Rick Snider makes a classic bad move...

...by writing an article that I can tear into. It's good, cause today I had a few to choose from after a weekend of very little. I was getting worried, but today I came across about 3 articles I can, shall we say, dissect for your pleasure. Let's start with my boy Rickey, or Ricky, (I'm not sure if he prefers '-ey' or just 'y'). He's a columnist for the Washington Examiner and has some strong opinions on the hiring of Mike Shanahan. As usual his words in italics, mine in regular typeface. Here we go:

Snyder makes another classic bad move by hiring Shanahan

Make no bones about it people, Dan Snyder gets beat on by the Washington media pretty regularly. In fact, it's become such a habit I think they've pretty much forgotten all about the Nationals. Not really a surprise I guess.

Mike Shanahan is a classic move by Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder. And, a typically bad one.

I guess Rick is not going to bother to list his other bad moves. Maybe he assumes people in Washington already know the list like:
- trading draft picks for older players
- Joe Gibbs (in retrospect)
- Steve Spurrier
- charging fans for tailgating
- baning signs made by fans

A headline-grabbing hire is great for selling season tickets, corporate sponsorships and jerseys. A $35 million contract validates the owner's reputation of overpaying for past performance. Someone with titles won elsewhere whose resume overshadows Snyder's poor stewardship once more lends hope to the Burgundy Revolution.

K this whole myth about selling season tickets with a coaching hire is unfounded. I mean, almost every NFL team sells out every home game, there's only 8 a year barring the playoffs. The only team who didn't is arguably the worst team in the league and located in the most economically depressed city in the country, the Lions. So he didn't get Shanahan just to sell tickets. Jersey's? Seriously? A lot of people running around with Bill Walsh jersey's in San Fran? Or Lovie Smith jersey's in Chicago?
Shanahan has won 3 Super Bowls (one as an offensive coordinator). He doesn't seem like a terrible choice. Maybe he's overpaid, I don't really know what an NFL coach is worth money-wise, but Rick is yet to give a solid reason why it's a bad deal.

But is Shanahan the right choice?

Did you not read your last paragraph. That's the point of the whole article.

The former Denver Broncos coach himself is 11 years from winning two straight titles. It has been a long time since both sides tasted success.

Well he brings up that it has been a while since Shanahan won a title, a valid point, maybe the game has passed him by and he doesn't know how to win in today's NFL...

So long they may have forgotten the feel of that silver trophy in their hands.

...or that. Though I'm sure the Broncos would let him hold one of the trophy's he won in the 90's if he's really forgotten.

But Snyder should have waited for a full field of candidates rather than impatiently bidding on the leader. Bill Cowher finally came sniffing around only to receive a cold reception from Snyder, who was tired of courting the former Pittsburgh coach. Between Cowher and Shanahan, I take Cowher.
If Jon Gruden could have been swayed, he's the choice. If Tennessee had been stupid enough to part with Jeff Fisher, I'd knock down anyone in the way to get him.

Apparently Rick would have hired some sort of Cerberus with the heads of Cowher/Gruden/Fisher. I can't imagine what that would have cost, but the corporate sponsorship opportunities would have been endless.

It's hard to dismiss the pick. But predecessors Marty Schottenheimer, Steve Spurrier and Joe Gibbs seemed superb choices at the time. All left mission unaccomplished. Why will Shanahan be any different?

Why would ANYONE be any different? I have no idea what Shanahan's plans are for the future of the Redskins are, but I'm scared of them thanks to Rick Snider. I'm talking Glen Beck scared...
Case Closed!