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.

[zCommander]

21 hours ago, bird_1972 said:

 

I figured as much, but I'd like to hear of hires (many hires, actually) to our scouting dept. 

 

It's been one of the smallest and least resourced in the league. To me, that's a huge need and I'm hoping AP prioritizes it. The silence is worrisome.

 

IS this fast enough for you? 🤪

 

24 minutes ago, @DCGoldPants said:

 

 

 

 

[Skinsinparadise]

1 hour ago, @DCGoldPants said:

 

 

 

 

[bird_1972]

17 hours ago, zCommander said:

 

IS this fast enough for you? 🤪

 

 

 AMEN!!!!

[PigskinRedskin]

 

 

[Blanka]

Just now, PigskinRedskin said:

 

 

As a USC guy I’m real familiar with Sosna’s work. 

 

He’s a real good get. Analytics guy. Did a lot of the behind the scenes leg work to get Lincoln Riley to USC.
 

Adam is putting together a strong staff. Won’t be shocked to see Sosna elevate to GM level elsewhere quickly. His ascension has been remarkable so far.

[Skinsinparadise]

 

 

 

 

 

"That’s the great thing about Brandon. He’s about as elite of a communicator as I’ve been around," Holmes said during the NFL annual meetings earlier this offseason. "And he’s a grinder. He’s a grinder just like I am, just like a lot of guys in our building."

Sosna would be the second significant member of the Lions’ front office to depart for Washington, joining former Lions’ director of player personnel Lance Newmark, who had been with the Lions for the previous 26 seasons.

 

Sosna would become part of the staff for new Washington general manager Adam Peters.

Sosna came to the Lions prior to the 2022 season from USC, where he served as the Executive Associate Senior Athletic Director/Chief of Staff. In his role with the Lions, he was responsible for overseeing moves with regards to the salary cap and served as the team’s primary negotiator on contracts. 

The Lions have signed three significant, long-term extensions this season. The organization agreed to deals with Amon-Ra St. Brown, Penei Sewell and Jared Goff worth a combined value of over $444 million over the next several years. 

 

https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/news/commanders-seeking-to-hire-brandon-sosna

[Skinsinparadise]

Meet Lions exec Brandon Sosna, Brad Holmes' contract negotiating wizard

 

The Detroit News

 

View Comments

 

Orlando, Fla. — Every transaction the Lions make, whether in free agency or the draft, general manager Brad Holmes reaps the credit. It's simply the nature of his position. And it makes sense. As the head of the team's personnel department, he's the one making the final decision for each and every decision.

But that's an oversimplification of the collaborative process the Lions have in place and Holmes helps captain. There are college scouts who grind all year to build comprehensive profiles of the prospects who will be available in the upcoming draft, and a pro personnel department that maintains extensive data of the players already in the league, as well as every NFL teams' needs. That department is an invaluable resource to Holmes ahead of free agency, when a player hits waivers, when an injury replacement is needed, or even for offering insight on which players might be available on the trade market.

 

Holmes is quick to praise his expansive support system, often rattling off a list of names ahead of his media availabilities, and did so again this week at the league meetings.

But of all those staffers getting some time in the sun, one stands out this time of year. Senior director of football administration Brandon Sosna is a behind-the-scenes figure who has quickly become one of the organization's secret weapons. A noted up-and-comer in the industry, he made Forbes' "30 under 30" list in 2020. He spent three years at USC before the Lions brought him on board ahead of the 2022 season. Since then, he's become a central figure with the team's contract negotiations and salary cap management.

 

 

"It's been really cool to see his growth in this role," Holmes said Tuesday. "Last year was kind of his first free agency, and I thought he did a phenomenal job. This year, he knocked it out of the park again. Just with all these deals, me and (coach) Dan (Campbell) can communicate with him about these guys we're targeting, but Sosna is getting those deals done, along with (chief operating officer) Mike Disner. As always, it's a full collaboration, all hands on deck, and I truly believe this was our best free agency of all that we've had since we've been here."

Sosna reports to Disner, who was elevated to his current football/business hybrid role shortly after Holmes and Campbell were hired in 2021. The newcomer, Sosna, has quickly built a reputation for his intelligence and work ethic, helping the Lions navigate the complexities of the NFL salary cap and taking advantage of many of the nuanced devices built into the CBA.

 

"It’s a year-round, collaborative approach," Holmes said. "It really is. We start on this during the season, in terms of planning and our process for free agency. But me and Sosna, we work side by side, man. With the communication, the players that we’re looking to acquire at all levels, starter-level and backup-level guys. We talk about there’s a Plan A, there’s a Plan B, a Plan C, and it’s just consistent communication.

