Scott McCloughan: Honest Evaluation and Contract Renewal

[RedBeast]

The key to a lot of what we are trying to do within our organization rests in the hands of a few people ultimately, but most notably when it comes to overall direction from a player perspective it comes down to our GM. We were cursed for years. Finally we got a break and Dan and Bruce realized where we were and what we really needed to change structurally as well as to produce the results that the entire organization and fanbase ultimately desired - a bonafide GM. Dan did what he always seems to do, which is go with gusto. Funny thing thought? A few months before this happened? I read this article and was in heaven...like "man, I wish we could get someone like this guy." Just some random article...but it was probably more of a squirrel / nut thing in my case. But man, it was so compelling for me as a Redskins fan knowing where we were at that time.

http://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/12014699/scot-mccloughan-nfl-best-talent-scout-self-employed-living-farm

Then after we were lucky enough (IMO) to hire him, we got some more press...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/sports/wp/2015/09/08/proven-success-scot-mccloughans-first-season-in-washington/

Liz Clarke is not my favorite Redskins reporter by any means, but some points are made. I am not going to dive into a full blown GMSM analysis here but one thing that stuck out to me re-reading this article was the quote from Casserly which said “Tom Landry always had a three-year rule. The first year, get ’em started. The second year, you see improvement. By the third year, you should be rolling.”  So that made me think about players that we have drafted in the past year or two...about being patient with draftee development. Many here seem to be agreeing with his approach and what he is trying to build here, including the players...which we have not had this sort of camaraderie in our clubhouse for such a long time:

http://www.espn.com/blog/washington-redskins/post/_/id/24477/redskins-players-confident-in-scot-mccloughans-plan

http://www.csnmidatlantic.com/washington-redskins/gm-rankings-miss-mark-redskins-scot-mccloughan

But then it also made me start thinking about applying the same three year rule to our GM and his future here. I am pro GMSM and believe that he is our Obi-Wan "you are our only hope (for now)." Now that is kind of fatalistic, but could be very true. Who would want to come here if Scotty couldn't make it work? What type of real attraction would we have besides the city and the franchise history (which is great btw) but other things in the past 15 years are definitely not the biggest reason to come to work for our team. We are halfway through year two of his contract, really closer to two years at this point. His third year is coming up. My vote is if all continues to go well next year? Extend his contract early, at the end of the next season. Pay up. Let's get real solid before we make any large shifts. Give him 8 years to turn what was a disaster of an organization into something respectable and consistently competitive. Than reassess.

Kind a mid to long term plan, but I really believe we need the stability he brings as well as the improved player performance/analysis when it comes to his drafting capability. He also has a unique way of finding some capable bodies when we are hurt and need it. I am not saying that he is GOAT, but for us? Where we were and where we are now? He is a sorely needed warm glove to what was once a very cold hand.

Thoughts?

 

[CrypticVillain]

36 minutes ago, RedBeast said:

Funny thing thought? A few months before this happened? I read this article and was in heaven...like "man, I wish we could get someone like this guy." Just some random article...but it was probably more of a squirrel / nut thing in my case. But man, it was so compelling for me as a Redskins fan knowing where we were at that time.

This is exactly how I was. To read that article and want that dude to run my favorite team, and then it actually happens. lol 

I think anybody would want to run an NFL team... So even if Mccloughan does fail, which I hope not, we can always find somebody to run the team. They might suck, but hey...

 

He has drastically changed this organization's attitude in less than two full seasons. Of all the people we picked, he's been the one to have the quickest change and instant results. So even though I'm kind of bleh about this season, I love our future.

[Warhead36]

We won a combined 7 games the two years before he got here. Since then in one and a half seasons we've won almost twice that many. Its not all because of players he's brought in but they've made a huge impact, as has the culture shift instilled by him and his mindset.

[goskins10]

15 hours ago, Warhead36 said:

We won a combined 7 games the two years before he got here. Since then in one and a half seasons we've won almost twice that many. Its not all because of players he's brought in but they've made a huge impact, as has the culture shift instilled by him and his mindset.

 

Yet you have people out there saying ridiculous things like - Scot M has been mostly a failure - or - I don't have any faith in his abilities - or - I am not impressed. They need to put down the Madden controllers.

Has every move worked out? No, of course not. But the change in attitude on this team is directly due to him and Jay. I can't stress enough how important it is for the HC and GM to be on the same page. Those two are in lock step. A rebuilding like this can be frustrating but it's also exciting.

[Nfcbeasts4721]

Excellent write up RedBeast...I say lock the man up on a new 5 year contract...before Scotty mcdoogle we were all screaming for change on the o line...first he brings in Callahan than drafts Scherff...shooot that's when I knew I was in love...

