Die Hard Sports Fan

Earlier, I made the case for having patience with regards to Jason Campbell. But, is there a strong case to be made for the urgency of now?

When Dan Snyder bought the team in May, 1999, it would be safe to say that Mr. Snyder felt an overwhelming sense of the urgency of now. He is a man that was and remains accustomed to dancing to the beat of his own drum. And that drum beats to a rhythm that says, “I want what I want, and I want it now!”

One of the first moves he made was to offer the naming rights to the stadium to corporate bidders. He was one of, if not the first owner to do this. Today, it is common place. But, what Snyder is best known for today is his rapid and continuous hiring and firing of head coaches. When he purchased the team, Norv Turner was in place. Who can forget the exuberant Snyder giving Norv a big bear hug that first year? But, soon thereafter, perhaps after losing to the Cowboys (I’m not sure), Turner had to go. Next, in comes Marty Schottenheimer. After one season, he was fired and then came Steve Spurrier. You see, Snyder thought that Schottenheimer’s offense was too boring. It didn’t score enough points. So, I’m sure Mr. Snyder thought that Spurrier would light up the scoreboard, just like he did in college.

Who can remember Spurrier being lit up by the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football and showing his frustration with the longest lip slappin’, fish pucker ever recorded in history. It was no surprise then, that after two years, Spurrier was gone. In comes the return of Joe Gibbs. Moreover, it wasn’t just Joe Gibbs. It was the most expensive coaching staff in the NFL. Having outgrown his penchant for accumulating star players, like Deion Sanders, Bruce Smith, Mark Carrier, etc., Mr. Snyder assembled an “all-star” coaching staff. It’s what Joe Gibbs wanted and needed in order to be both head coach and president of the team.

Now, much has been written about Gibbs and his second stint with the team. It’s sufficed to say, it wasn’t as successful as most Redskins fans had hoped when he came back to town. Today, we have Jim Zorn. And, contrary to what others in the blogosphere have already suggested, I believe Snyder will stick with Zorn for at least four years. Why? Because if nothing else, I think Snyder learned discipline from Gibbs.

So, what is the benefit of the urgency of now? What have we attained as a team and an organization through our urgency? Not much.

That said, I understand the lack of patience in many fans. It’s been a long time. We’re thirsty, like a man dying in the desert. We’re looking for a tall, cool drink of water that a franchise QB will provide. I don’t know if that QB is Jason Campbell, Colt Brennan, or someone else. But, I’m willing to allow Campbell to at least learn what he’s supposed to be doing before we determine that he can’t do it.

Lastly, recent comments in the blogosphere suggest that Campbell didn’t look that good last year after having multiple years in Al Saunders offense. Well, it should be noted that as late as this past weekend, another notable QB struggled in the same Saunders offense: Marc Bulger. Maybe there is a reason why we released Saunders as a coach. After all, if he was really that good, why was he passed over for the Kansas City Chiefs job.

It has been said, “patience is a virtue.”

But, it has also been said, “time is the fire in which we all burn. And, patience is for those that don’t understand the concept of time.”

Getting it right is a delicate balance between patience and urgency. Right now, however, we need to be disciplined enough to be patient. We’ve planned our work for the future. Now, let’s have the patience to work our plan. This is not to suggest that anyone has an open ticket to take as much time as they need. But, in order to alleviate ourselves from having to second guess our decision later, we deserve the privilege of taking the time to make an intelligent decision, based on a body of knowledge and relevent experience; not just gut feelings.

Hail to the Redskins!

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How many Redskins fans can recall the plight of the New Orleans Saints QB, Drew Brees?

Drew Brees came in to the league as a second round draft pick of the San Diego Chargers, after having played college ball at Purdue University. While in college, Brees enjoyed significant success by setting a number of Big 10 Conference records, bowl games, the Maxwell Award for the nations most outstanding player, and a two-time finalist for the Heisman Trophy. But, his entry to the NFL game was not smooth, to say the least.

In his rookie season, Brees stepped on the field one time. After a coaching change to Marty Schottenheimer, Brees became the starter. Yet, by his third year, Brees found himself sharing the position with Doug Flutie. In his third season, he was named the starter. But, the team went 4-12 that season and thus earned the top pick in the following draft, in which they acquired Philip Rivers. But a funny thing happened along the way of on the road of public sentiment to run Brees out of town. Philip Rivers held out of training camp over a contract dispute and thus, wasn’t ready to replace Brees as the starter when the season began.

