Moving Towards our Future Front Office and Coaching Hires. All the Way to the Water Boy - Adam Peters Hired as GM! The Mighty Quinn is HC Kliff Kingsbury as OC. Joe Whitt jr at DC.

[Skinsinparadise]

Josh Harris preaches patience, discusses plans for Commanders

 

By Nicki Jhabvala

 

I have a public track record with Philly and New Jersey, and generally, when you change a system, sometimes you have to do it,” Harris said. “[But] you probably take a step back before you take a step forward. That's not always the case, but I think generally that's what the statistics would show. So I think it's important to be patient. …. You can have high expectations, but people have to say, 'We want to be part of this.' So, that's why you have to be measured with what you do.”

“In sports, there’s pressure,” Harris continued. “There’s pressure from the public, but people aren’t always thinking about that long game of what are you trying to accomplish? And what we’re trying to accomplish is we want to have elite teams that consistently compete for championships.”

 

...The Commanders also invested $40 million on improvements and capital repairs to the stadium, including the purchase of a new video board and sound system, some structural fixes, signage, and changes to ingress and egress.

“We did as much as we could in six weeks,” Harris said. “But there’s a lot more work to do in the offseason. … We’re on a long journey.”

Harris and his team of limited partners — including Danaher Corporation co-founder Mitchell Rales, Washington-area venture capitalist Mark Ein and NBA great Earvin “Magic” Johnson — have their sights set on a new stadium.

 

Harris said the team will continue to make improvements to its 26-year-old stadium while deliberating over its next home.

“We’re going to improve the existing stadium as much as we can while we look for a new home, because it’s not the bones, necessarily,” Harris said. “The bones obviously can be repaired, they can be fixed. It’s more the way modern stadiums are set up; they’re very different than stadiums that are older. And so whether it’s the premium areas being really close to the game itself, how the suites are situated, how much premium there is, the WiFi, I mean, a lot of that stuff just can’t be done in an older stadium. So, we’re going to be looking at ultimately how do we move to a new stadium.”

Since Harris’s purchase of the team was finalized, he’s worked on repairing relations with local officials to ensure Virginia, Maryland and D.C. are all available to the team as potential stadium locations.

 

...“We’re focused on winning football games for the rest of the season, fixing the stadium and engaging with the city,” Harris said. “I know [the name] is a topic that people in Washington want to talk about. But right now, we’re focused on the things that we think are really important right now.”

 

 

That includes rebuilding the team on the field and rebuilding the business. It includes creating the right culture, Harris said repeatedly, and constructing a new stadium. And it includes winning.

“We’ve done it in a bunch of sports, and I’m highly confident we’re going to do it here,” Harris said.

“It’s a long journey,” he added. “... There’s no shortcuts to the top. There’s shortcuts to the middle. You want to be 8-8? I can get you there quickly — 8-8-1. You want to be great? There are no shortcuts.”

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/11/30/josh-harris-commanders-rebuild/

[kingdaddy]

Harris will focus big time on two things that I'm certain of if he does for the Skins that he has done with the Sixers:

- spend money to improve the on field product.

- improve the fan experience across the board but specifically at the stadium.

 

Harris will hire the best people he can find and spend the money to get the best available players. He is here to win and do it the right way. Once he picks a person to run the team and pick the players he will support them and engage with the players. 

I also believe he will take marketing and the team name/uniforms etc very seriously. He likely hates the name Commanders as much as we all do so I expect he'll make things right with all of that too. Everything about the organization is about to change in a big, big, big way but it will take some time. I can tell you this though, it will be fun...we'll all know what the vision is and no expense will be spared. I lived through the tanking years with the Sixers and it wasn't horrible because we knew the goal....there's hope and great entertainment with the Sixers and there will be with our football team too.

[Koolblue13]

Owning the Washington Football Team is legacy stuff for Harris. He's into this for 40+ years. This is his lifes goal.

 

There will be no rush, but we will be back to 80's level good within a couple years and stay there for a long time.

 

It's best case scenario and will be the best owner we've ever had.  

