A New Start! (the Reboot) The Front Office, Ownership, & Coaching Staff Thread

[Riggo#44]

16 minutes ago, Isifhan said:

He's so leveraged at this point it's all he can afford.

In addition, he's also tied up with this...

 

[ntotoro]

Te turf is atrocious, but Cousins blaming the turf for one if his pickles is priceless. Is the turf in Minny that bad late in games, too?

[Llevron]

34 minutes ago, ntotoro said:

Te turf is atrocious, but Cousins blaming the turf for one if his pickles is priceless. 

 

Well technically......

[NickyJ]

There's something reassuring about Wright and Rivera ordering the repairing of the turf. It feels a little more permanent than swapping out a coach or GM who can get fired after a couple of seasons. It's something simple, but it feels so good to see members of the team planning for farther into the future,

[BatteredFanSyndrome]

8 minutes ago, NickyJ said:

There's something reassuring about Wright and Rivera ordering the repairing of the turf. It feels a little more permanent than swapping out a coach or GM who can get fired after a couple of seasons. It's something simple, but it feels so good to see members of the team planning for farther into the future,

This is true, but it also speaks volumes about Dan's ineptitude.  We already know the book is long in that regard, but he watched the most prized possession of his ownership crumble on that field and still went with the patchwork plan.  This is why when folks ride with the 'at least Dan will spend money' argument, I can't take them seriously.

[Skinsinparadise]

 

 

[Skinsinparadise]

I know Kirk is practically the devil to some on the board (me not included)  but the thing that hits me about him isn't his comment about a pick when he was here. What hit me was watching an interview with him after he signed in Minny where he was awestruck about the facilities they had.   I know to some the fact that Kirk had no loyalty to this organization, where he should have been tolerant to Bruce's negotiation style, and that makes him a bad guy.  But I don't blame him or anyone else for that matter including Trent.  They aren't fans.  They aren't like us.  Trent grew up in Texas.   Kirk grew up a Bears fan.    It's not like one of us growing up a fan where our loyalty is deep.  These guys are making a living and aren't lifelong fans of the team. 

 

Why should they have been loyal to this team?  It has been a losing organization and they have done it with a lack of class in every way imaginable.   Some would say the stadium, field conditions and facilities are the worst in the league.   Dan and Bruce running the organization didn't personify class and competence.  And the topper is it was a losing organization.    And the WP stories don't paint a wonderful culture in that building. 

 

My point isn't to bemoan the past but feel good about the future.  i love what Ron is doing.  He IMO has done more to turn around this culture than even Gibbs did when he came on board for his 2nd stint.  I love Gibbs but he didn't do a 180 on the culture.  He kept Cerrato around and praised him a ton.  That FO wasn't really run by FO professionals at the time.  Cerrato was the defacto GM with Gibbs having final say.  And Synder was still in the mix of decision making.   The Snyder/Cerrato stamp was still felt, then. 

 

Rivera has gotten rid of ALL of Dan's minions.  He's taken him out of decision making at least thus far.  They changed the medical staff.  They upgraded the practice fields.  I saw that they beefed up the facilities some.  Now they are overhaulng the playing field.  They changed the culture in the building.  They have classy people in every corner of the building it seems.  Ron Rivera IMO is a rock star as far as being a culture changer.  Jason Wright ditto as for the business side of things.

 

I know some here aren't in love with some of Rivera's FO hires.   Personally I'd have loved to keep Kyle Smith.  Smith was one of the few things that Bruce did that I liked.   But I get that considering the war going on behind the scenes between Bruce and Dan that they didn't want to keep Bruce's best friend's son on staff.  I'd have preferred a younger up and comer type FO guy running things.  But I far from hate Mayhew and Hurney at least at the moment.  They come off from what I've heard as classy.  Mayhew seems to have a vision to rebuilding the culture. Some who know them have said they are both passionate to rebuild the culture here because of their deep ties to this team.  Plus considering Dan's history, I totally get the idea behind ganging up that building with people that Ron trusts versus betting on wildcards that Dan might co-opt. 

