Bruce, Scot and the Front Office.

The other possibility is that he fell off the wagon and Bruce had to step in.

Both scenarios suck.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="und" dir="ltr">Oof. <a href="https://t.co/FNXVxgl5kb">https://t.co/FNXVxgl5kb</a> <a href="https://t.co/MArvN1vNwZ">pic.twitter.com/MArvN1vNwZ</a></p>— Jake Russell (@_JakeRussell) <a href="https://twitter.com/_JakeRussell/status/839641306607517696">March 9, 2017</a></blockquote>
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When Bruce brought Scot in, he said he couldn't do the job of GM and that's why Scot was brought in and given control over the roster.

Looks to me like the first time they disagreed on an upper tier player, Bruce pulled the rug out.

Need to seriously ship Bruce's ass to Oakland or Vegas...
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Had to add this. ... This nugget here really blew my mind. Players loved McCloughan's approach. <a href="https://t.co/g38ii16NRL">https://t.co/g38ii16NRL</a> <a href="https://t.co/B4KzRqs3QS">pic.twitter.com/B4KzRqs3QS</a></p>— Mike Jones (@MikeJonesWaPo) <a href="https://twitter.com/MikeJonesWaPo/status/839655661860499456">March 9, 2017</a></blockquote>
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What a cluster....well, you know what.
 
'Bruce was always the GM'...what does that even mean? Keim has known this all along but was holding back telling us all until now, huh? I don't know what's going on, but I am just as confident half of what we're hearing is bullshit or conjecture.

One thing I do know is that there's much more going on than some of the simplistic assumptions a being put out there as facts.

The Redskins hired McCloughan coming off two straight firings guys... I think we need to keep that in mind in terms of the most likely cause of whatever turmoil is going on.

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I really believed that Bruce's last press conference was the all-time low of this franchise. That was it. Rock bottom. The worst press conference I've ever seen for any team, in any sport.

I can't even believe I'm typing this, but this may be worse.
 
I understand the frustration here and I agree that Scot McCloughan is far from a perfect man.

However, the increasing amount of stories and evidence points to one person - an individual that has become consumed with corrupt, unmitigated power. We knew the power structure two years ago. Fine. However, the person who has usurped his power in an overwhelmingly negative way is now doing so at the worst time possible.

It's looking like it could be an ego trip for this person. It also looks like he micromanages with extreme immaturity and lack of basic tact. He is unprofessional. He has used a former player to discredit the GM. He is heavy into cronyism. He has anger management issues. He gets offended easily. He wants to be the center of attention. All at the expense of a beloved football franchise.

This person is about to run the franchise quarterback out of town - the best franchise quarterback that the team has seen in a generation. Perhaps in more than forty years. Several quality players are about to walk - all because of a person who thinks he is a know-it-all and a jack-of-all-football trades. He is neither. Yes, he has good business skills and PR acumen - but nothing more.

He's quick to let you know that the big man on campus is him. A true leader leads by example and never "toots his own horn". The multiplicity of unfortunate circumstances resides with his de facto leadership and complete ineptitude.

You certainly know his name by now. Bruce Allen. Until he is no longer an employee of the Washington Redskins, the team will suffer and be unsuccessful. The solution is simple. Is owner Daniel Snyder willing to make that decision? He needs to - the sooner, the better.
 
I think it's possible that much of what we are hearing is pure hysteria. What we do know is:

1) New defensive staff and new OC. Nothing the team could do about that unless we wanted them to give Barry more time.
2) Something is going on with McCloughan. Since when has the team had a problem talking/defending itself? I think their silence points to a McCloughan relapse. I can think of no other explanation for offering zero explanations for what's transpired.
3) Cousins will be our QB in 2017 (and the team could keep him here another year if they really wanted to)
4) Gruden has 3 more years on his contract.
5) We will likely lose some if not most of our free agents (which was mostly anticipated)

Beyond that - all of the rest of it is simply conjecture, rumor, and amatuer detective work.

So if you wanted to put a positive spin on it, we could end up with a greatly improved defense, stability at head coach (instead of a lame duck playing a 'show me or hit the bricks' season), a solid QB for at least 1-2 years, and a full deck of draft picks. I don't think that's being crazy positive.

As far as Cousins goes, the idea that he has all the leverage is a fantasy. He has NO leverage. If San Fran really wanted him and he's verbalized 'trade me', if we really wanted to play hardball we could threaten to keep him here for the next 2 years unless we're paid what WE decide is fair for him.

Biggest concern would be how big a hit our passing game takes with Gruden calling plays, Cousins response to the tag and how it impacts his play if at all, and most of all whether or not Doctson can get on and stay on the field and between he, Reed, and Crowder, fill the void left by the loss of Jackson and Garcon (if we lose both).
 
