The Redskins Blog

Daniel Snyder Discusses A 'Necessary' Culture Change (UPDATED)

Redskins owner Daniel M. Snyder addressed the media today at the dedication of a renovated youth football field at the Edgewood Department of Parks and Recreation Center in Washington, D.C. I wasn’t able to be there — I’m out of town visiting family — but Gary Fitzgerald, the brains over at the Redskins.com mothership, was more than happy to attend.

You can read his write-up here, but the diligent Mr. Fitzgerald was also kind enough to provide a full transcript of Snyder’s remarks, which follows after the jump.

[MONDAY MORNING UPDATE: The field renovations -- and the Haynesworth comments -- both earn plaudits in today's Monday Morning QB column on SI.com:

I think Dan Snyder is correct to be disappointed in Albert Haynesworth for not showing up for the team's offseason program, minicamps or official Offseason Training Activities. It's absurd that a guy who's made more money than any other player in football over the past 14 months is boycotting practice under a new coach with a new scheme. I don't care if the Redskins are morphing from a 4-3 to a 1-6, with Haynesworth being the 1. You take all that money, you've got to show loyalty, whether you feel it or not. By the way, congrats to Snyder and the Redskins for their record of revitalizing playgrounds and ballfields in the in the Washington area. The team finished its 25th rehab over the weekend.

Of course, writer Peter King still ranks the Redskins 20th in his offseason power rankings earlier in the column, so it's not ALL sunshine and rainbows. Still -- good to see the national media recognizing some of the more overlooked things this team does in the community.]

On the field dedication:
“It’s beautiful. You know what’s nice about this is we’re here and it’s all finished and complete. To see like this is really exciting. I was joking around with Chris Cooley about the fields, it is beautiful out here, and ours are being torn up. It’s kind of fun to see…We’re excited about it. We hope to keep doing it and we hope that this is something that is emulated throughout the rest of the United States and the NFL.”

On his adjusting role as owner:
“It has been great. We’re still go-getting and doing a lot of stuff. It has been fantsastic. Bruce (Allen) has been fun to work with and so has Coach (Mike) Shanahan. Getting McNabb has been very exciting for us. We’re getting things going and we’re very excited about it…You can feel the energy and the excitement of Mike and Bruce. Now we’ve added Donovan to really get us going. We have a lot of confidence. It has restored our confidence.”

On if this offseason feels different:
“It feels different. It has been a couple years for us, two rough years. This feels like we’re going in the right direction. I’m having a lot of fun. These guys are incredible and really fun to work with.”

On if this represents a culture change and such a change was necessary:
“Yeah, I think it is and it was necessary. We were 4-12 and going in the wrong direction and all of the changes have put us in the right direction. I think obviously with the pedigree and the success of the people I’ve brought in, you can tell we’re going in the right direction and we’re real excited about it.”

On new quarterback Donovan McNabb:
“You know, with Donovan, you talk about on the field, it’s off the field for me. It’s his leadership ability that stands out above everything.”

On a potential extension for McNabb:
“We’ll be okay.”

On Albert Haynesworth not being at off-season work and if he’s disappointed about it:
“Yeah, I’m disappointed he’s not here. Absolutely. We’re expecting our players to lead by example. We’re expecting our players to understand that they’re Redskins and they need to be there.”

On the biggest change from this year and last year:
“I think the biggest change is there are new people now. We had the great Joe Gibbs for quite some time and I feel like we got close a few times. We feel good about those days. Then we had a couple bad years. Now we’re put that behind us and moving on, and that’s what we’re doing.”

On if he has been more hands-off this offseason:
“I think the approach has always been a little more hands-off than what has been written about or reported about. You need to ask Bruce and Mike about my involvement and they’ll tell you.