Michael Silver of Yahoo! Sports lists the Glazers as No. 5 among the best NFL owners.

A bit late on this but better late than never. Michael Silver, late of Sports Illustrated and currently the lead NFL columnist for Yahoo! Sports wrote a pair of columns listing the best/worst NFL owners, from No. 1-32 (How Bill Bidwill doesn’t win the award annually for worst owner is beyond Joe’s comprehension).

At any rate, Silver listed the Glazers as No. 5. Here’s his rationale:

Like their father Malcolm, who has retreated to the sidelines after suffering a pair of strokes, the Glazer brothers have ensured that what was once the NFL’s most miserable organization is now a major player. With a fabulous new training facility and a lucrative stadium situation, the Bucs have thrived in their own market and have made some inroads in the Orlando area as well. Five seasons removed from a Super Bowl title, the Glazers did celebrate a second consecutive Premier League championship – and a Champions League title – when Manchester United (of which Malcolm gained controlling interest in ‘05) pulled off the double this past May. Unlike so many other siblings in similar situations, the Glazers have consistently presented a united front – and have generated big bucks in the process. They’ve allowed coach Jon Gruden to go after virtually every quarterback imaginable (is Favre next?) and understand that spending and winning often go hand-in-hand.

Hard to quibble with that. Joe dearly loved the late great Chris Thomas but Joe never understood Thomas’ hatred and loathing of the Glazers (yet the Great GOB gave Vince Naimoli, possibly the worst owner in the history of professional sports a pass). What exactly did they do to be so bad? They helped get a new stadium (which was a good thing), they threw all sorts of cash to get Chucky which begat a Super Bowl, and spend money to keep the team competitive.

The Glazers are easily among the elite of NFL owners.