Redskins: Inside Dan Snyder’s tragic quest to be a hero

The best NFL franchises have direction.

The best NFL franchises harbor a clear and logical organizational structure from top to bottom. This organizational structure, which often consists of an owner, a president, a general manager, and a coaching staff, is designed to help subjugate duties, and ensure that all members have not only a job, but the right job.

Based on this definition, the Washington Redskins are not one of the NFL’s best franchises. Far from it, in fact. While other teams boast a team environment, and a growing network of informed decision makers, the Redskins are stuck with one man at the top, everyone else at the bottom, and as a result, they’ve taken on an embarrassing state for years on end.

Redskins president Bruce Allen has drawn much of the ire for the team’s embarrassing state over the past decade; the hashtag “#FireBruceAllen” has been circulating on Twitter for weeks now, ever since the firing of Brian Lafemina.

The sentiment is well-educated; Allen has long been a detriment to the Redskins franchise. But recent events have proven that he is insignificant; a mere module of intervention. A puppet, to be used by the man at the very top: Dan Snyder.

Dan Snyder is the man behind the curtain, while Allen is Oz. But such a fantastical analogy doesn’t begin to capture the disdain for rational thought and empathy with which Snyder has run his favorite childhood franchise into the ground, with the intention of becoming the hero Redskins fans have long awaited. Here are the reasons why Dan Snyder is the real problem. And why a change in leadership starts and ends… with the end of his quest.

NOTE:

This is a reposting of an article from over a year ago, detailing the underlying reasons for Dan Snyder’s culture problem. Some aspects of this post, particularly pertaining to Bruce Allen’s employment status, are outdated.

The report yesterday may have been surprising to some, but Dan Snyder’s personality traits made it possible.