 

But overall, I think Rivera is really the first dude working to do a 180 on the culture aside from the one season from Marty.  Hopefully Dan lets it happen.  Dan has been really cheap when it comes to paying scouts, improving facilities and all the little things over the years.  It looks like Rivera is working to change it.  

 

I do think Dan is falsely pegged by some as a dude who will spend whatever it takes to build a winner.  I think that's largely based on how aggressive Dan was in his early years as for spending in FA.  Back then he was pegged as an incompetent dude but a big spender.  But reality has been he's indeed incompetent but also fairly cheap on many measures.  That might be changing.

 

 

 

Edited May 18, 2021 by Skinsinparadise

[LD0506]

It is so hard to accept that things are really changing for the better, decades of Dan abuse have scarred us all. It is one thing to look at this intellectually and see that Rivera is seriously in charge in a way we have never seen, even under Gibbs. It is very different to reconcile that with all the times we've hoped n dreamed and convinced ourselves of something only to end up laying in the gutter again.

 

Good times are scary times, they go hand in hand because they lead you off the known path into somewhere else. Even when that known path is painful it is known, a definite definable quantity, a measure and level of pain you are used to. It is already difficult to remember, to say out loud, "One year- Ron has been here one year" and match that up with the transformation we've already seen.

 

For all y'all that never got to live those golden years under Joe, don't let this slip by, don't get so focused on future success that you do not savor this growth that may get us there. 

 

[BatteredFanSyndrome]

18 hours ago, Skinsinparadise said:

He IMO has done more to turn around this culture than even Gibbs did when he came on board for his 2nd stint.  I love Gibbs but he didn't do a 180 on the culture.  He kept Cerrato around and praised him a ton.  That FO wasn't really run by FO professionals at the time.  Cerrato was the defacto GM with Gibbs having final say.  And Synder was still in the mix of decision making.   The Snyder/Cerrato stamp was still felt, then. 

I agree on this, but Ron also has near two decades of additional proof of Dan's ineptitude that Gibbs didn't have.  I'm not even sure there was a much of a culture to change at the point Gibbs took the helm.  When Gibbs came back, Dan was only about 4-5 years into his ownership.  He also treated Gibbs like a golden god, so I can see where Gibbs view of him was skewed.  The only luxury and leverage Ron really has at his disposal is just how bad of a train wreck Dan has made this franchise.  Ron entered in very dark times for Dan, the empty stadiums, 'Sell the Team', 'Fire Bruce Allen', the scandals, the name change, you name it.  I don't mean that this is an easy task for Ron, that couldn't be further from the truth.  He has a hell of a job on his hands.  What I mean is, if there was ever a time that Dan has to take a backseat and give someone else the keys - it's now.  He can no longer sell pipe dreams and play marketing games with his dumpster fire of a franchise.  He needs to convince the fanbase that an adult is in charge, and the only way to do that is let the adults do what adults do.

 

I'll never be convinced that things still can't go sideways with Dan still owning the team.  Things look pretty good right now, but every one has fallen victim to Dan at some point in his over 2 decades of ownership.  I hope that's not the case and wish Ron all the best, but I'll never be 100% confident things have changed while Dan still owns the team.

Edited May 18, 2021 by BatteredFanSyndrome

[Riggo#44]

Wrong thread...I hate when that happens.

Edited May 18, 2021 by Riggo#44

[Skinsinparadise]

2 hours ago, BatteredFanSyndrome said:

I agree on this, but Ron also has near two decades of additional proof of Dan's ineptitude that Gibbs didn't have.  I'm not even sure there was a much of a culture to change at the point Gibbs took the helm.  When Gibbs came back, Dan was only about 4-5 years into his ownership.  He also treated Gibbs like a golden god, so I can see where Gibbs view of him was skewed.  The only luxury and leverage Ron really has at his disposal is just how bad of a train wreck Dan has made this franchise.  Ron entered in very dark times for Dan, the empty stadiums, 'Sell the Team', 'Fire Bruce Allen', the scandals, the name change, you name it.  I don't mean that this is an easy task for Ron, that couldn't be further from the truth.  He has a hell of a job on his hands.  What I mean is, if there was ever a time that Dan has to take a backseat and give someone else the keys - it's now.  He can no longer sell pipe dreams and play marketing games with his dumpster fire of a franchise.  He needs to convince the fanbase that an adult is in charge, and the only way to do that is let the adults do what adults do.

