George Michael on Why Fans Hate Snyderrato
There might not be a single person in Washington better able to understand the Redskins from both the fans' and ownership's point of view than George Michael. Of course, he's an inveterate homer and is pals with Daniel Snyder and has taken his cash and all that, but he also knows how to keep it real, when so inclined. Thursday was one of those times. During a massive 30-minute appearance on 106.7 The Fan's Mike Wise Show, Michael attempted to explain what's gone wrong in Ashburn.
(Podcast here, soon.)
"You all want to dump it on Dan Snyder," Michael said. "I understand that. I understand that. I don't think Dan does. I don't think he understands why people hate him so. The truth is--and I've got to give you full disclosure, everybody knows that I am friends with Dan Snyder, not in the sense that I'm in the tank for him, but he is a friend, I admit that. But Dan doesn't even understand what he does wrong. He doesn't even understand the things he does wrong. If the fans knew how bad he wants to win, they would go my God, he wants to win as much as I do."
So, why, then, have things gone so badly from a PR standpoint?
"It's Dan's fault...and that's a shame," said Michael, who then described the "absolute chaos" in Ashburn when Snyder took over the team.
"I mean, Norv hated Charley so bad," he went on. "So now Dan Snyder inherits it. People from day 1 hated Dan Snyder because he was 35 years old, bought the team for $850 million, and his neighbors told the Washington Post, he's a jerk. And that is when it started.
"And then down in Atlanta when he got the team, he didn't know how to handle the media, he didn't have someone with him who could help him handle the media and talk. And I remember vividly he whisking himself out of the Westin hotel and Wally Bruckner...along with 25 other people trying to keep up with him,.Wally ran into a door and knocked those $200,000 doors off their hinges in the Westin hotel....People did not like Dan from the get go, and the truth is, I don't think people know him. And then he'll do things like LaVar said, he would go into the locker room and glare. What Dan wants is accountability. He wants accountability.
"He never went into the locker room and glared when Joe Gibbs was the coach. That did not happen with Joe Gibbs. Because Gibbs went before the public after that loss to the Buffalo Bills and said, 'I lost this game.' Now coach, that's a load of horse manure. He did not lose the game. It sticks with me every day of my life, but that's the kind of man Joe Gibbs was. Another coach was yelling in his ear, 'Call another timeout, call another timeout.' He called the second timeout....To take the heat, to take the heat off of the guys who screwed up on the field, to take the heat off the safety...Gibbs goes before the public and says, 'I Lost This Game.' "
The implication being certain other Redskins coaches might want to adopt a similar approach. Interestingly, Greg Blache today took blame for the defensive struggles and told reporters to throw him under the bus. As for Cerrato, Michael was asked who really makes the personnel decisions.
"Let me tell you the truth: Dan does make I think most of those big-type decisions," Michael said. "He says 'Let's get this guy, let's get that guy.' And the guy that takes the heat for it--and it's why I think he's never gotten fired--is Vinny Cerrato. Now, Cerrato's painted as a bozo, but the truth is, what did Vinny Cerrato do for the team? Look at Chris Horton. That's the kind of guy he gets."
So Wise asked Michael if he thinks Cerrato is a capable talent evaluator.
"Oh, there's no ifs buts or ands," Michael said. "I mean, I know that for a fact, I know that from other people around the league. Here's the problem Mike--and God, I can't believe I'm telling all this truth--Vinny Cerrato is a ZERO when it comes to public relations and building relationships with people in the world. I'm sorry. My Good God. He doesn't ask why don't people like me, but you've got to go out and you've got to do things....I feel bad that Cerrato has not gone out and tried to build these relationships."
Michael presumably has a bead on Jim Zorn's future, and he agreed when Wise said the Skins need to win two out of the next three and be respectable in all of them. Michael then managed to compare Zorn to Lindsay Czarniak (as an undiscovered talent), and to insist that Snyder wants to stick with him.
"I will tell you this, and folks, please write this down--Dan Snyder does not want to fire Jim Zorn," Michael said. "Believe me, on my kid's life, he doesn't want to fire Zorn. Let me tell you, he does not want to fire Jim Zorn....
