Show Me The Money: Snyder's Expensive Habits May Be Beneficial This Time Around

By Dan Parzych
Eaglesblog.net Writer

Published: March 3, 2009

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Offense sells tickets, but defense wins championships.

Offense wins games, but defense wins championships.

Which quote fits best is a debate that will always be part of the sports world for years to come. However, no matter what the first part of each quote states, they will always share in common the second part about how defense wins championships.

Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder must be a strong believer when it comes to this theory after signing All-Pro defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth, who some say is the top free agent in this years class.

The former Tennessee Titan signed a seven-year deal with the Redskins worth around $100 million. Of that $100 million, $41 million is guaranteed for Haynesworth, which is a new NFL record for that category.

As owner of the franchise, Snyder has made the Redskins the second-highest grossing team in the NFL (Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys are the only team ahead of him). He has proven to the league and their fans that he knows what it takes to run a successful business in the NFL.

Snyder has established a reputation for becoming one of the most successful owners this decade in the NFL. However, he has also built up a reputation for an area most owners try to stay away from.

Despite his success as owner of the Redskins, Snyder has developed a history of overpaying big-name players that turn into busts.

In 2000, Snyder signed Deion Sanders to a seven-year, $56 million deal that included an $8 million signing bonus. His numbers were decent for an average cornerback in 2000 (four interceptions, two fumble recoveries, and 38 tackles). However, Sanders clearly got the better end of the contract after lasting just one season in Washington.

In 2007, the Redskins signed middle lineback London Fletcher to a five-year, $25 million contract that included $10.5 million in bonuses. In Fletcher’s first season in Washington, he started 16 games and put up similar statistics that the team expected from him (100 tackles, one fumble recovery, and three interceptions, including one of them for a touchdown).

The following season, Fletcher recorded 96 tackles and failed to start in any of the sixteen games he played in.

In his first season with the Redskins, former Pro Bowl cornerback Shawn Springs became the first player in NFL history to lead his team in both sacks (6) and interceptions (5). He was part of a six-year deal worth $30 million with a signing bonus of $10.2 million. His first four years with the Redskins were successful.

However, a disappointing 2008 season where he struggled to stay healthy led to his release to make room in the salary cap for Haynesworth.

Prior to the start of the 2008 season, Snyder made a deal with the Miami Dolphins to acquire Jason Taylor for two draft picks. The Redskins picked up the final two years of Taylor’s contract in which he was set to make $8 million in 2008 (including a $500,000 roster bonus) and $8.5 million in 2009.

The only thing Snyder got out of Taylor his first season was 3.5 sacks and 21 tackles. Talk about $8 million down the drain.

Considering Snyder’s history of over-spending on big name players, there is a chance that Haynesworth’s $100 million contract will just be another page in the book of busts for Redskins players. However, there is always a chance that this deal could be worth every penny for the organization.

Last season, Haynesworth fueled a Titans defense that finished in the top ten in all four major statistical categories on defense:

14.6 points per game (second)
293.6 total yards allowed per game (seventh)
199.8 passing yards allowed per game (ninth)
93.9 rushing yards allowed per game (sixth)
A major part of their success was Haynesworth, who finished the season with a career high in sacks (8.5). Not to mention he recorded 75 tackles (seven for a loss), and 22 quarterback pressures. He also led the team when it came to forced fumbles with four.

Despite an 8-8 finish to the 2008 regular season, the Redskins had more in common with the Titan’s defense than most realize. Even though they failed to make the playoffs and finished at the bottom of the NFC East, the Redskin’s defense still managed to finish in the top ten in the four main statistical categories:

18.5 points per game (6th)
288.8 yards allowed per game (4th)
193.4 passing yards allowed per game (7th)
95.4 rushing yards allowed per game (8th)
Many analysts question Snyder’s decision to spend so much money on a defense that was already successful. Why would they spend so much money on a defensive lineman when it’s obvious the Redskins need to improve on offense?

Even though the Redskins defense was near the top of the league when it came to stopping the passing and running game, they were near the bottom of the league when it came to pressuring the quarterback. They finished 28th in the league with just 24 sacks in sixteen games.

The signing of Haynesworth could fill the gap in a hole for a defense that was already one of the best in the NFL. At 6-foot-6, 320 pounds, Haynesworth alone had more than one-third of the total sacks the Redskins produced last season (8.5).

Now that they have a defensive lineman who knows how to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks, the Redskins have the potential to be one of the top defenses overall next season.

Until he proves he is worth the money Snyder signed him for, Haynesworth will be placed in the category with all of the overpaid busts the Redskins have encountered with in the past. However, Haynesworth’s situation with his $100 million contract is different than the rest of the players we have seen in the past.

Most of the players who turned out to be a bust and were overpaid by Snyder were closer toward the end of their prime in their career. With the exception of Springs, Sanders, Fletcher, and Taylor were already in their 30s when they signed major contracts.

At the start of next season, Haynesworth will be 28 years of age. In his first seven seasons in the league, he has never played in less than ten games. He is not one of those players who appears to be injury-prone when he plays each week.

If the famous quote about defense winning championships is true, than Dan Snyder is on the right track with the signing of Albert Haynesworth. $100 million may seem like too much money for one player, but the NFL is a business and this is how it operates.

Snyder realizes this move is what he has to do to help the Redskins improve in an area on defense they struggled with last season. Nine of the last twelve Super Bowl champions have had one of the top defenses in the league.

If the Redskins defense plays as well they did last year and Haynesworth helps improve the defense as far as sacks and pressuring the opposing quarterback, there is no question the Redskins have the potential to be one of the top defenses in the league next season.

For all we know, the statistic could change to 10 of the last 13 Super Bowl champions have had one of the top defenses in the league.
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Tagged with: Washington Redskins

Show Me The Money: Snyder's Expensive Habits May Be Beneficial This Time Around

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