 

I'll never be convinced that things still can't go sideways with Dan still owning the team.  Things look pretty good right now, but every one has fallen victim to Dan at some point in his over 2 decades of ownership.  I hope that's not the case and wish Ron all the best, but I'll never be 100% confident things have changed while Dan still owns the team.

 

 

No doubt that Ron took over in dark times where Dan had his feet to the fire in ways that didn't exist back in Gibbs days.  But IMO its far from the only explanation for the difference. 

 

And Joe Gibbs is my favorite all time WFT guy.   So I only have good feelings about Gibbs.

 

But as a culture builder under Dan IMO Ron > Gibbs.  And its not even close.  Some of that is about the timing of his tenure versus Rivera.  But a lot of it IMO has nothing to do with it.

 

Gibbs like Rivera is a leader of men, fully of integrity, and is all class.  So they are both cut from the same cloth and Gibbs IMO is even more special than Rivera on that front.  But as for a culture builder in the context Dan I think Rivera beats Gibbs by a mile.  And only some of that IMO is about the timing of when Rivera arrived versus Gibbs.

 

My issue with Gibbs as for the culture building was (and don't get me wrong on the aggregate Gibbs was a rock star on this front but he had IMO more drawbacks than Rivera specifically to dealing with Dan)

 

A. Cerrato love.    When I recall this stuff as for Gibbs/Cerrato, it seems like few others on the board recall it though some do.  Maybe its wishful thinking that how could Gibbs be a Cerrato guy?  But he was and in a big way.   I recall the complements Gibbs would give to Cerrato publicly.  And it came out that he privately really dug him, too.  Cerrato through this day loves talking up Gibbs.  I don't blame him since he was one of his biggest advocates.  I recall Gibbs touting among other things how organized Cerrato was, he had folders on every player, and a rap on any guy.   Touted the person among other things. 

 

I don't think it was an accident that Cerrato was elevated even higher when Gibbs left.  I'd put money that Gibbs reaffirmed the love Dan already had for Cerrato and told him it was a good move.  Part of Cerrato's longish tenure with Dan I put on Gibbs.   

 

B.  FO Structure:  Gibbs talked up the structure which included him and Cerrato and Dan making decisions together with Dan having an active voice in the mix.  I recall Gibbs even recalling stories about Dan's recommendations to him over that tenure.   Yuck.  But Gibbs publicly talked up how healthy and productive their structure was.  And yeah I do think he meant it judging by the stories that came out at the time.

 

C.  Doubled down on veterans > draft:  Gibbs was famous for preferring veterans over rookies and that affirmed that Cerrato/Dan instinct on the same topic.  Gibbs used to do call in shows every now and then on a show called Redskins Lunch.  I even called in once to say hey you guys got Cooley in the third round -- draft picks are valuable.  So why do you trade then so many picks?  And he launched into a rap about he loves the draft but also loves the security of having a bird in hand veteran, etc.

 

D.  The Cap.  They would extend salary forward with guys like Portis to free up cap room to sign FAs.  Eventually they had to pay the piper and lose guys like Antonio Pierce for these actions.  He doubled down on the win now attitude and worry about later -- later. 

 

E.  Dan's minions survived: unlike Rivera, Dan had his guys in the building.  this I would attribute to the point that Rivera benefited from having all that history to help him whereas this was still a young issue under Gibbs.  So the Dan enablers narrative in the building -- I do think that wasn't a hot issue back then aside from Cerrato. 

 

Edited May 18, 2021 by Skinsinparadise

[Skinsinparadise]

Hopefully they can keep Wright for the long haul, talk about personifying class...

 

 

 

[KDawg]

5 minutes ago, Skinsinparadise said:

Hopefully they can keep Wright for the long haul, talk about personifying class...

 

 

 

As long as Wright doesn’t help name us the Griffins or Aviators or Pilots... I fully approve

[TD_washingtonredskins]

On 5/11/2021 at 9:21 AM, TrancesWithWolves said:

My oh my the end of an era. 

 

You will be missed but never forgotten.

