Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder spoke today.  He addressed the media, briefly, at a Redskins Charitable Foundation event.

“I think, number one, I feel bad for the fans,” Snyder said. “I feel sorry for the fans. We’re very, very appreciative of our great fan base. And I just feel terrible. We’re disappointed and we’re embarrassed. And we hope to get it going soon.”

Asked how the team’s struggles has impacted him personally, Snyder replied: “It hurts. I mean, it really hurts. We are really trying very, very hard. Everyone at Redskins Park–the coaches, the players, the organization–quite frankly has held up well. I think we have an opportunity the rest of the season to hopefully get it going.

“But to date we have let everyone down, including ourselves. We know that. We’re just apologetic.”   “I see disappointment. It’s the same way I feel and I share their frustration. It’s hard. We’re going to try to put it together and get it going.”

The Redskins return from their bye and begin preparations for this Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome. Kickoff is 1 p.m. ET.

“The next step is Sunday,” Snyder said. “It’s that simple. We hope we can put together a good performance down in Atlanta and start a winning streak.”

That’s all well and good.  In reality, it is what it is.  Snyder is simply saying the truth, it is a disappointment.

However, Dan Snyder fails to understand that most of the disappointment and embarrassment is directed at him and his management style.  Let’s not get confused about the current state of anger in Washington, DC.  It goes to more than the Washington Redskins 2009 season.  It goes to more than a 2-5 record.

This anger has been building for a decade.  The anger resides at they very root of Dan Snyder’s ownership.  No NFC East titles.  No NFC titles.  No Superbowl appearances.  Not under Dan Snyder.  The only thing we get are very high priced veterans looking for the big pay day and an easy training camp.  Combine that with poor drafting and it all leads to a team that consistently is ‘talented’, but fails to play talented football.  A team with ‘names’ but no character.  A team with ’starts but no depth.  In other words, a decade of hope, a decade of fans overestimating the talents, a decade of mediocrity, on a good season.

The organization itself is sick.  It is dysfunctional.  The way it is run and operated.  The way it was built.  The poor drafting record.  The Snyder involvement in personnel matters.  The signing of huge contracts for players coming just for a pay day.  The overpricing of veterans who simply don’t gel or fit into the current scheme.  The failure to build a scheme.  The failure to maintain any sense of stability.  The rotating door on coaches.  The high prices combined with a poor product on the field.  The legal action against season ticket holders.  The stupid tailgating rules.  The awful game day experience.   The atmosphere where some players are too close to ownership and fail to have respect for coaches.  The lack of a professional GM.   And recently the humiliation and lack of respect for a human being, like Jim Zorn.

Need I say more?

Snyder’s main problem is he just doesn’t get it.  The core part of the whole organizations’ down fall is and has been, Dan Snyder.

His statements today prove that nothing is going to change in Ashburn.  His statements focused on the season;  focused on the 2-5 record.  But he never addressed the organizations’ decay.   He never addressed HOW the franchise got to this point.  He never addressed the critical reporting directed at him.  He never addressed the fact that the anger goes well beyond just  2009.

Why?

Because then it would be about him, and that is not what Dan Snyder wants to hear or admit.    Dan Snyder refuses to believe he is the root of the problem.  He believes he provides the tools, players, and money to win.  Everyone else, except Vinny Cerrato of course, fails around him.  He refuses to look in the mirror to see where the roster building occurs, who hires and fire coaches, and who trades away draft picks and signs over priced veterans.  That would cause a sense of self reflection, and folks, Dan Snyder isn’t into that.

Who knows what will happen in the off-season.  Jim Zorn will be fired.  Vinny Cerrato may exit with him.  The big test will be, does Snyder hire a true, professional GM to not just make necessary changes to an aging and overpaid roster, but to rebuild a storied franchise back into a consistent contender, or does Dan Snyder simply hire a different lacky that will agree with his vision of self involvement and arrogance.  Sadly, I suspect the latter will be the option.  It’s the Snyder way — My way or No way.