Face of the Franchises: Washington Redskins Edition

When you think about a particular sports team, typically an individual comes to mind, be it a player, coach or owner.

A term thrown around by sports-casters, analysts, marketing folks and fans alike is "Face of the Franchise," but what does that really mean?

What criteria should be included when making the determination, and who really decides — is it the fans, analysts, the teams themselves, or is it just a marketing ploy?

I've come up with a huge list pertaining to who I believe are the various Face of the Franchises here in Washington D.C. (starting with the Washington Redskins) in addition to telling you who I think might be considered for that role.

Washington Redskins

They’re the biggest franchise in town despite not having as much recent success, so this is where we start our list.

Many big names have been the Face of the Washington Redskins in years past: Joe Gibbs, George Allen, John Riggins, Joe Theisman, Art Monk. Who holds the spot now?

Donovan McNabb

While some have been saying that Donovan McNabb is the face of the Washington Redskins, I’ll have to politely disagree.

He's definitely one of the faces of the NFL, but that doesn't mean that by default he's the face of whatever franchise which currently holds his contract.

I wouldn't say Brett Favre is the Face of the Vikings right now, nor was he the face of the Jets prior to that.

Don't tell me that McNabb, based on stature alone, HAS to be the top guy for the Redskins at this point.

Sure, by season’s end there’s a good chance that he will be, but until he suits up for a regular season game against the Philadelphia Eagles, he can’t have that role as the face of this NFL franchise, no matter how many press conferences or commercials he does.

The

Being the face of a franchise is more about a team’s current identity is than anything else.

To that end, there’s really only three names who I’d pick to be the actual public faces of the Washington Redskins: Clinton Portis is the first, and likely the guy I'd say is the Face of the Franchise at this point...

The

Albert Haynesworth is another of the Usual Suspects when talking about the so-called "Trouble Makers" despite being one of the best defensive tackles in the league... he's making the biggest splash this off-season, so he's the guy who most people think of when they think "Washington Redskins," sad as it is.

The

A lot of people might consider Daniel Snyder to be the face (or "heel") of the Washington Redskins.

That’s right, the owner gets a mention, whether or not the public perception of his meddling and over-spending is warranted (which I think it’s not, but that’s a story for a different day).

The so-called "Trouble Makers" aren't the best options to represent my favorite NFL football team, but because when people look at the Washington Redskins, they view the team as being over-paid veterans who talk a lot but don’t produce enough to make up for that.

The trouble with Haynesworth as of late, despite being a product of the way Daniel Snyder runs his team, has taken some of the spotlight off "Danny Boy," a process which was already started when Snyder got some good karma by hiring Bruce Allen and Mike Shanahan.

Studs on Defense - London Fletcher

That "Trouble Maker/overpaid veteran," stuff over-shadows the really good defenses the Redskins have had in past seasons, and Pro Bowl veteran linebacker London Fletcher doesn't get the love he deserves.

Studs on Defense - Brian Orakpo

Second-year phenom defensive end/outside linebacker/Quarterback-blitzer, Brian Orakpo, doesn’t get the nod he deserves either despite the fact that I’d love to see the team built around him.

Chris Cooley

If Chris Cooley weren’t hurt the majority of last year, he could definitely be named Face of the Franchise for the Redskins, and if he gets back to the Pro Bowl this year with McNabb under center, I think Cooley will rightfully reclaim that spot — even ahead of the aging McNabb.