Sadly the last days of RFK were essentially the final days of the Redskins I knew and loved. I wish the Cookes would get the team back. 

[BatteredFanSyndrome]

@Skinsinparadise RE: Gibbs

 

I agree with you on this.  I just saw Gibbs as a guy where the league had passed him by, on borrowed time, who was never really the best talent evaluator to begin with.  When I say passed him by - I mean the way the league operates, not that his ability to be a leader of men had diminished. I figured he really liked VInny, because Vinny let him do whatever he wanted - which was try to construct a team in a short period of time that he believed could contend.  Dan and Vinny just basically let Gibbs spend however he saw fit, which was actually a detriment to the franchise.  I think the whole Gibbs/Danny love thing is born of Dan rolling out the red carpet for Joe and just letting him do whatever he wanted - which is why his perspective on Dan is so glaringly opposite of virtually everyone else that ever had to deal with him.

 

I think what we have in Ron right now is a guy who in entrenched in the current state of the league and a leader of men, who caught Dan at the absolute best time to ask and receive most everything he wants.  I am absolutely thankful for that.  I am grateful that he's made all these sweeping changes that desperately needed to be made.  Even if it doesn't end up in another Lombardi, just not being low-class in basically every aspect of a pro franchise is a win for all of us.

[CommanderInTheRye]

In Ron I trust.

 

Full stop--

 

However, my one fear is that Snyder is just laying low and playing the reformed nice doggy role until everything is completely settled with the investigation etc.

 

Then when his position is more stable he'll attempt to slither his way back into interference mode-- even if he knows it's  counterproductive-- because he can't resist the impulse to prove how powerful he is by taking control.

 

Kind of like the tale of the scorpion and the frog. It's in his nature.

 

 

Edited May 18, 2021 by TrancesWithWolves

[BatteredFanSyndrome]

7 minutes ago, TrancesWithWolves said:

However, my one fear is that Snyder is just laying low and playing the reformed nice doggy until everything is completely settled with the investigation etc.

 

Then when his position is more stable he'll attempt to slither his way back into interference mode because he just can't help it.

I understand this, as I share similar thoughts, but my fears are a little different.  I don't think its just a 'wait until the coast is clear' situation for Dan.  I'm more concerned about when things aren't going so well, which is inevitable in this league.  We're in the honeymoon phase right now, won the division, things are looking up.  What we have to be weary of is if and when things start to unravel, whether that's the team's record or the relationships with Dan in the building.  That's where things can really go nuclear.  Toxic people don't just morph into good people.

 

I liken it to when a couple first gets together, they are taking all these sweet pics, posting them on social media, everybody is commenting how happy they are for them.  They post sweet things about one another and how they've finally found the one that understands them.  Several months later, you no longer see those posts, and you start seeing the negative posts about anonymous stuff, and then you find out one of the parties to the relationship was actually a raging lunatic that eventually showed their true colors, and restraining orders are involved. 🤣

Edited May 18, 2021 by BatteredFanSyndrome

[Burgundy Yoda]

39 minutes ago, TrancesWithWolves said:

In Ron I trust.

 

Full stop--

 

However, my one fear is that Snyder is just laying low and playing the reformed nice doggy role until everything is completely settled with the investigation etc.

 

Then when his position is more stable he'll attempt to slither his way back into interference mode-- even if he knows it's  counterproductive-- because he can't resist the impulse to prove how powerful he is by taking control.

 

Kind of like the tale of the scorpion and the frog. It's in his nature.

 

 

I'm not feeling this way, too many permanent long-term things are being done right now. It's the little things like Rivera getting his own pimped out golf cart, FedEx playing Field getting completely re-done. It almost seems like Dan said "I'm your resource, whatever you need, I got you."

 

He isn't just giving Ron roster control, he seems to trust him with so much more than that. I think we are underestimated the amount of respect that Dan has for him. 

Edited May 18, 2021 by Burgundy Yoda

[Skinsinparadise]

1 hour ago, BatteredFanSyndrome said:

I understand this, as I share similar thoughts, but my fears are a little different.  I don't think its just a 'wait until the coast is clear' situation for Dan.  I'm more concerned about when things aren't going so well, which is inevitable in this league.  We're in the honeymoon phase right now, won the division, things are looking up.  What we have to be weary of is if and when things start to unravel, whether that's the team's record or the relationships with Dan in the building.  That's where things can really go nuclear.  Toxic people don't just morph into good people.