Burgundy Burner said:
I understand the frustration here and I agree that Scot McCloughan is far from a perfect man.

However, the increasing amount of stories and evidence points to one person - an individual that has become consumed with corrupt, unmitigated power. We knew the power structure two years ago. Fine. However, the person who has usurped his power in an overwhelmingly negative way is now doing so at the worst time possible.

It's looking like it could be an ego trip for this person. It also looks like he micromanages with extreme immaturity and lack of basic tact. He is unprofessional. He has used a former player to discredit the GM. He is heavy into cronyism. He has anger management issues. He gets offended easily. He wants to be the center of attention. All at the expense of a beloved football franchise.

This person is about to run the franchise quarterback out of town - the best franchise quarterback that the team has seen in a generation. Perhaps in more than forty years. Several quality players are about to walk - all because of a person who thinks he is a know-it-all and a jack-of-all-football trades. He is neither. Yes, he has good business skills and PR acumen - but nothing more.

He's quick to let you know that the big man on campus is him. A true leader leads by example and never "toots his own horn". The multiplicity of unfortunate circumstances resides with his de facto leadership and complete ineptitude.

You certainly know his name by now. Bruce Allen. Until he is no longer an employee of the Washington Redskins, the team will suffer and be unsuccessful. The solution is simple. Is owner Daniel Snyder willing to make that decision? He needs to - the sooner, the better.
Click to expand...

One thing I know - you stay on Twitter more than a few minutes a day, it WILL skew your perspective. I dunno BB - I think there's a lot of assumptions and innuendo put forward as fact there. Take just one part of it - that Allen somehow turned Cousins sour on staying in DC. First of all, everything we've heard up till lately has indicated that if there's any kind of a rift or perceived 'disrespect' Cousins is reacting to (if that's even the case), it's been with McCloughan, not Bruce Allen. As far as the idea that Kirk wants out (again - if true - I don't think we know that that's true, do we?), I would think the far more logical explanation would be that Cousins developed a close relationship with Kyle his first couple of seasons (how could he not) and that while he may have ultimately benefitted from RG3's demise, that seeing Kyle and his Dad get run out of town over RG3's failure left a bad taste in his mouth. Friendships usually trump employee/employer status and that may be what's going on.

Until we actually know what's been going on from authoritative sources, I will continue to believe that McCloughan has been struggling with alcohol again and that they perhaps have been trying to keep it quiet and possibly salvage him in the GM role for awhile now, and it's finally reached a point where it isn't going to be successful. McCloughan's been through this twice prior to coming to DC - that's a fact. Even after those two firings the guy has insisted all along that he doesn't have a problem with alcohol when anyone can see he clearly does. Those facts are relevant and to me make a lot more sense than the Allen power struggle narrative being put forward.

I guess time will tell what's really going on, but I think the anti-Allen stuff on Twitter is more than a little over the top, at least until we know for sure that my explanation isn't what's been going on at all. But I don't know how we can say this is all Bruce Allen's fault with what we currently know.
 
Boone said:
As far as Cousins goes, the idea that he has all the leverage is a fantasy. He has NO leverage. If San Fran really wanted him and he's verbalized 'trade me', if we really wanted to play hardball we could threaten to keep him here for the next 2 years unless we're paid what WE decide is fair for him.
Click to expand...

Your entire post was really good, but this is the part I really agree with and have heard very few people say. Everyone is spinning the Franchise Tag into some mega leverage for Cousins. Players generally HATE the Franchise Tag. They threaten holdouts and sitting out the season if they have to play under it. They want guarantees. What Cousins did last year was unheard of, but he felt he had something to prove. He proved it and should be getting a long term contract. Playing under the Tag again this year is extremely risky, especially if his plan is to play under the Tag then walk. If he gets injured or has a bad season, he loses big time.

Plus, if Kyle is such a QB genius, he will take Hoyer or whoever and turn them into a pro bowler anyway. That's all we keep hearing. So why would the 49ers change direction at QB after getting Pro Bowl play from a QB that will be cheaper than Cousins. Of course, we know that Kyle can only do so much with a QB and isn't a miracle worker. Look at what he did here with John Beck, Donovan McNabb, and Rex Grossman. But the narrative being pushed by people saying Cousins has all the leverage says that he wants to be with the #1 QB guru. Oh, and let's not forget that Cousins was a 8 TD 11 INT QB in limited action in Shanahan's system. His limited action season under Gruden had him at 10 TD and 9 INT. The point being, the move to Shanahan may not be as good as it sounds.

But hey, Kirk is unique. He's the first player ever to be tagged that has all the leverage.
 
