Alex Smith’s Commanders criticism feels like direct shot at Dan Snyder

Washington Commanders fans are hopeful the latest controversy surrounding owner Dan Snyder will ultimately lead to him being forced to sell the team.

On top of the NFL launching another independent investigation into the widely-panned 57-year-old, Congress is now reportedly investigating allegations of financial impropriety by the franchise under Snyder’s ownership.

Shortly thereafter, AJ Perez of Front Office Sports reported Congress is looking to determine whether Washington and Snyder kept two separate books that painted contrasting pictures of the team’s financial situation.

It’s simply a never-ending cycle with Snyder, and fans have long pondered that Washington will never enjoy sustained success so long as he owns the team.

That no matter what head coach — even one as accomplished and universally respected as Ron Rivera — general manager or star players are brought in, Snyder’s antics will always find a way to suck the life out of the team.

Some believe it to be true. Some think it’s ridiculous.

We now know that Alex Smith falls in the former category. During a recent appearance on the “Rich Eisen Show”, the former Washington quarterback was asked what advice he’d lend to the newly-acquired Carson Wentz.

Former Commanders QB Alex Smith didn’t pull any punches discussing the team’s long-standing dysfunction.

Here’s what Smith had to say.

"Oh man, that’s tough. I think you have to try to eliminate the noise there. You know, there is a lot of noise. There are a lot of distractions. That entire organization, everything surrounding it, and obviously deservedly. It’s been flawed for the last 20 years. There is a lot of stuff going on there, a lot of distractions. It makes it difficult to focus in on football."

Those comments feel like a direct shot at Snyder, no?

Keep in mind Smith is speaking as someone who had a first-hand experience of Washington’s day-to-day operations. During his three-year run with the team, both head coach Jay Gruden and president Bruce Allen got fired. Shortly after his final season in 2020, the investigation into the team’s toxic workplace culture and alleged foul treatment of female employees was launched.

Are these nonstop distractions enough to impact the team’s on-field product? In Smith’s eyes it shouldn’t even be a question.

"How could it not? All the stuff there with just the entire organization from ownership down, head coaching and GM, there’s been historically a lot of drama there. It’s a big market, obviously, the capital and a lot going on, and that organization is a really storied franchise and there’s a lot of turmoil and a lot of distractions.So to say that the stuff going on in the building doesn’t infiltrate the locker room or out on the field would be crazy. That’s what happens everywhere. I think that’s what great organizations eliminate and the bad ones have a hard time with. All that noise creeps into the building. Yeah, it does. It does affect the product on the field.I think that’s what great organizations eliminate, and the bad ones have a hard time with. All that noise creeps into the building.Yeah, it does. It does affect the product on the field."

Hard to disagree with anything Smith said here.

While players and coaches likely couldn’t care less about Snyder, when their owner (technically their boss) is making headlines for heinous reasons — which results in the team getting eviscerated by fans and the media — it’s bound to have a trickle-down affect. Players aren’t robots.

Whether it boils down to a lack of focus or sheer motivation to represent a franchise that’s owned by someone with a shady (at best) reputation, Smith’s comments prove the team’s off-field distractions impact its on-field performance.

That gives us a greater appreciation for the job Rivera did last season. Despite Snyder continuously embarrassing himself and the franchise, countless injuries and players enduring unspeakable tragedies, the Commanders were an incredibly resilient group in 2021.

As Smith notes, though, there’s only so much adversity a team can overcome and Snyder’s distractions make everyone’s job more difficult.