[88Comrade2000]

44 minutes ago, Koolblue13 said:

Owning the Washington Football Team is legacy stuff for Harris. He's into this for 40+ years. This is his lifes goal.

 

There will be no rush, but we will be back to 80's level good within a couple years and stay there for a long time.

 

It's best case scenario and will be the best owner we've ever had.  

In 2 years?   

 

It took 3 years in the 80's to reach greatest.  80: 6-10. 81: 8-8.  82: 8-1, Superbowl.

 

That isn't happening. Different NFL now.  First, depends on QB.  Has Sam solidified the position?  What if the new regime decides to spend our first pick on a QB and not go with Sam?

 

I think we'll be heading in the right direction but it will take a little longer than 2 years for us to be at the 80's level and be a Superbowl contender. Frankly, most of this roster is junk.  I doubt there's more than a handful of players on the team now that would be even starters on the good/great nfl teams.   

 

I think we have to see what happens at QB and just how much of the roster is turned over and who we draft and signed in free agency.

 

 

[skinsfan4128]

1 hour ago, 88Comrade2000 said:

In 2 years?   

 

It took 3 years in the 80's to reach greatest.  80: 6-10. 81: 8-8.  82: 8-1, Superbowl.

 

That isn't happening. Different NFL now.  First, depends on QB.  Has Sam solidified the position?  What if the new regime decides to spend our first pick on a QB and not go with Sam?

 

I think we'll be heading in the right direction but it will take a little longer than 2 years for us to be at the 80's level and be a Superbowl contender. Frankly, most of this roster is junk.  I doubt there's more than a handful of players on the team now that would be even starters on the good/great nfl teams.   

 

I think we have to see what happens at QB and just how much of the roster is turned over and who we draft and signed in free agency.

 

 

You sir, are a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day. 

 

Do you have anything in life that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside...other than seeing RR fired?

 

HTTR!

[SonnySideUp]

Here is a discussion of Eugene Shen's track record, modus operandi and philosophies about how to build teams and manage games. The video is 37 minutes long so if you prefer not to watch it, I have highlighted some of his key philosophies below. He can demonstrate success at his 3 previous teams, Jacksonville, Miami and Baltimore. They are all currently performing well as a result of his having been there. 

 

He also says ML baseball currently ranks first in using analytics, basketball 2nd and football 3rd (and only starting to use it). 

 

It will be interesting to see if he prefers to try and use our higher draft pick for Brock Bowers if it comes to that rather than trading down for more lower round picks. That would be a case where his philosophies would seem to conflict with each other. Also, I would expect that any new GM and coach will likely be ones picked who agree with his philosophies. It also seems indicate (to me anyway) that since he apparently thinks older coaches aren't much into analytics (Baltimore and Jacksonville would seem to contradict that however), any new coach and GM would likely be young up and comers instead of older more established ones. 

 

He:

 

- Heavily prefers passing game and likes to run ball only after passing game has been well established.
 

- considers RB's overpaid in FA and prefers acquiring them by drafting them high. This doesn't necessarily conflict with his previous point. Sounds like he is not that into RB's but in cases where he needs to acquire one, he would rather draft (and draft one high) than get via free agency. Sounds like Gibson can go ahead and get a head start packing his bags.

 

- Heavily favors going for it on 4th down. Baltimore very heavily does this now.

 

- Prefers trading down. Says two lower round picks are worth more than one higher round pick.

 

- Considers TE the most undervalued position in football.

 

- Considers QB the most important position in football. It doesn't necessarilty conflict wth his position on TE's. Seems logical considering his philosophy on passing game.

 

 

 

Edited December 1, 2023 by SonnySideUp
correction

[Skinsinparadise]

 

 

9 hours ago, kingdaddy said:

Harris will focus big time on two things that I'm certain of if he does for the Skins that he has done with the Sixers:

- spend money to improve the on field product.

- improve the fan experience across the board but specifically at the stadium.

 

Harris will hire the best people he can find and spend the money to get the best available players. He is here to win and do it the right way. Once he picks a person to run the team and pick the players he will support them and engage with the players. 

