Random Commanders Thoughts

Actually, that’s not true. That game was very competitive until the failed 4th down with about 10 minutes to go. That’s probably why the ratings were so high. The game kept the attention of most fans for about 50 minutes of the game and even a little after that. The game quickly got out of hand late, but it was competitive until then. We were all frustrated because we saw the same dumb mistakes by the coaches and the team and we knew where this was going. But the regular fan was most likely more intrigued that what happened the last 10 minutes didn’t happen a lot earlier. That would have driven more fans away early.
 
Cowbums will always get ratings no matter what the records are.
 
This..

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I wonder if the game against Miami can be thought of as a 21st Century offense vs. a run centric 20th Century defense?
 
Harris spoke yesterday about winning, the stadium, and the path, but this bit caught my eye because I think it's the most telling (and a little bit blunt).

"It's a long journey," Harris said, "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."

I don't know if that was meant as a slight against Ron Rivera, but it read that way to me. 8-8-1 is Ron's high watermark so far to date with the Commanders.
 
That, or he's laying the groundwork for a "Process" approach here similar to what he did with the 76ers ... letting fans and media know that early expectation might need to be tempered ... that we might be looking at a slow, methodical build here instead of aiming for a quick turnaround.
 
I want to know his definition of "long journey" though. We are watching teams turn it around and be competitive at the top of each Conference in 3 years.
 
Has anyone else considered that we may not be in an ideal situation in terms of pursuing a new HC because we (presumably) will have to find a new GM and hire him/her before we can even begin the process of beginning a HC search?

It’s not an advantage needing both.
 
Been thinking about that ... Harris is going to have to move pretty fast on all this if he's hoping to have a team (GM, HC, coordinators, scouting staff) in place in time for a meaningful preparation for free agency and the draft.
 
I have thought about that a lot actually.

First, Harris has a list of guys he is at least interested in talking to by now. I think putting that list together was part of bringing Shen in when he did (unless he is thinking Shen might be his new GM? hmmmm). I figure that there has to be some back-channel communication going on with agents for prospective GM candidates on that list. By now, Harris should know who is interested and who isn't, and candidates know they have to be prepared to talk.

If I have aspirations of being a GM one day, I keep a living list in my back pocket of guys I think I want to work with - both in my front office and on my sideline. This list is important because it is likely figure large any interview process with an Owner looking to turn over the operations of their organization to me. I'm also watching tape of any team interested in me every night after the wife and kids go to bed to prep for formal interviews.

Many of the top coaching candidates are on playoff teams so there is only so much that can be done until their season is over anyway which means we have a bit of breathing room on the GM front.

Arizona did the GM/HC double change last year. They announced their GM hire on Jan 16th (Monte Ossenfort, former Dir of Player Personnel with Tennessee) and their new Head Coach on Feb 14th (Jonathan Gannon, former Eagles DC). The regular season ended on Sunday, Jan 8th.

Here is last year's official timeline, per NFL rules, on interviews for coaching candidates. I haven't found an official timeline for front office personnel but I would be shocked if there isn't a significant amount of informal communication going on right now.

The Rooney Rule is also in effect for both GM and HC positions - minimum 2 minority or women candidates for both positions.
 
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I’m not sure you’re right on ‘informal contact’. I don’t think the NFL allows ANY contact in season and I am almost certain that would include contact with an agent. The risk of violating tampering rules is huge and can include loss of draft picks and the reason for that is to prevent precisely what you are describing.

I’m not concerned about free agency and the draft because there should be time to get a new Front Office and coaching staff in place, and maybe looking at future players is something Shen is doing right now.

But in your example it took nearly a month to get a GM and then eventually a HC hired. That’s a long time in an NFL offseason when there are multiple teams looking for their next HC (and it also could reduce the available pool of coordinators and assistants).

I guess a lot hinges on how many teams fire their HCs and also on how desirable the Washington spot is compared to other options.
 
I do wonder if as you said Bob if he primary focus for Shen might be doing a detailed overview and analytics review of all GM candidates (and possibly doing overviews of all the coaching candidates to provide a new GM). That might be the most you can do in terms of a ‘head start’. I don’t understand why the NFL prohibits talking to prospective front office folks in-season if it involves promotion, especially if the other team okays it? It seems counter-productive to me.
 
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