Mod Notice: Temp Ban if Post on Changing the Name. Per New York Times: Dan Syder Agrees to Sell Washingon Commaders for $6B

[bowhunter]

1 hour ago, CRobi21 said:

Harris in the black sweater. Rales just poking his head in from the left.

Additional positive news is the rumor the Bellichek ws also spotted spying on Harris from the cheap seats and (allegedly) taking notes on the popcorn:salt ratio

[Skinsinparadise]

 

[Skinsinparadise]

 

[Conn]

edit: or maybe the indemnification report so many jumped on was false?? If not, my initial thoughts were below:
 

Disappointed that Harris is caving even in part to the indemnification request, just on principle…but knowing it only applies to monetary fines, none of which would adversely impact someone with $6B new buckaroonies…oh well. If that was the concession that enabled my #1 choice in owner to get the team, it will have been worth it even if it’s a little icky. Nothing beyond jail time (nearly impossible for a billionaire) would have brought any real moral justice upon Snyder anyways, so feigning outrage that he might not have to pay whatever millions in fines for his misdeeds rings a little hollow. In reality he wouldn’t care either way, you can’t hold the ultra rich accountable with fines—those fines just become part of the cost of doing business. His fortune is safe either way. In the extremely unlikely event that he’s somehow facing real, tangible legal consequences in the future outside of monetary fines…well, he won’t be protected from that. 

Edited April 18, 2023 by Conn

[bowhunter]

3 minutes ago, Skinsinparadise said:

 

Year 1 priority should be culture and regaining a fanbase. Get the stink out. Make players want to play here, and make fans interested once again. That alone will take money. Team Facilities and Fed-Ex upgrades. Evaluate the roster and staff as you focus on owner stuff. Everyone gets a shot to prove their merit 

[Skinsinparadise]

37 minutes ago, spjunkies said:

 

Their stadium is only 5 years younger than Jack Kent Cooke stadium and will need replacement sooner than later. No doubt it's better than our place, but it's not a brand spanking new place.

 

the # 1 problem with our stadium isn't that its old, but that it was a bad stadium from the jump in a bad location and Dan spent hardly anything on upgrades.

 

Seattle's stadium is a nice one and has character, their facilities are graded highly.  They have passionate fans that fill that stadium.  and heck according to some who know Bezos including the puck.com guy who covered Bezos side of the story in this -- Seattle is his preferred team not the Commanders even without all the advantages that Seattle give him compared to this team which is a distressed asset. 

 

https://ftw.usatoday.com/lists/nfl-stadium-rankings-2022-best-venues-football

 

All 30 NFL stadiums, ranked: 2022 edition

 

8. Lumen Field - Seattle Seahawks

Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

One of the best things about Lumen Field is the location. Close – like, very walkable – from downtown Seattle, Lumen is nestled by the water and also hosts the MLS’s Seattle Sounders and NWSL’s Seattle Reign. It has a wonderful variety of local brews, and features food and beverage from Seattle originals like Ivar’s and Starbucks, as well as Poke bowls, something called Sasquatch fries and chicken and biscuits. The game experience is electric with 72,000 “12s” cheering their support. Highly recommend a trip to not only Seattle, but Lumen as well.

 

https://www.q13fox.com/sports/seahawks-rank-11th-among-nfl-teams-in-players-survey-of-facilities-treatment

 

Seahawks rank 11th among NFL teams in Players' survey of facilities, treatment

Seattle ranked inside the top ten in family treatment, food service and nutrition, weight room and locker room.

Edited April 18, 2023 by Skinsinparadise

[Voice_of_Reason]

6 minutes ago, bowhunter said:

Year 1 priority should be culture and regaining a fanbase. Get the stink out. Make players want to play here, and make fans interested once again. That alone will take money. Team Facilities and Fed-Ex upgrades. Evaluate the roster and staff as you focus on owner stuff. Everyone gets a shot to prove their merit 

From the on-field perspective, that’s already happened.  From the “want to work here” that’s also happened.

 

3 things need to happen from here:

 

1. The team needs to win.

 

2. They desperately need new facilities, including a stadium and practice facilities, and an investment in scouting, analytics, etc. 

 

3. Fans will need to give the new group a chance and get back involved.  
 

That will do it.  

[Skinsinparadise]

 

there is a lot in this Keim article, here's just some

 

Shortly after buying the NHL's New Jersey Devils, Josh Harris explained why.

"What we've done is buy good companies," he told NJ.com in 2014, "good franchises that have a reason to exist but for whatever reason may have some financial difficulties or need some new leadership."