I also believe he will take marketing and the team name/uniforms etc very seriously. He likely hates the name Commanders as much as we all do so I expect he'll make things right with all of that too. Everything about the organization is about to change in a big, big, big way but it will take some time. I can tell you this though, it will be fun...we'll all know what the vision is and no expense will be spared. I lived through the tanking years with the Sixers and it wasn't horrible because we knew the goal....there's hope and great entertainment with the Sixers and there will be with our football team too.

 

Good post.  Listening to Keim in particular who seems to have a pipeline to that ownership, I get the vibe that Harris genuinely doesn't give a rats ass about the name or think its important.  But eventually he will do that too to pander to the fans. 

 

As for the rest of this post, it jives very well with his style

Edited December 1, 2023 by Skinsinparadise

[Skinsinparadise]

3 hours ago, SonnySideUp said:

Here is a discussion of Eugene Shen's track record, modus operandi and philosophies about how to build teams and manage games. The video is 37 minutes long so if you prefer not to watch it, I have highlighted some of his key philosophies below. He can demonstrate success at his 3 previous teams, Jacksonville, Miami and Baltimore. They are all currently performing well as a result of his having been there. 

 

He also says ML baseball currently ranks first in using analytics, basketball 2nd and football 3rd (and only starting to use it). 

 

It will be interesting to see if he prefers to try and use our higher draft pick for Brock Bowers if it comes to that rather than trading down for more lower round picks. That would be a case where his philosophies would seem to conflict with each other. Also, I would expect that any new GM and coach will likely be ones picked who agree with his philosophies. It also seems indicate (to me anyway) that since he apparently thinks older coaches aren't much into analytics (Baltimore and Jacksonville would seem to contradict that however), any new coach and GM would likely be young up and comers instead of older more established ones. 

 

He:

 

- Heavily prefers passing game and likes to run ball only after passing game has been well established.
 

- considers RB's overpaid in FA and prefers acquiring them by drafting them high. This doesn't necessarily conflict with his previous point. Sounds like he is not that into RB's but in cases where he needs to acquire one, he would rather draft (and draft one high) than get via free agency. Sounds like Gibson can go ahead and get a head start packing his bags.

 

- Heavily favors going for it on 4th down. Baltimore very heavily does this now.

 

- Prefers trading down. Says two lower round picks are worth more than one higher round pick.

 

- Considers TE the most undervalued position in football.

 

- Considers QB the most important position in football. It doesn't necessarilty conflict wth his position on TE's. Seems logical considering his philosophy on passing game.

 

 

 

 

He's regurgitating a seminar that was posted here that some of us watched and rehashed here a couple of weeks or so ago.  The only thing I'd add is the way he said it, it's not that as a general rule he prefers to draft RBs high.  It's that if he loves a RB in the draft and thinks that dude is special he's open to drafting them high.

 

As far as TE, he thinks money wise the position is undervalued as to their pay and likes how they can change an offense when you get a multi dimensional TE who can block. 

 

You summed it up well.

Edited December 1, 2023 by Skinsinparadise

[Skinsinparadise]

7 hours ago, Koolblue13 said:

Owning the Washington Football Team is legacy stuff for Harris. He's into this for 40+ years. This is his lifes goal.

 

There will be no rush, but we will be back to 80's level good within a couple years and stay there for a long time.

 

It's best case scenario and will be the best owner we've ever had.  

 

Me and you were high on the roster coming into this off season.  Mediocre roster but ready to take that next step with a strong off season.  Ron though wet the bed in the off season.

 

I think some are now at the extreme that its a bad roster and last years 8-8-1 team was a mirage along with Ron's mediocre run.  IMO it wasn't a mirage.  Some of his critics have gone from Ron majors in so so to now he sucks.   

 

IMO Ron is genuinely so so typically.  But this year he has sucked because it's bad coaching coupled with no off season improvements.  The Lions were basically this team the previous year and instead of doing nada in the off season they upgraded and now they are a contender.

