Are Redskins fans beginning to accept Dan Snyder?

Daniel M. Snyder was born in Silver Spring, Maryland on November 23, 1965. Snyder is a University of Maryland dropout, a financial guru and until about a year or so ago, one of the most hated owners by his fans. Snyder has been the Owner and President of the Washington Redskins since 1999 when he purchased the team after Jack Kent Cooke passed away.

Since then?

The Redskins have managed a 91-117 record and Dan Snyder has managed to get on almost every Redskins fan’s bad side by charging to see training camp in Ashburn, Virginia (and to park at camp), hiring and not firing Vinny Cerrato fast enough, raising ticket prices and even suing fans that couldn’t afford to pay for their season tickets during an economic downturn. Snyder has also recently sued the Washington City Paper for libel after a post, which is a must-read for all Redskins fans (and has been used in the creation of this article), was written by Dave McKenna entitled “The Cranky Redskins Fan’s Guide to Dan Snyder”. In his post, McKenna details everything that Mr. Snyder has done to piss off perturb Redskins fans over his years as owner. You may also remember hearing about a photograph that was altered to make Snyder look like the devil (featured with McKenna’s article). That suit was dropped on September 10, 2011 by Snyder and his legal team. Many fans probably believed that the tide was turning back in April of 2010 when the Redskins brought in Mike Shanahan. A million interceptions, 21 losses, one washed up quarterback and one Haynesworthless player later, not much had changed up until April 27th, 2011.

Mike Shanahan began to work his draft magic along with Bruce Allen in the 2011 NFL Draft thanks to Daniel Snyder’s hands-off approach and the team being satisfied with Rex Grossman or John Beck starting at quarterback. Washington traded down to pick sixteen and grabbed an immediate starter on defense in Ryan Kerrigan, they shuffled all around the board and ended up with 12 draft picks- most of which are still with the team today. The “they’re doing it the right way” comments began to circulate and Danny finally regained a little favor. Much like a presidential approval rating jumping from 10% to 25%; it was something. But alas, the Redskins tanked the season again having a “Beckman” combo at quarterback, albeit with a much-improved defense. We all knew that Snyder had the money and the will to make a big splash, but his latest move may have finally turned the tide.

As reported by ESPN.com three days ago, the Redskins and Rams agreed to a trade (in principle) to exchange 2012 first-round picks and send the Redskins’ first-rounders in 2013 and 2014 to St. Louis. Oh, the ‘Skins also threw in this year’s second-round pick as well. The Redskins and Snyder finally decided to get their man, Robert Griffin III. Well, technically whoever is left after the Colts select first, which could lead to Andrew Luck. Either way the Redskins gained instant credibility in the free agent market and people began renewing their season tickets almost instantaniously. Grant Paulsen of 106.7 WJFK “The Fan” jumped on the radio waves at about 11pm after the announcement and stayed live, on-air, taking calls for six hours. There was an air of excitement and hope not felt since Sean Taylor took back a fumble recovery against Tampa Bay to seal the Redskins’ first playoff victory since 1999. Snyder, Allen, and Shanahan were applauded by most for their guts in making the tough (and ultimately right) decision to go for a “franchise quarterback” in the 2012 draft.

But wait, there’s more. Now according to SI.com, the NFL is allegedly going to hand out penalties to teams that front-loaded contracts into the 2010 cap year so they could clear space for the capped seasons to come. This pits the NFL against the Washington Redskins. The Redskins were rumored to have been penalized $36 million in cap money; the Dallas Cowboys ($10 million) were also supposedly hit. Redskins fans immediately took to social media and the talk-back lines on many radio stations wondering how this could be and more importantly, could the Redskins fight back? Allen issued a statement late Monday proclaiming that he knew nothing of any sanctions or penalties and that he is “looking forward to free agency”; with this, the stage has been set. It appears as though fans are standing behind their owner and coach instead of across the picket line complaining about parking prices, how much a souvenir cup costs and why we can’t score a touchdown in the redzone.

Many issues still remain, but Snyder seems to be regaining favor in the eyes of fans. The only way to verify such a claim is with, you guessed it, a poll. Let’s hear it Redskins nation.

Results of your votes will be displayed in a “State of the Redskins” address in April after the NFL Draft. For more Redskins news and notes you can follow the blog (@RiggosRag) and me (@KMawyer2) on twitter.