Redskins Coach Breaks Silence, Defends Danny

Oh, so NOW Greg Blache wants to speak.  The prickly defensive coordinator who doesn't like to answer questions, especially from no-nothings like you, has finally decided to speak up.  And why?  To defend the guy who signs his checks.

Blache has steadfastly avoided the media for weeks, circumventing the rules that require coaches to provide media availability by sending one of his underlings to answer questions, because he just didn't like the sass he was getting.

He decided he wanted to sound off, to defend not his team's defense, but his billionaire boss from John Riggins' assaults.  How touching. The Times helpfully provides the transcript.

"I saw a comment that John Riggins had made about Mr. Snyder.  It really bothered me. There has been a lot of criticism of him over the last few weeks. This is man I've known for six years and in the six years I've never seen John Riggins here."

And that means what?  Outsiders can't have valid points?  Outsiders can't come to the conclusion that the Snyder/Vinny relationship is killing the team?

"To hear such a vicious criticism of somebody I consider not just my employer, but a good friend, bothered me."

And that's an example of what's wrong with Snyder.  He shouldn't be good friends with anyone on the team.  That doesn't mean there shouldn't be a healthy respect or that they shouldn't like each other, but "good friend" implies there's not the level of distance there probably should be.

"As much as I hadn't been talking to the media, this was something I felt I needed to do. Somebody needs to stand up and set this record straight because the comment that was made [about Snyder having] 'a dark heart' that's totally untrue."

Yes, because what Skins fans and analysts really want to hear about is your reaction to some old fogey windbag, not about your views on the team's defense or what you're looking to do in the coming weeks.

"The problem is the fans don't get to know Mr. Snyder like we do. They get an impression of things that are written and things are people say."

True.  All we know him for is the decade of mediocre records, suing fans, banning signs, and keeping incompetent cronies around.  But we're sure he's a nice guy.

"[I've] gone to him for things that I needed in my family. There's times that he's come to me when he's heard about issues in my family and offered his assistance. It's unsurpassed. He's one of the most generous, kind individuals you'll ever meet. My wife and I are involved in hospice and there's been countless times he's come and helped us with issues. I just felt like it was time for somebody to step up and set the record straight and I decided I was going to do it and do it today because it's enough. It really is."

No snark here.  OK, maybe just a little: I wonder if the fans he's sued would agree about his generosity. 

"We've had criticism from other people outside the building saying what Dan Snyder is and what he isn't. They don't know Dan Snyder."

Do you need to know his favorite color to evaluate his ownership?

"Do I agree with everything Dan Snyder does? No. Trust me. I'm not going to tell you this is a utopia. There's no utopias in football. There's no utopias in life."

Ain't that the truth.  In a utopia, they'd have more than one home playoff game since the beginning of the original Bush Administration.

"All he wants to do is win. He'll spend his money. He'll spend his time. He wants to win."

That's obvious.  Nobody questions that.  We just question whether he has the judgment to put the right people in place to achieve that.

"He's here for the people, for the fans, for the Washington Redskins."

Especially if they fall behind in their ticket payments.

"There's nobody pains more when we're unsuccessful than Dan Snyder. There's nobody that cares more about the fans than Dan Snyder. There's no one that wants to win more than Dan Snyder."

Really?  You don't think these fans who've lived and died with the team since they grew up care just as much as the guy who gets to sit back and profit off them?  You sure you want to play the "bigger fan" card with the Redskins fanbase, the only fanbase who'd have settled for this much crap for this long, simply because of their loyalty?

"Everything that's wrong with this organization is not Dan Snyder."

No.  Some of it's Vinny Cerrato, too.  And the lawyers and public affairs people whose actions give off a "let them eat cake" vibe.

"I'm in a lot of those meetings when decisions are made."

OK, fine.  We'll blame you, too.  Your defense is overrated.

"I wish the best for Mr. Riggins in all of his endeavors. For me to wash my face in the morning and feel like a man and talk to my kids about doing the right thing, I needed to come here and make that comment today."

... while steadfastly ignoring my duties to the media and fans every other day of the week.

"I have no other interest in it. I have a contract for next year so it's not like I'm trying to make something up. If they send me home, the way coaches' contracts are written, they gotta pay me anyways. This is unsolicited but it's from the heart, something I felt like I needed to do."

Gotta admire the guy's loyalty, I suppose.  His heart -- whether it's dark or not -- is certainly in the right place.  Now if only his defensive backs were in the right place, too.