Harris is doing the same thing by reaching an agreement to purchase the Washington Commanders, once a marquee NFL franchise but one that fell on hard times during Dan Snyder's ownership.

 

The deal, with the sale price of $6.05 billion, must be finalized -- another bidder, possibly Canadian billionaire Steve Apostolopoulos, could conceivably make another offer -- then approved by the NFL. The earliest Harris could be voted in would be at the league meetings May 22-24 in Minneapolis.

If Harris indeed wins the bidding, he would then inherit a franchise that went 164-220-2 in Snyder's 24 seasons; only five teams had worse records during that period.

 

But Harris will need to revive the organization in more ways than winning. One team employee said workers have been beaten down because of the heavy dose of negative attention over the past several years, in particular, stemming first from an NFL investigation into Washington's workplace culture followed by a congressional investigation. Multiple state attorneys general are looking into allegations of financial improprieties.

 

...Among the places considered: next door to the Commanders' current site; 15 miles away in Oxon Hill, Maryland, on federal land and across from the MGM Casino and National Harbor area; their old home where RFK Stadium still needs to be torn down; and multiple sites in Virginia, including one approximately 10 miles from their current practice facility.

•

Multiple sources said Snyder was a hindrance in these talks, that numerous politicians did not want to do business with him or the team until the investigations ended.

"The owner definitely made it a nonstarter," said one person with knowledge of the discussions in Maryland.

The same source said the hard part for a while was not knowing whom to deal with from the franchise; until perhaps within the last year, it could be one of three different groups within the organization, including Snyder. Eventually, it was Wright and vice president of public affairs Joe Maloney. Nonetheless, the source contrasted that with the Baltimore Ravens, who used the same person when talking about stadium issues or needs.

 

Under Snyder, Washington wanted to move into a new stadium by the 2028 season. The current contract at FedEx Field ends early in the 2027 season, although it can be renewed to extend the stay.

 

Former owner Jack Kent Cooke paid for FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland, with his own money, but it was a poor sequel to RFK Stadium, the team's home until 1997. RFK Stadium, which was in bad shape when the team left, was considered more intimate, with a seating capacity of 56,692 as compared with FedEx Field's 78,270, which eventually grew to 90,000. RFK Stadium was accessible by the Washington Metro system; the closest such stop to FedEx Field is approximately a mile away. And because the main way to access FedEx Field is off Interstate 495, traffic congestion was an early issue for fans.

Current executives say the organization did not invest enough in maintaining FedEx Field, leading to failing pipes -- which sometimes doused fans with water -- and other problems. Players have complained there is no place to meet with their families after games and no day care for their kids -- as other franchises offer on game day.

 

In August, USA Today ranked FedEx Field as the NFL's worst stadium.

"A new venue changes the fortune of a franchise," Wright said, "in the revenue growth but also in the fan experience. We definitely have to have the vision of a new ownership team. However, all the research and work done to date is additive; it's not wasted. It's all beneficial and will allow us to move quickly."

The new owners must determine where they want to build: D.C., Maryland or Virginia. The RFK Stadium site remains a fan favorite. Three Super Bowl winners played at RFK Stadium, enabling fans to maintain a connection to the past. A source familiar with the stadium talks said people who represent Harris' group have reached out to local politicians to assess the situation.

 

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has said multiple times over the past year -- and beyond -- that she wants the team back in the city. In the fall, she told reporters that ownership, meaning Snyder, was an obstacle.

However, because that land is owned by the federal government, it would first have to either sell or lease the land to the District of Columbia. Then the D.C. Council would have to approve any plans. Another fear by some team officials is that some D.C. residents would oppose a stadium because they don't want it publicly financed, have a desire for different projects and worry about increased traffic.

With Snyder, those involved in the talks say, the team had no chance to build at the RFK Stadium site. But even without him, they say it will be difficult.

 

"You have to let [the fans] know you tried everything in the District," one person involved in the situation said. "They still have to do the work; they owe it to the fans."

It's possible, one person involved in the stadium talks said, that the new venue could be located in one state -- or district -- with the practice facility remaining in Virginia, whether near the current one in Loudoun County or elsewhere.

 

The Commanders' practice facility, built in 1992, is considered outdated, in part because it is small and would be expensive to expand.

In May 2022, the organization acquired the rights to purchase 200 acres of property in Virginia's Prince William County; but multiple sources say if the team builds a stadium in Virginia, it would be in Loudoun, a growing county that has the nation's highest per-household income.

