A Letter to a Giants' Fan

Greensboro, NC -- I received a letter from a typical Giants' fan -- basking in their glory when times are good (we wouldn't know if they were alive when the team is awful) -- this week about the state of the Redskins, following their most-recent spending spree. Rather than take out my frustration on the Giants' fan and their ridiculous PSL's, I pointed my anger at Daniel M. Snyder, the very reason why I'm distraught.

"YA Tittle:"

I guess it's good to be a Giants' fan right now given that you have a team that recently won a Super Bowl, a realistic shot at a deep postseason run next season, and a competent group of upper management. I'm sure that I wouldn't find this type of e-mail in my inbox if we were all big NBA fans talking about the state of the Knickerbockers.

When the free agent season launched on Friday, I was pretty sure that the Redskins would add Chris Canty, and then stockpile linemen (O & D) in the draft. I'm not sure if New Yorkers would ever imagine that there would be a second coming of Steinbrenner, but he does exist in the form of Daniel M. Snyder. It's too bad that Snyder doesn't own the Nationals; they could use some wreckless, kamikaze free agent spending to bolster the moribund, "we're not paying rent for our new ballpark" team. Over the last several years, I've come to realize that superb football teams are built on the lines. Sure, Snyder can outspend any owner to lure the next superstar to DC, but he's too caught up in playing "fantasy football." To paraphrase an article in today's Washington Post, Snyder is looking for the next big name to have his picture taken with. If he owned the Nats, he could've traded for A-Rod... and invite Madonna in his luxury suite. Did the Giants need to sign Canty given that they have three star DE's in Tuck, Kiwanuka, and Osyneurma? No; however, it's an intelligent move to build depth at this key position. When the Skins' FO starts crying over the number of injuries, we can all point to the three free agents that consume all of the payroll needed to construct that invisible bevy of competent linemen.

Such is life under the Snyder regime. Who's calling the final shots in the "war room" on draft day? Snyder! A fan, somebody who's never played competitive football, is running our team! It's no wonder that we use free agency to re-paint the entire roster following every disappointing season, rather than mirror the Colts, Steelers, Patriots, and Ravens, who use it to shade in a hole here and maybe there. Speaking of cash, Snyder's profligate move of cutting 20+ (IT, marketing, and sales) employees for economic reasons, and then signing Haynesworth to a $100M contract three weeks later is a pyschological slap in the face to those fans struggling big-time in this recession. Whoever said there was fiscal responsibility in Washington? I'm done with my Snyder rant; Hail to the Redskins.