"You have to take gambles, and that's what they did with Zorn," he continued. "Dan Snyder put his name, his stamp, his reputation on Jim Zorn. If Jim doesn't deliver what Dan Snyder thinks is a good deal, then there's no telling when it could end. But I must tell you this, after you lose to the Detroit Lions--and I do personally love this guy Jim Zorn, he's a great guy--you cannot go before the public and say we're making improvements. Dear God, if you're making improvement and losing to the 0-19 Lions, my ### is grass and you're the lawnmower. We're in trouble, baby."
More highlights, and again, please listen to it all here. It was awesome.
On the Marty experiment: "Here's the deal guys, he should never have hired Marty Schottenheimer....I said to [snyder's relatives], I said folks, within six months you will regret the decision to have hired Marty Schottenheimer. The first day of training camp, Fred Drasner, who owned the team, turned to me and said, 'We oughta fire this son of a ##### today.' You don't know what Marty Schottenheimer is, you don't know what he is until you live with him, until you work with him."
On Gregg Williams not getting hired: "I love Gregg Williams. He's a dear dear friend, but he could not have coexisted with Dan Snyder. Haven't you ever met someone in life that you just don't like?"
On Sonny vs. Zorn: "No one was at fault. You have to understand, Sonny is a Redskins fan, and he was so frustrated, he voiced his own feeling as a fan. He and I talked maybe 15 minutes after he did it, and I said Sonny, it was a great question but the wrong time and the wrong place....It came after a victory, and after you win, even as godawful, ugly as it was, I don't need to go in and say to you that was a BS call, coach. You know, let it go. Sonny could have held that thought til Monday."
On the Future: "There IS NO QUICK FIX. If anyone thinks anyone can turn this around over night, they are badly mistaken....Here is the deal: There IS NO QUICK FIX. Who's been the face of the franchise? Clinton Portis. What has Clinton Portis done for me lately? Everybody knows that I'm in the tank for Clinton, I love the guy. I don't want him to deliver my loaf of bread right now! He can't carry the dadgum loaf of bread to my front door much less get me one yard at the 4th-and-goal at the 1, so I don't want that. So I put $100 million on Albert Haynesworth--ooooh, I hurt my hip, I can't play the next 25 plays. And then I've got Jason, God love you, Jason, if I can see Antwaan Randle-El standing by himself with no one within 100 yards of him...then the quarterback's got to see it.
"And when things like that are happening, it becomes very frustrating. And that's why Zorn says we're making improvements, what he should have said was folks there were plays where we had guys that were ready to score touchdowns but we didn't get the ball in their hands. That I would have understood."
On Snyder's Popularity: "I saw a poll the other day where 52 percent of the people believe that the Redskins' problems are Dan Snyder's fault. When you put yourself up front as I'm gonna be the leader of this band and the band is totally out of step, then people are gonna blame you. Now the truth is that right now, I've got to be honest with you guys, I wish that Monday Jim Zorn would have stepped up and said, 'I am the one who screwed up this band, I'm the one that has us out of step.' Instead, he said the team is making progress. We're not making progress when you lose to the 0-19 Lions. That is not making progress."
Me: Do I still have a job?boss: Call me before coming in.No hint of sarcasm. Not sure if he was serious or not...
I think the safe thing to do is to treat your boss like he's your BOSS. He's not some Tom, **** or Joe...so, save teh trash talking for the regular folk. Last thing you want to do is piss off the guy who determines your yearly eval or raise.I interviewed this one guy for a job several years ago, we wore professional attire (collared shirts & ties). Since I had a bunch of keys for various offices and rooms, I had them all on my Redskins lanyard. We had just played the Giants and lost and as I walk him out after the interview, which he was okay in, he mentions how they kicked our ####. He said this in the lobby while waiting going towards/waiting for his elevator. I immediately told him that his comment was the dumest thing he could have said at that point. I reminded him that he had to realize that he was talking crap to the guy who decides if he was going to be hired. Needless to say, I was not hired. His stupidity showed me that his judgement was not on par and I had no need for that on the staff.
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I agree...doesn't mean I will not watch or cheer, but I can't count on them or become optimistic when there isn't anything that warrants that view. Show me first and then I'll start to get hopes back up.
