Dan Snyder's Bad, But He's Not This Bad

There was a post on Deadspin today about the hopelessness of the Redskins that I was sent this five times because people thought I'd enjoy a ranty, crass summation of the 'Skins problems. Briefly, the post says that the Redskins are the most hopeless franchise in the world because Dan Snyder is incompetant and shows a complete lack of self-awarness. I'll agree with the first part and vigorously contend with the second. I think Snyder knows exactly what people think of him, which is why he doesn't do many interviews, hates the Washington Post and travels with multiple bodyguards to games.
The analogy of Snyder to an out-of-touch fantasy owner was solid, and parts of the piece were spot-on and amusing, but there's one huge thing missing from the rant: Most of Snyder's delusion is fed by the very fans and media who are supposedly telling him he sucks.
Every March most people affirm Snyder's moves by getting excited about the team because of the free agent signings or draft pick the Skins get. Haynesworth: People loved. Drafting Laron Landry: people loved. Dabbling with Mark Sanchez: You're telling me the fools who have been booing all season wouldn't rather have Manchez at the helm? Picking "can't miss" receivers in the second round: some people loved. Hell, most liked the Adam Archuleta signing. In 2000, a new phrase was coined because EVERYONE loved Snyder getting Deion and Bruce Smith and Marc Carrier and Jeff George. The 'Skins were called "offseason champs". Is that a badge of honor? No, but it's a sign the team is a lot less hopeless than this piece suggets. It's a sign that, at some points, people think the Redskins are doing OK.
And why has Snyder learned nothing from his experiences? He no longer brings in massive free agent hauls. He likes stability in his front office. He didn't go for the splashy hire.
Those are all things that people praised him for over the past two years. They all backfired in his face and proved to be poor decisions (they could use some o-line depth, the front office needed a shakeup and Jim Zorn was bland for a reason). But at least they showed signs of growth.
This isn't a defense of Snyder (and forget about Cerrato, I'm beginning to think he has no actual power and is just a puppet) but a reminder that there are things to work with, namely that the owner cares about the team and, in theory, will continue to work for a Super Bowl win. The Raiders, Clippers and Orioles (in addition to not being the second most valuable franchise in North American sports) don't have such dreams.