First the Joe Gibbs era returned. Now Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder reaches back to the Over the Hill Gang.
What’s next — Sammy Baugh’s grandson gets drafted?
Maybe it’s coincidental Bruce Allen returns to the team his father George Allen made relevant once again in the 1970s. Regardless, it’s sure nice to have someone with a deserving pedigree run the team. Someone the fans can respect.
Whenever ousted vice president Vinny Cerrato talked about “The Redskins Way” I wanted to wretch. It was like the French trying to tell Americans how to grill hot dogs. The Redskins Way under Cerrato was black clouds, ugly losses and bad seasons.
When Allen says he can recite most of the media guide, it shows a link to the team’s glory days. Toss in that his brother George was Virginia’s governor and U.S. Senator, sister Jennifer is an NFL contributor and brother Greg is a psychologist and you have the NFL’s version of the Kennedy family.
“He understands the great tradition,” Snyder said. “It’s an added bonus that he understands the tradition, the heritage of the Washington Redskins.”
Is Bruce Allen his father’s son or his own man? A little of each, according to several former Redskins personnel who have known the new GM since he was a teenager rattling around the old training facility.
They see the same focus in the son that made the father famous. The relentless work ethic. The son’s a deep thinker, maybe more out of the box than the old man. Bruce Allen is also a little more understated than the coach, who was typical of his time and more outspoken than today’s counterparts.
The competitiveness — that surely continues. George Allen once offered to fight Tom Landry at midfield for the victory. Bruce Allen was nearly tossed from the sideline as a teen for cursing at officials. When the referee asked George Allen who the kid was, the coach fearing a penalty said he didn’t know.
“The greatest thing is the passion — love what you’re doing,” said Bruce Allen of replicating his father’s personality. “I worked at a gas station on Route 7 by Tysons Corner and my father wasn’t a good driver, but a car pulled up and it was him. He didn’t like the way I came out to the gas station. Whatever you’re doing, have a passion for it.”
Now that’s the Redskins Way.
Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Read more at TheRickSniderReport.com and Twitter @Snide_Remarks or e-mail [email protected].