"That’s the great thing about Brandon. He’s about as elite of a communicator as I’ve been around. And he’s a grinder. He’s a grinder just like I am, just like a lot of guys in our building. It’s just that communication, collaboration year-round, where it’s at a point Brandon almost, pretty much, has a very good feel of what we’re thinking already. He's very proactive in that sense. That’s pretty much how it works. That’s how me and Sosna communicate and then he just kinda closes the deals."

 

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/nfl/lions/2024/03/27/meet-detroit-lions-exec-brandon-sosna-brad-holmes-contract-negotiating-wizard/73109742007/

Edited May 19 by Skinsinparadise

[Voice_of_Reason]

I wonder, if they hire Sosna, do they part ways with Rob Rodgers?  

 

He was retained, at least for now, but that might have been out of necessity as much as anything.  They needed somebody in that role through the draft.  

[Skinsinparadise]

 

 

1 minute ago, Voice_of_Reason said:

I wonder, if they hire Sosna, do they part ways with Rob Rodgers?  

 

He was retained, at least for now, but that might have been out of necessity as much as anything.  They needed somebody in that role through the draft.  

 

I'd assume so.  Their jobs overlap.  So i doubt they can attract Sosna here without giving him the #1 title for the finance side of the job which Rogers currently holds.

 

He doesn't need to worry, feels like Ron and the coaching staff and his FO team are in great demand around the league

[Skinsinparadise]

Under Dan we shopped in the used car lot for talent for the FO.   The FO was sort of an after thought at best for Dan.  It's amazing how epically incompetent Dan was on just about every level but especially the FO.   The team has been dead last in finding All Pro talent from what I recall in the last few decades.  When we watch or read about name this or that top 100 player ranking, we get almost no love.  

 

JLC among others said this was the team that paid the lowest in the league for scouts.  If I recall we had the 2nd smallest anayltic team.   The FO was first run by a scout who was fired by SF and came off as buffonish in his statements as were his FO moves.  Then run by a dude who was a HC who the Denver media said was canned because he was a bad GM.  Then run by a politician-money man with no background in scouting who also came off like a walking buffoon. 

 

Then run by a mediocre coach who never played GM before and who hired underlings who were fired in the previous job for poor to medicore performances.  And then you surround the clown show at the top with Dan himself impinging on things and being the dumbest evaluator of them all -- and with one of the lowest paid scouting operation in the league and at times one of the smallest scouting teams.

 

Somehow things didn't all work out?     And we got some stragglers left who accede Dan was an issue but aren't sure if we are out of the woods as to the Washington Redskins-Football Team-Commanders losing ways like we got some fixed voodo on the team.  IMO and most the bad voodo was All Dan.

 

We are out of the woods IMO.  All these moves show that.  By that I don't mean, we know for certain that the winning ways are in the offing.  But we are finally operating like a normal team that wants to do things the right way.  That alone gives us a chance.  We had no chance previously.    When does it all come together?  Who knows?  Maybe soon, maybe it takes some time. 

 

But the issue with this team is basically have a clownshow operation pick the groceries and then our clownshow owner was shocked that the clownshow operation produced a clownshow result.  In Dan's defense, he wasn't self aware enough to know he was running a clownshow operation and he was the lead clown.  That's part of why we never had a shot. 

 

Me @BatteredFanSyndrome, @goskins10 @Conn @Koolblue13 among others for eons would talk about this on the FO thread for years.  And its super cool to see this playout.  And for anyone who wants to jump down my throat for mentioning Dan.   Only reason why I do in this context is this is a sea change approach that is playing out in front of our eyes.  And yes the past is relevant to the point about this being a sea change. 

Edited May 19 by Skinsinparadise

[mudhog]

On 5/17/2024 at 8:03 PM, bird_1972 said:

 

I figured as much, but I'd like to hear of hires (many hires, actually) to our scouting dept. 

 

It's been one of the smallest and least resourced in the league. To me, that's a huge need and I'm hoping AP prioritizes it. The silence is worrisome.

Ever since this post, the flood gates have opened. Keep up the good work!

[BatteredFanSyndrome]

2 hours ago, Skinsinparadise said:

And we got some stragglers left who accede Dan was an issue but aren't sure if we are out of the woods as to the Washington Redskins-Football Team-Commanders losing ways like we got some fixed voodo on the team.  IMO and most the bad voodo was All Dan.

I attribute this to battered fan syndrome and the fact that the easiest bet in the NFL is to bet against an organization that’s unproven at QB.  It’s easy to bet against prosperity for teams that don’t have a Mahomes.

 

To think that in such a short period of time we went from coping with our circumstances for the rest of our lives to where we are today. Being major players for FO talent, sealing the deal and bringing them in, with a ton of cap space and a Heisman winning rookie QB.  It’s fairy tale like.  If you can’t enjoy this, you can’t enjoy anything.  