 

Maryland also has options, including the Commanders' current stadium site in Landover. The state has committed $400 million to redevelop the area around FedEx Field. Another site that has been mentioned sits on federal government land.

Matt Rogers, chief of staff for Loudoun County Supervisor Phyllis Randall, said "there's no question" having Snyder out of the picture will help the process.

"There is a spring of opportunity," he said. "We needed to have a clean slate here. We would have been further along had this not been the case for some time."

 

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/36179498/top-priorities-new-owners-dan-snyder-sells-washington-commanders

 

 

 

 

[88Comrade2000]

38 minutes ago, Conn said:

edit: or maybe the indemnification report so many jumped on was false?? If not, my initial thoughts were below:
 

Disappointed that Harris is caving even in part to the indemnification request, just on principle…but knowing it only applies to monetary fines, none of which would adversely impact someone with $6B new buckaroonies…oh well. If that was the concession that enabled my #1 choice in owner to get the team, it will have been worth it even if it’s a little icky. Nothing beyond jail time (nearly impossible for a billionaire) would have brought any real moral justice upon Snyder anyways, so feigning outrage that he might not have to pay whatever millions in fines for his misdeeds rings a little hollow. In reality he wouldn’t care either way, you can’t hold the ultra rich accountable with fines—those fines just become part of the cost of doing business. His fortune is safe either way. In the extremely unlikely event that he’s somehow facing real, tangible legal consequences in the future outside of monetary fines…well, he won’t be protected from that. 

No one can protect him from the feds. If he committed crimes, he will have to face justice sooner or later.

[Conn]

5 minutes ago, 88Comrade2000 said:

No one can protect him from the feds. If he committed crimes, he will have to face justice sooner or later.

Thanks, that’s what I said. 

[Bifflog]

1 hour ago, Skinsinparadise said:

 

 

[Andre The Giant]

 

[CapsSkins]

5 hours ago, Conn said:

I probably skew younger than the average poster on this board (which makes sense since we’re all clinging to a dying medium here in message boards lol), but that’s gotta be the youngest I’ve ever seen Donald Sutherland, by far. Assuming I’m correct and that’s him. 

 

The fact you recognized a young Donald Sutherland guarantees you're at least a decade older than me.

[88Comrade2000]

Speaking of message boards, is this sight going to be on the chopping block?

 

Or if the mb stays, will Harris have his own mods?

 

Will their be a Magic Johnson section?

 

A section for Harris’s other teams Sixers and Devils?

 

Until the nfl votes to approve Harris, I won’t believe the new era is here. It’s Dan and everything could just blow up.

[Spaceman Spiff]

8 hours ago, Skinsinparadise said:

 

the # 1 problem with our stadium isn't that its old, but that it was a bad stadium from the jump in a bad location and Dan spent hardly anything on upgrades.

 

Seattle's stadium is a nice one and has character, their facilities are graded highly.  They have passionate fans that fill that stadium.  and heck according to some who know Bezos including the puck.com guy who covered Bezos side of the story in this -- Seattle is his preferred team not the Commanders even without all the advantages that Seattle give him compared to this team which is a distressed asset. 

 

https://ftw.usatoday.com/lists/nfl-stadium-rankings-2022-best-venues-football

 

All 30 NFL stadiums, ranked: 2022 edition

 

8. Lumen Field - Seattle Seahawks

Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

One of the best things about Lumen Field is the location. Close – like, very walkable – from downtown Seattle, Lumen is nestled by the water and also hosts the MLS’s Seattle Sounders and NWSL’s Seattle Reign. It has a wonderful variety of local brews, and features food and beverage from Seattle originals like Ivar’s and Starbucks, as well as Poke bowls, something called Sasquatch fries and chicken and biscuits. The game experience is electric with 72,000 “12s” cheering their support. Highly recommend a trip to not only Seattle, but Lumen as well.

 

https://www.q13fox.com/sports/seahawks-rank-11th-among-nfl-teams-in-players-survey-of-facilities-treatment

 

Seahawks rank 11th among NFL teams in Players' survey of facilities, treatment

Seattle ranked inside the top ten in family treatment, food service and nutrition, weight room and locker room.

 

I've always felt that Fed Ex was just built at the wrong time.  It was built at the tail end of football stadiums being built as concrete circles with no eye appeal and no forward thinking in regards to the fan experience.  