I just continue to think it's a stretch to believe that Cousins has been miserable in DC and desperately wants out. Might he be attracted to the idea of joining his friend/mentor Kyle in a new town? Probably. Might he be feeling 'wanted' and 'loved' and flattered by how badly Kyle wants him in San Fran? Probably. But as I've said before, we ran his nemesis, for whom we spent 3 first round picks out of town and handed the job to Kirk. We helped him have two record breaking seasons to even put him in a position to be where he is.

If that's the kind of treatment he finds offensive and disrespectful, he's got a pretty skewed view of things. I have trouble buying into 'Kirk hates being a Redskin and wants out narrative'. Doesn't mean it's impossible - I just don't feel it makes sense.
 
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A pile of unmitigated horse shit. I told you the spin will start now. Nothings come out for two years that there is any major issue, and all of the sudden the teams dumping him because Allen has become a power hungry control freak. McCloughan has never been billed as any more than the lead personnel man. GM in title, but his responsibilities have been made clear from the start. Build the roster. He didn't even have control over coaching staffing decisions and he made that very clear at his hiring. He was never a true 100% GM. It was a risk hiring him, but his hiring has led to some positive changes in the organization. I'm not buying any of this conspiracy crap. Lost a grandfather and sister to drink. It is an all controlling addiction and his answers to questions about it by the press have shown him to be in complete denial. The team is in an awkward position because they can't say they let him go due to his addiction. If this was a power struggle, you think McL would have gone along with the "going home to deal with family because his gramma dies" story. No Freaking Way!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
I'm on twitter because a number of insiders are there (not the blogger types and others who claim to be insiders). It's a useful tool if used correctly.

I waited a few days. I told Chris Russell that I would not label him a hero or zero until more info came out. Just being fair. I see what Chick Hernandez has posted. The same for Grant Paulsen. And Rich Tandler. John Keim. JP Finally. Dan Steinburg. Ben Standig. Mark Bullock. Manny Benton. Chad Ryan. Chris Cooley (yes). Brian Mitchell. And the national media - too many to list.

It can't be ignored. Mike Jones only shared what many in the aforementioned group already knew.

Again, Scot may have issues. No arguments from me.

I think the bigger issue is Bruce Allen. Time will tell.
 
Yeah, I don't buy that either about Cousins. I think it's intriguing to him and he's glad to be wanted. It does give his agent leverage in contract negotiations from a dollars standpoint. And SF benefits greatly from all these rumors about him not wanting to be in DC. I've said it before but there is a big leaker that was once here and now has a connection to SF. Not pinning all this on him, but it's not a stretch to think he's helped some of this along.

Also, the chaos about the front office. Who benefits from that? Every other team. So other NFL executives telling agents not to sign their because of chaos and turmoil, then the agent shares with a reporter or the executive does. Now you have a quote from an unnamed executive, unnamed agent, and in some cases perhaps a former player. Someone mentioned to expect all kinds of wild speculation leading up to free agency. I don't think any of us expected that speculation to revolve around the front office.

I said previously I was glad the team has said nothing. But if other teams, agents, players, and reporters are allowed to create the narrative and the team does nothing to respond, perception becomes reality. Something is going on at Redskins Park and like most others, I fear it's not good. But I don't know if it's as doom and gloom as some make it out to be.
 
McD5 said:
Ax, it just depends on if you trust Dan and Bruce to run FA and the draft.

Then there's the longer term question of what decent talent would ever want to be our GM again?

And why does Tony Wyllie still have a job? Does anyone think that we have a good PR department?

And who's going to believe a single word that Bruce ever says again? They're going to destroy him on his lies at the next press conference.
Click to expand...

McD5 said:
Well John Keim is a pretty reliable source. Has he ever been wrong before?

If he says that Bruce was always the GM, I think that's pretty solid.

If the above is true, then we were sold on a GM with full control, but Bruce's ego got in the way.
Click to expand...
Now you're just arguing with yourself. Pick a position dude.

Do I trust Dan and Bruce to run FA and the draft?.............................Well, according to you, they have been.
What decent talent would ever want to be our GM again?..............If Allen has really been the GM all along, we don't need one.
Why does Tony Wyllie still have a job?..............Same reason Jay Gruden does. Allen loves him.
Who's going to believe a single word that Bruce ever says again?...........Who cares? 3 months ago you were all peaches and cream, sky's the limit.

So, on the one hand according to you, and Keim, Allen has been calling the shots all along. He's therefor guided your boy to triumphant heights of success that's soon going to produce "Multiple Super Bowl Appearances". And you're upset because...........................................why?
 
Boone said:
As far as Cousins goes, the idea that he has all the leverage is a fantasy. He has NO leverage. If San Fran really wanted him and he's verbalized 'trade me', if we really wanted to play hardball we could threaten to keep him here for the next 2 years unless we're paid what WE decide is fair for him.
Click to expand...