 

I liken it to when a couple first gets together, they are taking all these sweet pics, posting them on social media, everybody is commenting how happy they are for them.  They post sweet things about one another and how they've finally found the one that understands them.  Several months later, you no longer see those posts, and you start seeing the negative posts about anonymous stuff, and then you find out one of the parties to the relationship was actually a raging lunatic that eventually showed their true colors, and restraining orders are involved. 🤣

 

Yeah that post brings back the article from months back that cited someone who knows Dan that Ron hasn't met the real Dan Synder yet.  But he will.  Or something like that.

 

Loverro sums it well for me because I've made similar points years back.  That is, we got to hope for the Steinbrenner/Torre dynamic.  Torre had so much quick success that it demanded that George back off and ultimately Torre was so lionized with Yankee fans that he was empowered.  And Steinbrenner took a rare backseat.  Arguably, Steinbrenner's declining health ultimately was a factor, too. 

 

I used to think Dan could change his spots.  I don't anymore.  Dysfunctional people do dysfunctional things -- its part of their DNA.    I think the best that we can hope for is circumstance tames the beast in Dan.  

 

The thing that bugs me the most about Dan among all the stories is that he doesn't see anything as his fault.  And I've seen some of his rare defenders over the years say the same -- that Dan is at the mercy of other dysfunctional and or incompetent people who have spoiled the party for him.  So I get the picture that the dude thinks he just had bad luck.   As Sheehan likes to say he hears Dan is just delusional and nothing is ever his fault.

 

I ripped Bruce as much if not more than anyone but even I was put off with Dan's comments during the Ron hire which essentially blamed all the culture problems on Bruce.  The culture problems are about Dan.  Bruce is just a dude who thrives in the culture that was established by Dan.  Bruce brought his own issues.  But still Dan is the guy who makes these hires.  Dan isn't at the mercy of his hires, he both makes the hires and creates the environment for a Cerrato or Bruce to play the game the way they did.   

 

I wanted at the time both Cerrato and Bruce to be gone but at the same time I can't blame them that much for the style they operated with considering most employee's top instinct is to survive the jungle.  So I think they adapted to the environment set by Dan.   Dan creates the jungle. 

Edited May 18, 2021 by Skinsinparadise

[Isifhan]

2 hours ago, Skinsinparadise said:

 

Yeah that post brings back the article from months back that cited someone who knows Dan that Ron hasn't met the real Dan Synder yet.  But he will.  Or something like that.

 

 

Great post.  I tell you what, if Ron and/or Jason ever meet the real Dan and one or both exit - I see no scenario that anyone with any football credit would ever step foot in this organization. Ron is too well respected and so is Jason for that matter. The stink of a bad exit would never leave this franchise unless there was a new owner at the top. Dan better pray that Ron leaves on his own terms if ever. 

[Skinsinparadise]

11 minutes ago, Isifhan said:

Great post.  I tell you what, if Ron and/or Jason ever meet the real Dan and one or both exit - I see no scenario that anyone with any football credit would ever step foot in this organization. Ron is too well respected and so is Jason for that matter. The stink of a bad exit would never leave this franchise unless there was a new owner at the top. Dan better pray that Ron leaves on his own terms if ever. 

 

Yeah agree this is likely his last go of selling a new staff/beginning.  If he burns this bridge we will be relegated to the Jim Zorn type hires and more empty stadiums. 

[Commander -JB-]

3 hours ago, TrancesWithWolves said:

In Ron I trust.

 

Full stop--

 

However, my one fear is that Snyder is just laying low and playing the reformed nice doggy role until everything is completely settled with the investigation etc.

 

Then when his position is more stable he'll attempt to slither his way back into interference mode-- even if he knows it's  counterproductive-- because he can't resist the impulse to prove how powerful he is by taking control.

 

Kind of like the tale of the scorpion and the frog. It's in his nature.