Ooops!

What happened next is truly the upside of being patient. In his fourth season, and one that he really wasn’t supposed to have, Drew Brees achieved the third best QB rating of 104.8, was elected to the Pro Bowl, and was named the NFL Comeback Player of the Year. At the end of the following season, and another strong performance, he was traded to the New Orleans Saints to make room for Rivers.

In his first season with the Saints, Brees threw for more 4,000 yards and once again earned a position in the Pro Bowl. He has continued to grow as a QB and has led the Saints to the playoffs, and even the NFC Championship game against the Chicago Bears on January 21, 2007.

Redskins fans might want to sit up and take notice of the upside of being patient with Jason Campbell. Drew Brees, as well as other QBs, have had at least two or more years in the same offense before they began to have real success. Matt Hasselbeck needed almost five years before the light came on; before he understood what he was supposed to be doing. Jason Campbell, by comparison, has had seven months! That’s it.

Now, I realize that I could capture a great deal of attention if I bash the Redskins, Jason Campbell, Jim Zorn, and especially the front office. But, I’m not going there. I fully believe that Mr. Daniel Snyder has grown tremendously as an owner and is beginning to figure it all out. It only took him about 9 years, coupled with one-on-one tutoring from Joe Gibbs.

Imagine what the Skins offense will look like once the light comes on in JC and the entire offense. Let’s be patient and allow him time to grow. The current chatter in the media, and fan comments on other blogs, about bringing in Todd Collins, and prepping Colt Brennan for next year is only going to hinder the process.

So, I’m calling all Redskins fans: Let’s remember the journey of Drew Brees and remember, there is an upside to being patient.

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“Sportz Assassin” reports on FanHouse today: “Since 1952 — that’s not a typo — the Redskins have had just three coaches with a winning overall record: Joe Gibbs, George Allen and Vince Lombardi. Great names who are all in the Pro Football Hall Of Fame. However, it should be noted that Lombardi coached just one season in D.C. before passing away before the start of the 1970 season and Gibbs second stint saw him finish with a 30-34 record.”

Hmmm…

I remember when Joe Gibbs first came to the Skins as the head coach. I recall thinking, or feeling that it was going to be the beginning of an era. Honestly. Now, it might have been because I was young, and had just started playing pee-wee football myself. But, I knew it in my heart.

Am I prepared to say the same thing about Jim Zorn. Well, not exactly. But, I will say that I do think Zorn has the right stuff. He’s not Joe Gibbs. That’s a good thing. But, already we’ve seen that Zorn likes to pop off at the mouth. He’s got that head-mouth disease. He says exactly what’s on his mind. Some might say that’s a good thing. But, Gibbs, if he was nothing else, was a master of managing the press and public perception.

Zorn however, is trying to temper himself. But, it will take some time. Beginning tonight, he’s about to find out just how little the media and fans will coddle him if he doesn’t learn to win. And, in that crucible of scrutiny, Zorn will rise or falter by how well he manages the media to manage our expectations.

Joe Gibbs began his first tenure as coach with a 0-5 start. He’s been quoted as saying that he believed he would be fired. Melodrama aside, he understood the nature of being an NFL coach. In fact, any executive, whether it’s in the NFL or Corporate America, must learn how to manage expectations while at the same time building and cultivating strong relationships.

There is a saying: A great relationship can overcome poor results. But great results will never overcome a bad relationship. For example, just ask Marty Schottenheimer about his experience with the San Diego Chargers.

Yet, even though Joe Gibbs never had to worry about truly poor results beyond his 0-5 start, he never forgot that critical lesson. And, of course, it shouldn’t go without saying that a great relationship is made even greater when accompanied by great results. And in that regard, Joe Gibbs won three super bowls. He should have had a fourth, but Joe Theisman was playing “drunk” that day against the Raiders.

To be successful, and write his name next to the winning coaches of the Redskins, Zorn has to do what he does best: Put Jason Campbell in a position to succeed. Teach the players well. And lastly, go beyond just calling the right plays. Rather, he must call the right plays at the right time.

Is it game time, yet!!

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