Oh than new contracts for key players...Trent, jordan, and a couple other key players...I think if what's his nuts was still here Reed wouldn't be here and would have been traded for a ham samwich..

[Mr_ Skinshead]

The derivative of this team is as positive and high as it has been in nearly 20 years. This recent change is not a coincidence and SM needs to be retained. Snyder realizes that SM has a higher impact on the Redskins' brand than anyone else on the payroll  (including individual players ). Think what you will of Daniel Snyder, but at the end of the day he's a businessman;  he'll lock up the GM come hell or high water. 

[Darth Tater]

I think one of SM's greatest accomplishments was giving Gruden more confidence.  As early as TC 2014, it was reported that Jay Gruden wanted to start Kirk over Robert.  Yes, when people look at the quality of a GM, we often focus on the wrong things as most GMs (even the great ones) don't have above average personnel hits.  It seems that intangibles like the relationship with the coach is really what makes a GM.

[Koolblue13]

The amount of players, from our roster that were cut day one was astounding and really set an immediate tone. The benching of Rob after the preseason sealed it.

Since then, it's basically been the best man on the field. I think they may have stuck with Jones a little long, but it's hard not to get behind a likable person with unlimited potential. 

[Wildbunny]

6 hours ago, Nfcbeasts4721 said:

Excellent write up RedBeast...I say lock the man up on a new 5 year contract...before Scotty mcdoogle we were all screaming for change on the o line...first he brings in Callahan than drafts Scherff...shooot that's when I knew I was in love...

I'm getting bored reading that kind of comments around here...

It's been clear from the beginning that Scott do the work on the players, and the coaching staff is up to Jay. He told it numerous times when he arrived here, leaving the DC position to Jay, as well as any other position coaches.

I believe the fact that Callahan is here as more to do with Jay wanting him, that Scott bringing him here.

[campfodder]

Straight up... Pay him... Pay that man his money.

 

[goskins10]

1 hour ago, Wildbunny said:

I'm getting bored reading that kind of comments around here...

It's been clear from the beginning that Scott do the work on the players, and the coaching staff is up to Jay. He told it numerous times when he arrived here, leaving the DC position to Jay, as well as any other position coaches.

I believe the fact that Callahan is here as more to do with Jay wanting him, that Scott bringing him here.

 

It's interesting that anything good that happens is due to Scot and anything bad is due to Jay. Those 2 are in complete lock step. Scot is getting the type of players Jay wants - end of story. He just is really good at getting the players that Jay wants that are also just good football players. They both have their strengths. This is why it is working.

And to your point the coaching staff is entirely up to Jay. Not sure why this is such a hard concept to understand. Face it those who hate Jay - he is a pretty damn good HC!

[moondog]

1 hour ago, Wildbunny said:

I'm getting bored reading that kind of comments around here...

It's been clear from the beginning that Scott do the work on the players, and the coaching staff is up to Jay. He told it numerous times when he arrived here, leaving the DC position to Jay, as well as any other position coaches.

I believe the fact that Callahan is here as more to do with Jay wanting him, that Scott bringing him here.

I agree on who's choosing the coaches but I also can't help but think SM is a pretty good selling point to bring some of these coaches here because they respect what he's done around the league. 

SM has undoubtedly been a huge success here. Not every choice is going to be a resounding success but the culture and attitude is so drastically different. And of course he has also increased the talent level. If friggen Doctson didn't literally have Achilles' heel, I think our draft class would once again be huge for us. We've certainly had some bad luck there with Jarrett being such a huge steal then getting a career ending injury at the end of last year. Then Doctson can't play this year. Imagine if we had Jarrett and Cravens roaming the field the next several years in our nickel and dime looks. 

But overall SM has hit big on his draft picks which is the lifeblood of this organization and the coaches that Gruden has brought it have been outstanding on player development and/or getting the most out of their guys when injuries occur. I actually think after the last season and a half there have been some personnel choices that were debatable and once injuries occurred it forced the better players/performers onto the field. That and as some of the players said some guys were just trying to do too much at the beginning of the season and played out of position, specifically on defense. Cousins came out nervous and too up tight but as the season has worn on he seems to again be finding his rhythm and getting comfortable. The coaches just need to get the red zone offense rolling with better play calling and more runs and we will again be dangerous down the stretch. I don't know if we'll make the playoffs this year, certainly seems like the Cowboys are going to be impossible to catch, but the wild card is entirely a possibility. 

I am certainly a huge fan of everything SM has brought to the table and think he needs to be re-signed. 

[JSSkinz]

1 hour ago, goskins10 said:

Face it those who hate Jay - he is a pretty damn good HC!

