NFL: While Skins' Turner Goes Groh Grows On Jet Fans

Dan Snyder has gotten what he wanted all the while, a team that is totally his. He has ran out of of the Washington Redskins organization everyone that was there before him. Snyder, more than any else, has his reputation on the line now.

Say what you will about Jerry Jones and Jimmy Johnson. Those two butted heads for years, but it resulted in championships. Jones' meddling resulted in Super Bowls. Snyder's meddling so far has resulted in a 10-6 season and a 7-6 record this year. 17-12 is Washington's record since he took over as owner.

Seven wins this year is what he has gotten out of $100 million team, the team that he charged fans to watch practice for this summer. A few weeks ago, watching the Redskins play host to the Philadelphia Eagles, you could see the stunning number of empty seats for a game that was supposedly important. Fans have started to get weary of Snyder's antics already.

Snyder instead continues to throw his face in the camera. Many ways like Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, Snyder sees this team as the nothing more than real-life fantasy football. "I'll get this player, and this player, and this player," went the Redskins in the summer.

"I'll still beat you" has been the reply this year. In pursuit of high-priced veterans like Deion Sanders, Bruce Smith, Jeff George, Snyder and the Redskins completely disregarded a part of the game that, in its name itself, shows its value: special teams.

The kicking game continually haunted Turner this season and, more than anything, was the reason he became an unemployed coach. Last year, the Oakland Raiders found out what having an undependable kicker means — no playoffs. This year, the Raiders have been able to overcome Sebastien Janikowski's deficiencies. Washington hasn't been that lucky.

Sanders put it best yesterday that players make coaches look good and players make coaches look bad. Sanders stood up and said the firing was wrong. Sanders also took some veiled shots at his teammates, mentioning how he took the blame for a bad performance earlier this year, but other teammates have not done so.

It was an attempt at being a leader, that comment by Sanders. But it also shows a real problem in the Redskins; how much of a team it really is. High-priced acquisitions, a number of young players like Champ Bailey, Lavar Arrington and Chris Samuels. There is nobody that you can really identify as a Redskin other than Darrell Green.

Washington needs more character players on its team. They don't need a superstar at every position. They need heart. Turner tried to install heart into his team. Snyder tore Turner's heart out by firing him. Snyder, now more than ever, can look over the Washington organization and claim it as his fiefdom. The question is would anyone else take the credit other than him?

Snyder wants a high-profile coach. He wants Bill Parcells, Jimmy Johnson, Butch Davis. But maybe he should take a look just to his north, figuratively and literally. Because standing above him is the New York Jets and its coach, Al Groh.

Groh, who it seems regards the media as just one more distraction from his job. Groh, who can be at one alertly sarcastic while also insanely overzealous. Groh, who has directed a team that nobody really thought, after it lost its best receiver in Keyshawn Johnson and its coach in Parcells over the offseason, who has been pushing the right buttons.

The Jets' start this year was the stuff of magic, big wins at Tampa Bay, the Monday Night Miracle against the Dolphins, its oldest and fiercest rival. During that start, Groh was the catalyst, continuously stressing the entire game, never letting the Jets drop its collective heads down. The comebacks were stirring. They were great theater.

Then, the losses started to come. The questions lingered about Vinny Testaverde's effectiveness, the hole that is still left by Johnson's departure. But Groh steadied the ship, leading the Jets back to the AFC East title chase, just one game behind Miami while holding a tiebreaker. The last three games, starting with Oakland this Sunday night, are not easy. It may be just the way Groh wants it.

This coach, the type of coach that an owner like Dan Snyder would never hire, as proved the perfect fit for this New York team. The big, flashy city. The old-school coach. In the tradition of someone like Joe Torre, a decidely non-flashy leader who gets results, Groh is getting results with the Jets. It might not result in titles like it has for Torre.

But it's proven to result in wins. The type of wins that have shown the team's heart, its dedication to the tiniest of details. Riding the legs of Curtis Martin, clinging to moments of ruthless efficiency from Testaverde like last Sunday in its win over the Colts, standing up tall like its defense, the Jets have come out this season with the type of consistent performances like no else, not even hardcore fans like myself, would have expected.

Credit goes to Martin, to Testaverde, to the defense. More than anyone else, credit goes to Groh. Not even the first choice for the job, he has proven himself a first-rate head coach. The type of head coach that can succeed without the flash, without the movie star clothes, without seeing his name in the lights. The type of coach somebody like Dan Snyder would need.

The type of coach that, it looks, Snyder would never hire. Once again, it would be Snyder making the wrong move not to go this route. All that he could lose would be more games. Then again, he's gotten used to that this year.