Travis Williams is an aspiring writer/broadcaster/humorist with a passion for connecting with people from all walks of life through good, and often humorous, conversations on sports. He blends quality insights and observations with his unique sense of humor providing his readers with works that are both entertaining and thought provoking. His goal is to one day host a sports radio talk show, allowing him to use his multiple talents to their full potential, while entertaining the sports community. Basically, Travis loves sports and loves people, and connecting those two passions is his dream. He currently resides in Myrtle Beach, S.C. where he spends his spare time day dreaming of being a pirate and getting frequently beaten at Madden by middle school kids. Have you ever returned home from the grocery store, realized your bread is smashed or a few eggs are cracked, and instantly started to rip in to whoever bagged your stuff, only to remember you went through the self check out lane? It is a truly humbling moment.
Welcome to the way Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder should feel every morning.
Snyder came out this week and publicly announced that his beloved Redskins have "let everyone down," and he feels horrible about it. He went on to elaborate how disappointing this season has been and how awful he feels for his once loyal fan base.
In the 10 years Snyder's has been with the Redskins, they have made the playoffs only three times, none of which have resulted in a Super Bowl appearance. In addition, the team's has had a winning percentage under .500, with their last season of double-digit wins coming in 2005.
Snyder has also blown through multiple coaching staffs, including legendary coaches Marty Schottenheimer and Joe Gibbs. He has also been super-aggressive on the free agent market, including bringing in older high profile players such as Bruce Smith, Deion Sanders and Jeff George, just to name a few. All of which has only managed to make Washington nothing more than a stepping-stone towards retirement .
More recently, Snyder has angered his fan base by suing fans that were not able to pay for their seats, and banning all signs and banners at games. He also removed play calling duties from his head coach Jim Zorn and given them to retired coach and famed bingo caller Sherman Lewis. All this while producing a team that has a record of 2-5, with their only wins coming against the St. Louis Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Sadder yet, his team carries the burden of being the only team to lose to the Detroit Lions in the past two seasons.
The whole situation is a mess and there is no doubt that come season's end head coach Jim Zorn will take the fall for it, becoming Snyder's most recent scapegoat. Realistically though, it all falls on Snyder. He packed this grocery sack, he smashed the bread, broke the eggs, and mixed the cold stuff in with the detergent. Granted Zorn has faults of his own, but what do you expect when handed a bag like that?
Redskins' fans don't want an apology. They don't want to know that he is suffering just as much as they are. They want a product they can be proud on Sundays, rather than a product they are ashamed of on Mondays.