 

I agree, he's doing a real good job and he gets very little credit when he should probably get more credit than SM.

[Nfcbeasts4721]

5 hours ago, Wildbunny said:

I'm getting bored reading that kind of comments around here...

It's been clear from the beginning that Scott do the work on the players, and the coaching staff is up to Jay. He told it numerous times when he arrived here, leaving the DC position to Jay, as well as any other position coaches.

I believe the fact that Callahan is here as more to do with Jay wanting him, that Scott bringing him here.

You say tomato I say tomahto

[veteranskinsfan]

SM contract should be renewed.  We need continuity at the GM position too.

[Taylor703]

I feel like we're going to win every Sunday. I've never felt like that before in my entire time as a fan of this team (my whole life). Scot has been a breath of fresh air. 

[Rattlesnake88]

On 11/11/2016 at 6:25 PM, MLSKINS said:

This is exactly how I was. To read that article and want that dude to run my favorite team, and then it actually happens. lol 

I think anybody would want to run an NFL team... So even if Mccloughan does fail, which I hope not, we can always find somebody to run the team. They might suck, but hey...

 

He has drastically changed this organization's attitude in less than two full seasons. Of all the people we picked, he's been the one to have the quickest change and instant results. So even though I'm kind of bleh about this season, I love our future.

This exactly.

 I read it before we hired him too, and thought "man he's a talented dude with some vices but he's a football maniac and I would love to have him at gm".

 

Also would like to add that he has been a fantastic gm and we have one of the most exciting rosters/coaching staffs in football in my homer opinion. 

[TSO]

Anyone read this from Jerry Brewer? 

 

There are bits in there that made me sick to my stomach. Now, Jerry Brewer hasn't been known to be a pot-stirrer, but I'm hoping that's exactly what he's doing here. Last thing I want to here is we've got "factions" and ****. 

Here's what I'm mainly talking about from the article: 

Quote

Washington isn’t — and never will be under owner Daniel Snyder — a traditional, orderly franchise. There is no troublesome bickering currently, but instead of perfect alignment, there are factions within the franchise that have to work around each other to keep the organization afloat. Of course, the fickle Snyder runs the show, but he’s more of a patient overseer than he ever has been, at least for now. Beneath him, there’s Bruce Allen, the team president who remains a strong force and continues to be invested in some of the moves he made as the top personnel executive before McCloughan arrived. Allen is also a valuable buffer between the owner and football operations staff and the most steadfast supporter of Gruden, who is only in the third season of a five-year contract. And there’s McCloughan, who operates more as a super scout overseeing football operations than an everything-stops-here GM. And then there’s Gruden and his coaching staff, trying to merge McCloughan’s vision with theirs. 

In this structure, McCloughan doesn’t get everything he wants. No one does. There is a ridiculous amount of checks and balances. For the most part, they have all functioned with a forward-moving spirit, but they haven’t had many polarizing issues. And the team has won. Not big, but it has won.

 

Just frustrating to read that crap, honestly. I'm going to go with the thought that he's full of it here so I can sleep good, lol. 

[AlvinWaltonIsMyBoy]

1 hour ago, thesubmittedone said:

Anyone read this from Jerry Brewer? 

Just frustrating to read that crap, honestly. I'm going to go with the thought that he's full of it here so I can sleep good, lol. 

Jerry Brewer is the best writer to come along in a while.  His articles are spot on.  He's on the fast track to being the worst worthy writer in DC.

Wait...what'd he just say?  There's differing opinions within the organization?  He's such a hack.  Clickbait loser. 

Take solace, brother.  Winning is the best deodorant.  I think we get one tomorrow, and start our push to wildcard glory.  We gotta stay the course.  

 

[TSO]

38 minutes ago, AlvinWaltonIsMyBoy said:

Wait...what'd he just say?  There's differing opinions within the organization?  He's such a hack.  Clickbait loser. 

 

Yeah, that's the thing. There should be differing opinions. No one should be in a dictatorial role, unchecked by anyone. 

But, man... I hate the wording he used there, you know? Factions? "Never be a traditional, orderly franchise" under Snyder? "Work around each other to keep the organization afloat"? 

Where the heck did that come from? Friggin ruined my night!  

[Wildbunny]

11 hours ago, moondog said:

I agree on who's choosing the coaches but I also can't help but think SM is a pretty good selling point to bring some of these coaches here because they respect what he's done around the league.

Does the fact that he is around plays a part in coaches wanting to come here? Probably yes.

Do he have the final word on their signing? No.