[Skinsinparadise]

1 hour ago, BatteredFanSyndrome said:

I attribute this to battered fan syndrome and the fact that the easiest bet in the NFL is to bet against an organization that’s unproven at QB.  It’s easy to bet against prosperity for teams that don’t have a Mahomes.

 

To think that in such a short period of time we went from coping with our circumstances for the rest of our lives to where we are today. Being major players for FO talent, sealing the deal and bringing them in, with a ton of cap space and a Heisman winning rookie QB.  It’s fairy tale like.  If you can’t enjoy this, you can’t enjoy anything.  

 

Yep and we've been so used to things not going our way its easier emotionally to expect disappointment versus bring your hopes up and to see them dashed in the end as it happened so many times in the Dan era.  The problem as we know about the Dan era is even though we can hope for this or that -- fundamentally it was a dysfunctional and incompetent organization because of Dan so there was no escaping that.  

 

Lady luck is turning our way.  Heck even last season's crash of a season was big time fortunate.  The higher pick and multiple picks made it more attractive for people like Peters to come.  it made them sellers for a change during the trading dead line.  Gave us a QB in a stacked draft for QB -- when has that ever happened, etc?  As I've mentioned Clinton Portis i thought once nailed it when asked why can't this team get over the hump -- his answer was they never have a high pick in a QB rich draft. 

 

So now, we got one of the more hyped young QBs in recent years.  All the early indications look great on that front.   A GM who was touted before the hire as the best available candidate.  And now he's about to load his FO with the best of the best.   Some lamented why didn't he do that from the jump?  The issue is most FO moves are made after the draft.

 

We've gone from one of the worst coaching staffs in the NFL to one of the better ones at least in theory.    

 

Heck they are even making real progress towards a stadium at RFK.

 

On and on, good stuff.

 

I get there is no guarantees for anything.  But agree this all should be enjoyed.  

 

 

 

[ANONYMOUS SOURCE.]

7 hours ago, Skinsinparadise said:

Under Dan we shopped in the used car lot for talent for the FO.   The FO was sort of an after thought at best for Dan.  It's amazing how epically incompetent Dan was on just about every level but especially the FO.   The team has been dead last in finding All Pro talent from what I recall in the last few decades.  When we watch or read about name this or that top 100 player ranking, we get almost no love.  

 

 

 

Dan didn’t need a strong FO because he thought he was always the smartest guy in the room. And he was …if the room was  the broom closet. 

 

[Chris 44]

13 hours ago, Skinsinparadise said:

   The FO was first run by a scout who was fired by SF and came off as buffonish in his statements as were his FO moves.  Then run by a dude who was a HC who the Denver media said was canned because he was a bad GM.  Then run by a politician-money man with no background in scouting who also came off like a walking buffoon. 

 

Then run by a mediocre coach who never played GM before and who hired underlings who were fired in the previous job for poor to medicore performances.  And then you surround the clown show at the top with Dan himself impinging on things and being the dumbest evaluator of them all -- and with one of the lowest paid scouting operation in the league and at times one of the smallest scouting teams.

 

 

 

[Skinsinparadise]

7 hours ago, ANONYMOUS SOURCE. said:

 

 

Dan didn’t need a strong FO because he thought he was always the smartest guy in the room. And he was …if the room was  the broom closet. 

 

 

And he never learned which was amazing.  I recall Tanya saying as recent as that infamous Schefter interview that she's more or less the people person and Dan is the football X's amd O's savant in the family.    This team's losing ways wasn't hard to explain.   Impossible to win with some of the least talented rosters in the NFL or ever fix it with the worst talent pickers in the NFL  -- and that's before even delving into the bad culture, douche behavior, bad faclities, bad health-- recovery crew, on and on. 

 

And we are competing in the division with the Eagles who were obsessed with loading up their FO with talent, manage the draft like magicians, including being innovative with anayltics among other things.  And Dallas with Will McClay who might be the best evaluator in the league.  We had zero chance.

 

This whole dynamic has changed 100%.  Hence my point that we are already out of the woods, its OK to believe.  Don't know when the winning kicks in but when you do it right, the normal way, winning eventually comes.   This team is the only in the last 30 years who hasn't reached 11 wins.  Only 2 teams go further back without winning a playoff game.  Teams we all like to goof on like the Giants have enjoyed over 10 wins and a playoff win as recent as the last 5 years or so.  It's been miserable and we are accustomed to it.  It's going to change IMO and I'd bet sooner than later.

 

When I read an occasional post here or see a pundit comment that heck this is Washington something likely could go wrong -- I cringe.  I get the point that its been so bad the last 30 years or so that the losing culture-ways feels like its just who this team is ala the Detriot Lions or name that loser franchise for most of their history.  But I recall far enough back when this organization was one of the best in the league.  Like other strong teams we had some losing years after the stars aged and FA came but other organizations bounced back.  We instead went much deeper in the abyss and never came out of it because of Dan.  But that wasn't some sort of endemic thing to hey Washington never wins -- its just the history of this team -- it was 100% a Dan Snyder thing.