 

If Sam is the goods and I think better chance he is than not along with 90 million plus in camp space and 5 picks in the top 100 -- Lions style I think we take the leap and become good in 2024.  Ron had the opportunity to take his 8-8 roster and do something with it last off season -- and he flubbed it.  The next GM I doubt flubs it.

 

Hearing Russini and Keim both say they expect an aggressive off season in FA -- doesn't sound like a Ron style lets shop in the junk yard FA crop.  I forgot how Keim articulated the point but I got the vibe listening to him that this ownership knows that this fan base craves an aggressive-interesting off season for a change to give it some hope.  I am confident its coming.  

Edited December 1, 2023 by Skinsinparadise

[Chris 44]

24 minutes ago, Skinsinparadise said:

 

 

Hearing Russini and Keim both say they expect an aggressive off season in FA -- doesn't sound like a Ron style lets shop in the junk yard FA crop.  I forgot how Keim articulated the point but I got the vibe listening to him that this ownership knows that this fan base craves an aggressive-interesting off season for a change to give it some hope.  I am confident its coming.  

To add to this I honestly believe this will be a desirable destination for players and more importantly coaches. Only way we could acquire great talent before was to draft it (which it turned out that Ron was horrible at). Free agents were mid tier players who either came here as a last resort or for the money. Money will always be a huge factor to players but I think less so with coaches who had other options than working under Snyder.

I think we got EB because he was desperate to get out of Reid's shadow and "audition" for a future HC job.

Edited December 1, 2023 by Chris 44

[Skinsinparadise]

2 minutes ago, Chris 44 said:

To add to this I honestly believe this will be a desirable destination for players and more importantly coaches. Only way we could acquire great talent before was to draft it (which it turned out that Ron was horrible at). Free agents were mid tier players who either came here as a last resort or for the money. Money will always be a huge factor to players but I think less so with coaches who had other options than working under Snyder.

 

Agree, it should be easier to get FAs now even if we are talking about money reasons alone let alone everything else.  Dan's been cheap in FA for a long time and didn't have the same ability to stagger contracts with signing bonuses like some other teams in recent years.  

Edited December 1, 2023 by Skinsinparadise

[DWinzit]

Yes, solid owner, FO, GM and coaches working together on a serious long term future plan/goals. Those goals are team, fan and facilities oriented, not just wallet oriented) Boy does that sound sweet and definitely what FA's will seek.

 

Then add in a young QB with serious potential and has earned respect with his tough play this year. (assuming they buy into Howell).

 

I am ready for tamper time in early March 😁

[Riggo#44]

4 minutes ago, DWinzit said:

 

I am ready for tamper time in early March

It was a great idea for the NFL to open up that early window. But, man, the name “Legal Tampering Period” is so dumb.

 

I really want to take Curtis Samuel’s money and give it to Pittman.

[BatteredFanSyndrome]

10 hours ago, Skinsinparadise said:

 

“It’s a long journey,” he added. “... There’s no shortcuts to the top. There’s shortcuts to the middle. You want to be 8-8? I can get you there quickly — 8-8-1. You want to be great? There are no shortcuts.”

*Shots fired*
 

Ron’s gonna cry in the car.

[DWinzit]

Haha, Ron's gravestone

 

Ronald Riverboat turned Tugboat Rivera

NFL 8-8 Coach

RIP

 

10 minutes ago, Riggo#44 said:

It was a great idea for the NFL to open up that early window. But, man, the name “Legal Tampering Period” is so dumb.

 

I really want to take Curtis Samuel’s money and give it to Pittman.

Pittman would be a nice fit!

 

And yeah, what the heck is legal tampering lol

Edited December 1, 2023 by DWinzit

[Rocky21]

Article on potential GM candidate Ian Cunningham.  Sounds like a climber and not a douchebag.  He’s Arthur Ashe’s second cousin. 😊

 

https://www.chicagobears.com/news/bears-assistant-gm-ian-cunningham-rising-star

[Skinsinparadise]

23 minutes ago, BatteredFanSyndrome said:

*Shots fired*
 

Ron’s gonna cry in the car.

