ve racked up five takeaways and seven sacks. It’s no surprise that Dallas won both of those games and they’ll need more of the same when they travel to Philadelphia on Sunday night.

9. Philadelphia Eagles (5-2)
What an impressive win last Sunday as the Eagles thumped the Giants in every facet of the game. Can they do it again this week in another big divisional test?

10. New York Giants (5-3)
I don’t know what to make of this team – are they suffering from injuries or have the last three weeks been the norm? To date, the G-Men only have one win against a winning team, which came in Week 2 against the Cowboys. Their four other victories came against the Redskins, Bucs, Chiefs and Raiders. Yikes.

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Snyder apologizes for the state of the Redskins

In a recent interview with reporters, owner Daniel Snyder said that the Redskins have “let everyone down.”

From ESPN.com:

In a rare, in-season interview with reporters, Snyder said at a charity event that the team is embarrassed by its 2-5 start and hopes to turn things around soon.

Snyder has been the subject of much ire from some fans. Signs critical of the owner have been confiscated at recent home games as part of the team’s new crackdown on all signs and banners at the stadium.

Snyder was asked about the sign ban but did not address the issue. Regarding the fans, he said: “We’ve let everyone down, including ourselves, and we know that and we’re just apologetic.”

The Redskins are like a recipe that has gotten out of hand. Over the years, Snyder has simply added his favorite ingredients to the pot without regard to how the final product will taste. And what he has now isn’t even editable.

Snyder better take a long, hard look in the mirror once this season is over and re-evaluate the approach he has taken with running his team into the ground. His free-spending ways don’t work and it’s painstakingly clear that they’ll never work. He needs to do a better job of allowing the people he hires to run the football operations…to actually run the football operations.

He created this mess and now it’s up to him to figure out how to get the Skins back on the right track. Everything starts at the top.

Report: Shanahan turned down Redskins job

According to a report by NFL Fanhouse, former Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan turned down the opportunity to replace Jim Zorn as head coach of the Redskins.

“Shanahan told the franchise there was little he could do in the middle of the season for them and that changing coaches during the season in the NFL rarely works,” a Redskins management source told FanHouse. “Several people that Dan Snyder trusts have suggested, if he makes a move, he should turn it over to secondary coach Jerry Gray. That could still happen.

“We are trying to give Jim every chance to turn it around. The move to [bring in offensive consultant Sherm] Lewis is to take more off Jim’s plate, especially the play-calling, because it is not working, and that is where Jim is spending much of his time. Now he can coach the entire team. Let’s see where that gets us.”

This is just another example of Daniel Snyder’s ineptitude as an owner. He makes rash decisions without fully thinking them through and looks for quick fixes instead of building from the ground up.

What would be the point of hiring Shanahan now? He would immediately be at a disadvantage with the players who liked Zorn and he would have no time to implement the changes he wants. It would have been a stupid move and quite frankly, Snyder is lucky Shanahan turned him down.

This reminds me of when Snyder flirted with signing Byron Leftwich in the offseason. Leftwich would have been a horrendous fit for the West Coast Offense, yet since he was the best quarterback on the free agent market, Snyder had to have him. In the end, Leftwich wasn’t signed but the ordeal hurt Jason Campbell’s confidence and left him questioning his future in Washington.

If Snyder really wants to help his team, he should work with his coaching staff on building a new offensive line, which is arguably a bigger issue than Zorn’s inabilities as a playcaller. Even if Snyder hires Shanahan in the offseason, the Redskins have a long way to go to get back to respectability.

Does Snyder want Gruden to coach Redskins?

According to a report by the Washington Examiner, Redskins owner Daniel Snyder wants Monday Night Football analyst Jon Gruden to be his next head coach.

Sources close to Snyder say he began considering options to replace coach Jim Zorn after losing to Detroit on Sept. 27; a victory that ended the Lions’ 19-game losing streak. The Redskins loss to Carolina on Sunday was its second in three games to a winless team. It followed a turbulent week when Snyder hired an “offensive consultant” to give Zorn another “fresh set of eyes” on a beleaguered offense.

Snyder has not contacted Gruden, say sources, but he believes the former Oakland-Tampa Bay coach might be the best fit among five Super Bowl winning coaches without jobs. Gruden currently is a Monday Night Football commentator who arrives in Washington for the Redskins-Philadelphia Eagles game on Oct. 26. Snyder and Gruden could meet during routine pregame research for the MNF program.

On the surface, this seems like a great fit. Gruden felt as though the Glazer family didn’t try to compete in Tampa, namely because they didn’t spend. The Buccaneers finished $45 million under the cap last year, which was Gruden’s final season in Tampa.

With Snyder’s free-spending ways and the NFL approaching an uncapped season in 2010, Gruden could construct the roster he wants right from the start. The key would be whether or not he could get the Redskins to play as a cohesive team, which is something Jim Zorn has struggled with.

This will be an interesting storyline to follow this season. That said, don’t be surprised if Snyder goes after some of the other big name head coaches that will be available in the offseason, including Bill Cowher and Mike Shanahan.

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