Edited May 20 by Skinsinparadise

[Skinsinparadise]

Blackburn who they supposedly want in the FO.  Director of college scouting is already a big title and spotted a tweet about how the Chargers should consider him for the GM spot.

 

My point is to lure him here I gather it has to be an elevated title of some sort.  He has a name-pedigree already.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[BatteredFanSyndrome]

48 minutes ago, Skinsinparadise said:

I recall Tanya saying as recent as that infamous Schefter interview that she's more or less the people person and Dan is the football X's amd O's savant in the family.  

I know a few folks will chalk this up as not letting it go, but I don’t care - it’s important to remember where we were a very short time ago.

 

This interview you speak of was a new low for a franchise known for new lows.  Whats wild is that I think she actually believed it.  Beyond that, there was the whole “woe is us” narrative.  Those were some very dark days and they weren’t long ago.

 

Which is again why I say this is all fairy-tale like.  For those of us still here, it’s time to be fans again as opposed to the hate-watching, negative, pessimistic ‘fans’ we rightfully were for so long.   At least that’s what I’m trying to do.

[Skinsinparadise]

18 minutes ago, BatteredFanSyndrome said:

I know a few folks will chalk this up as not letting it go, but I don’t care - it’s important to remember where we were a very short time ago.

 

This interview you speak of was a new low for a franchise known for new lows.  Whats wild is that I think she actually believed it.  Beyond that, there was the whole “woe is us” narrative.  Those were some very dark days and they weren’t long ago.

 

Which is again why I say this is all fairy-tale like.  For those of us still here, it’s time to be fans again as opposed to the hate-watching, negative, pessimistic ‘fans’ we rightfully were for so long.   At least that’s what I’m trying to do.

 

Agree.  That's why when I read every now and then (granted its a minority of people) hey this is Washington we can screw this up again -- it almost feels like a homage to Dan.  I know unintentionally it is -- but it still feels that way to me.

 

Anyone who thinks hey this is Washington we can screw this up -- I can't see how they saw Dan as a problem -- feels in that context that Dan was more the symptom of the disease.  Even though me and I'd guess 95% of the fans see Dan as the disease.  Not a symptom of.  Not part of the dysfuncion.  But THE dysfunction.

 

So yeah for me just alone reading about this FO working 24-7 to get it right and looking to pilfer the best of the best from other FO's feel almost surreal.  We would post about this stuff on the FO for years pinning for days like this and we finally got it.   Some would say we were naive to ever hope that Dan would leave or anything would change and would get testy about it -- those posts haven't aged well.

 

I'd add feels like luck is changing.  Ron despite his best efforts to be stuck in 8-8 purgatory, collapsed at the perfect time.   The seas parted for the FO types to come here.  Heck even Bezo's biggest fan back then admitted that we lucked out that he wasn't interested and Harris bought the team, instead.  The fact that the Virginia deal for a stadium years back collapsed was also a godsend, the dude likely wouldn't have sold if that didn't happen.  On and on.

 

 

Edited May 20 by Skinsinparadise

[Jabbyrwock]

41 minutes ago, BatteredFanSyndrome said:

Which is again why I say this is all fairy-tale like.  For those of us still here, it’s time to be fans again as opposed to the hate-watching, negative, pessimistic ‘fans’ we rightfully were for so long.   At least that’s what I’m trying to do.

 

 

...we're still allowed to drink, right?

[BatteredFanSyndrome]

2 minutes ago, Jabbyrwock said:

 

 

...we're still allowed to drink, right?

Of course.

 

I’m just happy to genuinely like my team again, and look forward to being more fan than critic.  That doesn’t mean I expect to win every game and be stress-free on gameday.

[srtman04]

2 hours ago, BatteredFanSyndrome said:

I know a few folks will chalk this up as not letting it go, but I don’t care - it’s important to remember where we were a very short time ago.

 

This interview you speak of was a new low for a franchise known for new lows.  Whats wild is that I think she actually believed it.  Beyond that, there was the whole “woe is us” narrative.  Those were some very dark days and they weren’t long ago.

 

Which is again why I say this is all fairy-tale like.  For those of us still here, it’s time to be fans again as opposed to the hate-watching, negative, pessimistic ‘fans’ we rightfully were for so long.   At least that’s what I’m trying to do.

 

It's really nice to just focus on football and becoming a better team,  that's it.   It's really nice to be in this position again as a fan.....we have all suffered so much.

[actorguy1]

 

 

 

 

[RWJ]

See Blackburn's name in Tweet here.

 

 

 

Edited May 20 by RWJ

[Andre The Giant]