I don't get this, because the leverage he seems to have, is if he can patiently wait one more season, he can be had by SF with no compensation to the Skins, and no restriction from the Redskins, because no-one is expecting the Skins to tag him 3 years in a row - that would be considered insanity. So all he has to do is play super hardball for this offseason, and play out 2017, and he will be a true free agent next year.
Unless the Skins tag him in 2018, with the full intention and confidence that they can and will trade him, right after that. I just don't see them using the "tag leverage" for a 3rd straight full year.
 
His only choice in 2017 is to sign or stay home and receive no pay. That gives the Redskins a lot of leverage. I'm not arguing we would pay the enormous cost to keep him on 2018 on the tag - but the point is, we could.


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In all my years as a Redskins fan, I’ve never seen the discontent, rumors, and turmoil surrounding this team. I am not just talking about around Redskins Park, but amongst the fans. Question is who is spinning the news and leaks? Why do we keep having these same issues? It is like we can’t stand success unless the right one(s) get the credit.
I am sure Scott has his problems or issues, we all do. But when Cooley made his statement and no one in Ashburn came out in his defense speaks volumes. In recent days there has been too many coming out with bits of information on an internal power struggle. Basically too many big egos. All of this is hurting the brand. Our FA’s want to leave and many will stay away. Only thing going for us is there is basically only so many job openings in the NFL. Just a few years ago there was a power struggle in DC with all kinds of leaks and rumors. We cleaned house, brought in a new Coach and year later hired a “football guy” as GM. So, here we are again.
In looking at these events there are 2 people who remain constant. You have Dan Snyder and Bruce Allen. I think Snyder does want to win, but has a bad habit of picking the wrong people to guide him and run the team. Allen has Snyder’s ear. It is speculation on my part, but feel that Shanahan wanted to bench RG3 and teach Cousins. Allen felt otherwise and a power struggle in which Shanahan lost. Fast forward to now. I think Gruden fought for Cousins over RG3 with the support of Scott. Gruden won and the team seemed to be turning the corner. Gruden and Scott were getting the praise, thus Allen felt left out and wanted the glory. Guess picking gold pants weren’t enough. Then we started hearing rumblings. A former player says our GM has fallen off the wagon, no word from team, our GM supposedly sent home to attend to family matters just before the Combine, and then not around for start of FA or having any input.
Something is wrong in Ashburn and it all points to one person.
What Snyder needs to do is study Jack Kent Cooke. Cooke hired the best, let them run the ship, and got out of the way. Then he patiently waited to reap the rewards. Three Lombardi Trophies.
Snyder needs to clean house with those about Gruden, except for Shaffer. Look and find the best in the business to run the show and right the ship.
If not, we will continue to be the laughing stock of the NFL.
 
The thing that disappoints me most about all of this is how quickly so many Redskins fans have passed judgment on Allen and of course Snyder. At this point we know absolutely zero about what has actually transpired between Allen and McCloughan. We have a million experts all telling us what they think has happened, and conjecturing freely, and of course one "report" immediately and completely contradicts the next one. Meaning we have no clue about how this all actually went down. Yes, I'm bummed that we're into FA and the draft with uncertainty about what comes next and who will ultimately be calling the shots down the road. But until I have a better sense of what actually put us here, I'm not ascribing blame.

My one hope, as I've been saying all along, is that we come out of this at some point sooner than later with a competent GM/personnel guru/shaman to complement whatever Allen's role is going forward. And of course, that what's happening right now won't translate into an offseason that cripples the team for a year IF it turns out FA's won't come here because of all the noise. But until we know, and we may never really truly know, the real cause of the noise, I'm going to wait and see how it all plays out before assuming all kinds of facts not in evidence and passing judgment.
 
OM beat me to it.

We have very few facts:
- Scot isn’t with the team
- The team has provided suspect reasoning for his absence in what should be the time where his presence is most valuable
- We have franchised our QB for the 2nd straight year

Damn near everything else is speculation:
- Kirk wants to leave
- Kirk wants to work out a long term deal
- Scot fell off the wagon
- Scot is dealing with a death in the family
- Scot was sent home
- Scot was not sent home
- Bruce has forced Scot out of the picture due to jealousy
- Scot was never the real GM
- If the team doesn’t answer wild speculation by former players it proves Scot is gone
- Dan Snyder hates America and said he could whoop your ass

Any declarative statement I make at this point is going to make me look like a chump when the facts come out (and they will at some point). The one thing I can say for a fact is that the team is taking a beating in the press and without a real explanation from the team it’s not going away. I think the team is starting to destroy some of the good will with a frustrated fan base they built when they brought Scot in.
 
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