 

Yeah, we've been on that hamster wheel forever, starting with Bruce's vision.  

 

I thought it was interesting how Harris put it -- its not that he doesn't want mediocrity but also the ultimate cheat code is mediocrity.  it's easy to do, etc.

11 minutes ago, Rocky21 said:

Article on potential GM candidate Ian Cunningham.  Sounds like a climber and not a douchebag.  He’s Arthur Ashe’s second cousin. 😊

 

https://www.chicagobears.com/news/bears-assistant-gm-ian-cunningham-rising-star

 

Agree, i posted a bunch on Cunningham here a few days back.  Seems like a really good dude and potential GM.  He's interviewed a bunch on youtube for anyone interested, I watched some of it.

Edited December 1, 2023 by Skinsinparadise

[FootballZombie]

Am I the only one that wants Harris to name his personal jet "<Whatever the team name is> 1"...

I wanna track that thing during early FA period

 

Also gonna need to figure out our new Mortons.

[Chris 44]

1 minute ago, FootballZombie said:

Am I the only one that wants Harris to name his personal jet "<Whatever the team name is> 1"...

I wanna track that thing during early FA period

 

Also gonna need to figure out our new Mortons.

I miss the days of tracking the jet during free agency. Dan made it pretty easy to read the tea leaves back then.

[Est.1974]

1 hour ago, Skinsinparadise said:

Mediocre roster but ready to take that next step with a strong off season.  Ron though wet the bed in the off season.

This is certainly true. 
 

Looking back at the off-season though, the big discussion point by many was all about Synder having no money to fund free agency. 

[skinsfan66]

11 hours ago, Skinsinparadise said:

Josh Harris preaches patience, discusses plans for Commanders

 

By Nicki Jhabvala

 

I have a public track record with Philly and New Jersey, and generally, when you change a system, sometimes you have to do it,” Harris said. “[But] you probably take a step back before you take a step forward. That's not always the case, but I think generally that's what the statistics would show. So I think it's important to be patient. …. You can have high expectations, but people have to say, 'We want to be part of this.' So, that's why you have to be measured with what you do.”

“In sports, there’s pressure,” Harris continued. “There’s pressure from the public, but people aren’t always thinking about that long game of what are you trying to accomplish? And what we’re trying to accomplish is we want to have elite teams that consistently compete for championships.”

 

...The Commanders also invested $40 million on improvements and capital repairs to the stadium, including the purchase of a new video board and sound system, some structural fixes, signage, and changes to ingress and egress.

“We did as much as we could in six weeks,” Harris said. “But there’s a lot more work to do in the offseason. … We’re on a long journey.”

Harris and his team of limited partners — including Danaher Corporation co-founder Mitchell Rales, Washington-area venture capitalist Mark Ein and NBA great Earvin “Magic” Johnson — have their sights set on a new stadium.

 

Harris said the team will continue to make improvements to its 26-year-old stadium while deliberating over its next home.

 

“We’re going to improve the existing stadium as much as we can while we look for a new home, because it’s not the bones, necessarily,” Harris said. “The bones obviously can be repaired, they can be fixed. It’s more the way modern stadiums are set up; they’re very different than stadiums that are older. And so whether it’s the premium areas being really close to the game itself, how the suites are situated, how much premium there is, the WiFi, I mean, a lot of that stuff just can’t be done in an older stadium. So, we’re going to be looking at ultimately how do we move to a new stadium.”

Since Harris’s purchase of the team was finalized, he’s worked on repairing relations with local officials to ensure Virginia, Maryland and D.C. are all available to the team as potential stadium locations.

 

...“We’re focused on winning football games for the rest of the season, fixing the stadium and engaging with the city,” Harris said. “I know [the name] is a topic that people in Washington want to talk about. But right now, we’re focused on the things that we think are really important right now.”

 

 

That includes rebuilding the team on the field and rebuilding the business. It includes creating the right culture, Harris said repeatedly, and constructing a new stadium. And it includes winning.

“We’ve done it in a bunch of sports, and I’m highly confident we’re going to do it here,” Harris said.