 

Camden Yards opened in '92 and I think that the belief was, stupidly, that you can't do that for a football stadium.  There was still that old school thinking that it's just got to be a massive stadium and nothing else.  And that's what they did for Fed Ex, they just built the biggest ****ing thing they could.  IIRC, that was the whole goal of the place, pack as many seats into it as you could....that was like, the whole bragging point after it was built and opened, that it had more seats than the Cowboys stadium. Suck on it, Jerruh!

 

A few years later, IIRC, M&T Bank opened which, I believe, was done by the same people that did Camden Yards.  And then there was a whole new wave of modern football stadiums with modern amenities and by the end of the 2010, Fed Ex looked like a dinosaur.  Similar to how Sky Dome in Toronto looked like a dinosaur in '92 after Camden Yards opened when, three years earlier, Sky Dome was hyped as state of the art and the future of baseball stadiums.

 

Except Fed Ex was never hailed as a state of the art stadium, it was never looked at as an example of how football stadiums were going to be architected.  

 

I think if it were built 7 or 8 years later, it'd be much different.  I agree that Dan never spending on upgrades hurt, too.  But I also can't blame him too much and that's the one place where. might give Dan a pass on his massive failure as an owner.  It'd be hard to want to polish a turd like that for 24 years of ownership and THEN try to get a new stadium built.  At some point, it feels like upgrading Fed Ex would be throwing good money after bad money.

 

I feel confident in saying that there will be no romancing of the closure of Fed Ex Field when the time comes to shut that place down.  What a ****hole.  

[MisterPinstripe]

9 hours ago, spjunkies said:

 

Their stadium is only 5 years younger than Jack Kent Cooke stadium and will need replacement sooner than later. No doubt it's better than our place, but it's not a brand spanking new place.

Plus after this sale, if the Seahawks go up for sale in 5 years what will they go for? It's not going to be cheaper. 

[Skinsinparadise]

23 minutes ago, MisterPinstripe said:

Plus after this sale, if the Seahawks go up for sale in 5 years what will they go for? It's not going to be cheaper. 

 

Might go on sale sooner.  Why buy this team over Seattle?  Heck the dude who covers Bezos for puck.com, the same dude who gave the people pushing Bezos some life towards the end of the process -- flat out said he knows Bezos wants to own a team, but he is not sure its this team though and believes (he's not the only one who said it) would prefer Seattle. 

 

A.  He from what I understand is a Seattle fan

B.  Based more on Seattle as for where he lives -- Amazon's HQ

C.  Seattle's stadium is good, ranked as one of the best.  As far as I understand its not on the verge of being torn down.  Heck I've heard some even talk about modeling aspects of the Seattle stadum here

D. One of the best home crowds in the league, versus arguably the worst home crowd in the league

E.  Their Stadium in a prime location -- they already have their RFK location so to speak locked in

F.  Supposedly one of the nicest facilities in the league

G.  A fan base that is a alive and vibrant versus one that needs to be revived

H.  Some say they got the best FO in the league

 

 

Edited April 18, 2023 by Skinsinparadise

[Darrell Green Fan]

1 hour ago, Spaceman Spiff said:

 

I've always felt that Fed Ex was just built at the wrong time.  It was built at the tail end of football stadiums being built as concrete circles with no eye appeal and no forward thinking in regards to the fan experience.  

 

Camden Yards opened in '92 and I think that the belief was, stupidly, that you can't do that for a football stadium.  There was still that old school thinking that it's just got to be a massive stadium and nothing else.  And that's what they did for Fed Ex, they just built the biggest ****ing thing they could.  IIRC, that was the whole goal of the place, pack as many seats into it as you could....that was like, the whole bragging point after it was built and opened, that it had more seats than the Cowboys stadium. Suck on it, Jerruh!

 

A few years later, IIRC, M&T Bank opened which, I believe, was done by the same people that did Camden Yards.  And then there was a whole new wave of modern football stadiums with modern amenities and by the end of the 2010, Fed Ex looked like a dinosaur.  Similar to how Sky Dome in Toronto looked like a dinosaur in '92 after Camden Yards opened when, three years earlier, Sky Dome was hyped as state of the art and the future of baseball stadiums.

 

Except Fed Ex was never hailed as a state of the art stadium, it was never looked at as an example of how football stadiums were going to be architected.  

 

I think if it were built 7 or 8 years later, it'd be much different.  I agree that Dan never spending on upgrades hurt, too.  But I also can't blame him too much and that's the one place where. might give Dan a pass on his massive failure as an owner.  It'd be hard to want to polish a turd like that for 24 years of ownership and THEN try to get a new stadium built.  At some point, it feels like upgrading Fed Ex would be throwing good money after bad money.