Does Jay plays a part in coaches that are around and signing here? He's the biggest reason. I doubt positional coaches talk much with Scott. Way less than Jay, honestly. He's the bridge between them. They work and talk everyday with Jay, so they have to be OK working with him. Because if they aren't, Scott or no Scott, they would probably not come here if they don't get along well with Jay Gruden.

9 hours ago, jschuck12001 said:

I agree, he's doing a real good job and he gets very little credit when he should probably get more credit than SM.

Sadly that's true. Now, I don't really know if he deserves more credit, but he and his crew deserves a lot. Even Joe Barry, that is quite unpopular among us, deserves tons of credit for getting players ready, sometimes with as less than 2 or 3 training session before the game with all the injuries we got last year. Both are working hand in hand, and that's all we need to have a chance in this league.

3 hours ago, thesubmittedone said:

Just frustrating to read that crap, honestly. I'm going to go with the thought that he's full of it here so I can sleep good, lol. 

Don't see this as much crap. Not sure the term "faction" is really suited according to my understanding of what you posted, but the fact that Allen is still important and that Scott doesn't have the full go on whatever he wants is not that bad to me.

Heck, we've seen what a Chip Kelly with full powers can do to a franchise last year. So it's not that bad to me, I would even say that's a franchise running as it should.

[Darrell Green Fan]

I am a big SM fan but I'm not ready to put the improved record over the last 2 years soley on him.  IMO the biggest reason for the improvement was the change at QB and in pass protection and every player except Scherff was acquired during the Shanny regime. In fact when you evaluate the top producers on this team nearly every one was on the team before he arrived, Crowder being one of the few exceptions. Too early to evaluate his drafts but to date they were OK but nothing special.  Scherff was a safe pick and for every Crowder we have Matt Jones.  And of course once we remove the 2 FAs that fell in his lap (Djax and Norman) we are left to evaluate the signings of Paea, Jeron Johnson, Knighton, Culliver, RJF, Kendall Reyes, and  Bruton.  And that don't look so good.  His in-season acquisitions however have been great.

 

Again I'm a big fan and signing him is a no-brainer.  Just offering a little perspective.

[TSO]

4 hours ago, Wildbunny said:

Don't see this as much crap. Not sure the term "faction" is really suited according to my understanding of what you posted, but the fact that Allen is still important and that Scott doesn't have the full go on whatever he wants is not that bad to me.

Heck, we've seen what a Chip Kelly with full powers can do to a franchise last year. So it's not that bad to me, I would even say that's a franchise running as it should.

 

Yeah, I agree with all that and understand the importance of heirarchy in an organization, but I don't like the way Brewer was describing it. 

I clarified that to AlvinWaltonIsMyBoy, as well, in my post right above yours.  

[goskins10]

6 minutes ago, thesubmittedone said:

 

Yeah, I agree with all that and understand the importance of heirarchy in an organization, but I don't like the way Brewer was describing it. 

I clarified that to AlvinWaltonIsMyBoy, as well, in my post right above yours.  

 

4 hours ago, Wildbunny said:

Edit

Don't see this as much crap. Not sure the term "faction" is really suited according to my understanding of what you posted, but the fact that Allen is still important and that Scott doesn't have the full go on whatever he wants is not that bad to me.

Heck, we've seen what a Chip Kelly with full powers can do to a franchise last year. So it's not that bad to me, I would even say that's a franchise running as it should.

 

There is a difference between a healthy balance of power that you are talking about and the way this clown brewer describes it as if there is a major power struggle and constant strife. I am really getting tired of these BS post writers and local media trying to keep the redskins are dysfunctional narrative alive, not because it's true but just so they can make a few bucks.

They are the lowest form a scum. And this brewer clown is just another one of them.

[moondog]

4 hours ago, Wildbunny said:

Does the fact that he is around plays a part in coaches wanting to come here? Probably yes.

Do he have the final word on their signing? No.

Does Jay plays a part in coaches that are around and signing here? He's the biggest reason. I doubt positional coaches talk much with Scott. Way less than Jay, honestly. He's the bridge between them. They work and talk everyday with Jay, so they have to be OK working with him. Because if they aren't, Scott or no Scott, they would probably not come here if they don't get along well with Jay Gruden.

Definitely do not disagree with a single thing you're saying. I wasn't trying to say SM had some big role in choosing coaches, just that there was some boon to having him here in terms of coaches feeling like we are a more complete organization they want to be a part of. But by no means was I trying to say that Jay isn't the #1 reason. I think he's been an excellent coach overall and putting together the right staff is a big part of that. Sure we all wish we'd gone after Wade Phillips but for whatever reason we took Barry and he hasn't been too bad so far given what he's worked with and has shown recently to be flexible towards what the players feel they should be playing in.