 

 

Yea, Snyder has done this routine how many times now?  He’s not fooling me.  He has just refined his approach.  Just two years ago he forced the team to draft Dwayne Haskins.  He hasn’t changed.  He won’t.  He’s always fooled everybody by spending in free agency and fielding garbage teams with lots of hype.  Never upgraded the practice facilities for years.  Fed Ex Field grass being the worst in the league.  Finally upgrading the big screen after years of awful stadium experiences.  He views ownership of the WFT as nothing more than a way to increase his bank account.  He doesn’t truly give two ****s about winning.  He knows how to market and sell **** product for high prices.  Dude has been scamming Redskins fans for years.  They just don’t want to believe he’s truly that sleazy of a businessman.  Just look at his track record before he bought the Skins.  He’s a slimy Wiesel.

26 minutes ago, Isifhan said:

Great post.  I tell you what, if Ron and/or Jason ever meet the real Dan and one or both exit - I see no scenario that anyone with any football credit would ever step foot in this organization. Ron is too well respected and so is Jason for that matter. The stink of a bad exit would never leave this franchise unless there was a new owner at the top. Dan better pray that Ron leaves on his own terms if ever. 

We heard the same thing after Shanahan & then after Gruden.  There Will always be somebody to take this job as long as Snyder is offering millions upon millions to be one of only what 32 Nfl head coaches.  He has all the leverage and always will.  Guys would kill to be an NFL head coach and feel that they actually have power until they realize they don’t but are locked into a long term deal and won’t leave to give up all of the money they won’t get elsewhere.

Edited May 18, 2021 by -JB-

[Isifhan]

11 minutes ago, -JB- said:

We heard the same thing after Shanahan & then after Gruden.  There Will always be somebody to take this job as long as Snyder is offering millions upon millions to be one of only what 32 Nfl head coaches.  He has all the leverage and always will.  Guys would kill to be an NFL head coach and feel that they actually have power until they realize they don’t but are locked into a long term deal and won’t leave to give up all of the money they won’t get elsewhere.

I'd argue that neither one of those hires were known as transformative, culture changing figures.  Shanny maybe but he had his baggage.  My point is that I think, if this ends badly with Ron, future head coach hires, at least the "big name / culture change" style coaches would not come here. Ron is too respected and I think they'd feel that if he couldn't do it, it can't be done. I don't doubt that there would be coaches who'd want to coach here, there's only so many HC slots but I'd expect a lot more "zorn" and a lot less actual respected coaching hires. 

[Skinsinparadise]

FedEx Field undergoing first major field reconstruction since its opening in 1997

 

For the first time since it opened in 1997, FedEx Field is undergoing a significant reconstruction of its often problematic playing field.

The renovation, which started Monday, is expected to last two months and will include the removal of more than a foot of soil, the replacement of its drainage and irrigation systems and the laying of new sod, according to a person with knowledge of the situation.

 

Washington Football Team groundskeeper Pete Benevento is overseeing the project, which was spurred by Coach Ron Rivera and team president Jason Wright, who said last year the team planned to improve the playing conditions at both the stadium and the team’s training facility in Ashburn. The team recently completed renovating its practice fields with new sod and an improved drainage system.

 

Although FedEx has had field renovations in the past, none have been this significant, with a complete overhaul of the piping that lies more than a foot below the surface.

 

The team uses GameOnGrass, a sand-based Bermuda sod developed by Carolina Green Corp. that is grown on plastic, then transported and installed. Carolina Green has overseen past construction projects for FedEx Field, as well as the Baltimore Ravens’ M&T Bank Stadium, Philadelphia Eagles’ Lincoln Financial Field, University of Virginia’s Scott Stadium and the Carolina Panthers’ practice facility, among others.

 

...Clemons’s agent blamed the “crappy” conditions at FedEx Field, and Seattle defensive lineman Alan Branch said it “was probably the worst field I’ve ever played on” and that “they painted the dirt green so it looked like grass.” Seahawks fullback Michael Robinson went so far as to say the field “should be illegal” and “that’s like working in a sweat shop to me.”

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/05/18/fedex-field-reconstruction/

[-9-]

stuff like this shouldn’t bother me ... but ... today’s roster on the website ...