 

I feel confident in saying that there will be no romancing of the closure of Fed Ex Field when the time comes to shut that place down.  What a ****hole.  

 

I would like to add Fed Ex Field represents a generation of losing, even before Snyder bought the team.  It was no worse than RFK, which we all know was a downright dump.  But stadiums are remembered for the experience and games at RFK were great because they won and if they won at that level at Fed Ex we'd probably feel a little differently about the place 

Edited April 18, 2023 by Darrell Green Fan

[Simmsy]

Man... we're going to get picked for Hard Knocks aren't we? I know new head coach exempts us, what about a new owner? It would be a great watch, but we don't need the distraction this year or ever.

[Skinsinparadise]

19 minutes ago, Simmsy said:

Man... we're going to get picked for Hard Knocks aren't we? I know new head coach exempts us, what about a new owner? It would be a great watch, but we don't need the distraction this year or ever.

 

The new owner doesn't exempt them.  We talked about it a ton on the previous sale thread.

 

According to Keim, they really really want to be on Hard Knocks.  But not sure they get it.

 

This team is desperate for some national relevance and attention. And they want to showcase to the league that things are changing.

 

They'd be fools IMO and some others i know agree not to chase Hard Knocks.  This is now a punch line team for irrelevance  -- GMF, ESPN among others have said at different times, who wants to talk about or who cares about this team?    Dan's legacy among other things is making this team one of more irerlevant and obscure teams nationally, boring too aside from the scandals -- we are lucky to get a MNF game considering we just about never get SNF any more.

 

Hard Knocks won't fix that alone but it would force some avid football fans to care and pay attention to this team for a change. 

 

Lions were dead last in attendance the season before Hard Knocks.  Not anymore.  Sold out their home opener, which some attributed to that show and the rare attention they got.

 

We are dead last in attendance, I believe dead last in general merchandise sales or close to that -- one of the rare NFL teams with declining local TV attendance. 

 

This team needs a PR jolt -- clearly the people in that building realize it.  But as some said can they convince the NFL to cover this team versus the Jets who are also up for it?

Edited April 18, 2023 by Skinsinparadise

[Spaceman Spiff]

I figured they'd give us Hard Knocks if we asked for it because the show has been on for over 20 years, some teams have been featured multiple times and whenever they've narrowed it down to a list of contending teams that include us, we've always dodged the bullet.

 

But I think we were better subjects for Hard Knocks in the early 2000s when we were maybe still relevant.  We've been irrelevant for years now, it's kind of hard to find a reason anyone would want to watch Commies Hard Knocks.  But they've also had irrelevant teams before, so who knows.

[method man]

It would be awesome for guys like Terry, Jon etc to be on Hard Knocks. Those guys are underappreciated among the general public nationally and the show would get them some visibility 

[HigSkin]

Man, Howard Eskin, local Philly reporter on The Junkies didn't have a lot of nice things to say about Harris.  He talked a lot about the missteps with the 76er's.

 

 

 

[kingdaddy]

Just now, HigSkin said:

Man, Howard Eskin, local Philly reporter on The Junkies didn't have a lot of nice things to say about Harris.  He talked a lot about the missteps with the 76er's.

 

 

 

Howard Eskin HATES the Sixers and hated the whole "Trust the Process" tanking idea. Don't believe him; he's an Eagles butt-munching blowhard. Look at what Harris has done with his teams that he owns and go from there. BTW, Eskin's son, Spike Eskin, loves the Sixers....he's a sports talk radio exec in NYC now after spending his early career in Philly.

Howard Eskin trashes anything and everything Sixers every chance he gets and the Eagles can do no wrong. He's an idiot that we've had to deal with in Philly our entire lives on radio.

Just now, kingdaddy said:

Howard Eskin HATES the Sixers and hated the whole "Trust the Process" tanking idea. Don't believe him; he's an Eagles butt-munching blowhard. Look at what Harris has done with his teams that he owns and go from there. BTW, Eskin's son, Spike Eskin, loves the Sixers....he's a sports talk radio exec in NYC now after spending his early career in Philly.

Howard Eskin trashes anything and everything Sixers every chance he gets and the Eagles can do no wrong. He's an idiot that we've had to deal with in Philly our entire lives on radio.

Also, the Sixers have an excellent work culture and tremendous fan base with outstanding facilities and a new arena in the works. All things we are striving for with our Redskins. Harris has been instrumental in all of this.

[Skinsinparadise]