“It’s a long journey,” he added. “... There’s no shortcuts to the top. There’s shortcuts to the middle. You want to be 8-8? I can get you there quickly — 8-8-1. You want to be great? There are no shortcuts.”

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/11/30/josh-harris-commanders-rebuild/

Long Journey? Seens like we have been there for the last 25 years without any success. 

[skinsfan66]

8 hours ago, 88Comrade2000 said:

In 2 years?   

 

It took 3 years in the 80's to reach greatest.  80: 6-10. 81: 8-8.  82: 8-1, Superbowl.

 

That isn't happening. Different NFL now.  First, depends on QB.  Has Sam solidified the position?  What if the new regime decides to spend our first pick on a QB and not go with Sam?

 

I think we'll be heading in the right direction but it will take a little longer than 2 years for us to be at the 80's level and be a Superbowl contender. Frankly, most of this roster is junk.  I doubt there's more than a handful of players on the team now that would be even starters on the good/great nfl teams.   

 

I think we have to see what happens at QB and just how much of the roster is turned over and who we draft and signed in free agency.

 

 

If only are new owners turn out be as great as Jack K.C.

[Warhead36]

Love that article and it gives you the sense that Harris is going to completely nuke this roster if he can. 

 

Not settling for 8-8-1 is a direct shot at Rivera too. Love it.

[skinsfan66]

2 hours ago, Skinsinparadise said:

 

Me and you were high on the roster coming into this off season.  Mediocre roster but ready to take that next step with a strong off season.  Ron though wet the bed in the off season.

 

I think some are now at the extreme that its a bad roster and last years 8-8-1 team was a mirage along with Ron's mediocre run.  IMO it wasn't a mirage.  Some of his critics have gone from Ron majors in so so to now he sucks.   

 

IMO Ron is genuinely so so typically.  But this year he has sucked because it's bad coaching coupled with no off season improvements.  The Lions were basically this team the previous year and instead of doing nada in the off season they upgraded and now they are a contender.

 

If Sam is the goods and I think better chance he is than not along with 90 million plus in camp space and 5 picks in the top 100 -- Lions style I think we take the leap and become good in 2024.  Ron had the opportunity to take his 8-8 roster and do something with it last off season -- and he flubbed it.  The next GM I doubt flubs it.

 

Hearing Russini and Keim both say they expect an aggressive off season in FA -- doesn't sound like a Ron style lets shop in the junk yard FA crop.  I forgot how Keim articulated the point but I got the vibe listening to him that this ownership knows that this fan base craves an aggressive-interesting off season for a change to give it some hope.  I am confident its coming.  

Lot's of us shared that same mindset too. The downhill started after the draft for me and the excitement was over.  We were going to go with the rookie QB on a rookie contract instead of the castoffs who came here to get a payday and busted up behind the OL that you thought was going to be upgraded. Then the season started and you realize they blew the draft and who they and what they drafted and the FA pickups were a bust too. You had to trade your DE's instead of riding it out because the season was already a bust. Maybe the worst offseason ever for the team. But Dan is out and that tops all.

[Chris 44]

2 minutes ago, skinsfan66 said:

Lot's of us shared that same mindset too. The downhill started after the draft for me and the excitement was over.  We were going to go with the rookie QB on a rookie contract instead of the castoffs who came here to get a payday and busted up behind the OL that you thought was going to be upgraded. Then the season started and you realize they blew the draft and who they and what they drafted and the FA pickups were a bust too. You had to trade your DE's instead of riding it out because the season was already a bust. Maybe the worst offseason ever for the team. But Dan is out and that tops all.

Best thing to come out of this season was Howell, and I am in no way giving Ron credit for that. Someone in the front office decided that he was probably the best value in the 5th and took a flyer. They get credit for recognizing he was worth giving a shot in the the 5th but Ron and Co. had no clue he would turn out as good as he has so far. Howell maybe the only reason that Ron and Co. weren't fired early in the season, imagine how bad this season might have been without Howell. Not saying Howell will be a star down the road, jury still out, but he has at least provided hope and a reason to watch.