Random Commanders Thoughts

[fanboyof91]

Wild, expected, but a bit depressing:

Sonny Jurgensen says the Redskins will consider promoting AJ Smith to General Manager.

Sonny Jurgensen says the Redskins will consider promoting A.J. Smith to general manager - The Washington Post

AGGGGGGGGGGHGHGGHGHGHGHGHGHHGGHHGHGHGHGH

 

[MikeSr619]

I wouldn't trust any link posted on here...

I'm not even going to say because it is from the WaPo....but just because nobody has a single clue what is going on inside of that room except those in it.

 

[Primus Porcus]

I wouldn't trust any link posted on here...

I'm not even going to say because it is from the WaPo....but just because nobody has a single clue what is going on inside of that room except those in it.

It has been the latest prediction from the Media. A.J. Smith has been at the park with a lot more frequency lately which has led to quite a bit of speculation. This isn't the only report I've heard that states this, mostly from local beat reporters.... nothing materialized... yet.

 

[Boone]

Chargers fans hated AJ Smith and blamed him for the state of the Chargers when he got fired (I think in 2012), but honestly, if only the Skins had enjoyed the success the Chargers did from 2003-2012. They were a playoff team 5 of those years (4 years in a row during one stretch). They only had 2 sub .500 seasons (Smith's first year there and his last). Disregarding his first and his last year, the Chargers averaged 10 wins per year and had a top 5 offense every single year.

Compared to what WE accomplished during those years, I'd say that's pretty impressive.

I'm sure there are lots of negatives - but honestly, the numbers speak for themselves. And they look a lot better than anything we've put up in a long time. So I don't know what we're so afraid of.

 

[Kel Varnsen]

Yeah, it seemed like the Chargers had pretty good teams during that time. They built a strong team, but they were bit by the Norvous bug for a while.

I don't know much about AJ Smith other than he was the GM in San Diego when they built their team. I do remember he didn't get along with Marty, which happened with some others in this organization. But if he does what he did in San Diego, he could setup the Redskins the right way.

 

[Dead Money]

Wasn't the knock on AJ Smith not his ability to find talent, but his ability to lockup talent long term? Oh well I guess we could be worse off. Cough Jets cough. Happy Holidays all, see you next year...

Sent from my GT-N8013 using Tapatalk

 

[Bulldog]

Smith was a great scout and personnel director as his drafts from 2000-2005 show in San Diego.

Where he got in trouble was he was VERY hard in his negotiations with agents for players and built a reputation as a guy that agents didn't want to deal with and so a number of his players left the club in free agency rather than resign in SD.

But let's face it, right now our problem is ACQUIRING TALENT, not worrying about losing it

Let's get the players in here first and then worry about keeping all those pro bowlers under contract!

Besides, in SD he had an owner that didn't want to give up front bonuses and wanted home town discounts, so Smith may have been working at a competitive disadvantage in that regard.

That won't be a problem here.

 

[Factory of Sadness]

AJ Smith would just be depressing. He's another old man who's obviously settled into the role of Snyder crony and is just going along with the program for a last fat paycheck.

Yes, he put together decent teams in SD - he was a winner there. But here, he'll just be another guy who has too many bosses (Snyder and Allen) and whose best advice is ignored and is basically there to act as an enabler for Snyder's worst impulses. Honestly, that's probably what he's been doing here anyway, and that'll just continue with an elevated title and paycheck.

10 years ago hiring of AJ Smith as a GM might have been a reason for optimism but if it happens this time around I think it's just more of the same. The only thing that would really get me hopeful would be the hiring of a strong YOUNG GM candidate and some clear evidence that Allen is being demoted to head banquet-MC.

We all know none of this will happen. THey'll "promote" AJ Smith and it'll be a typical PR move by Snyder/Allen to slow the hemmoraging of season ticket holders.

 

[Ax]

Cheerful as ruptured hemorrhoid.

 

[Primus Porcus]

This post is not specifically directed towards one person, but directed at a more general pulses we've all come to take measure of.

Losing breeds distrust....

1. Before we made 'the trade' it was very clear that we were in desperate need of a franchise QB.. At the time Luck and Griffin were coming out of college. Both of them were considered to be the 'sure bet.' It had been a long time before that, and hasn't happened since then, that it's the overall consensus that HANDS DOWN the 1st 2 picks of the draft would be QBs and that you honestly couldn't go wrong with either one. 4 years later, I've heard a clamoring of how much Griffin has struggled and it's yet another mistake by our front office.

2. When Mike Shanahan came in, the overall belief was that we we're going to win because finally we had a football mind in here that could get the right personnel in here to provide for his particular scheme. Now he's gone and he set the franchise back years because we need a 'real GM' and it's too much to let a coach have that power.

3. Coming into this season, the mass majority wanted to go after the 'young, up and coming' coordinator to bring in to be OUR head coach. A guy who doesn't care about what Snyder says, he's got the onions to make all the decisions. Gruden was that guy. Now Gruden has been criticized for his blunt press conferences and benching of RG3.

4. At the end of 2012 Griffin got hurt. There was a very loud outcry that he's got to be a better pocket QB in order to protect himself from himself. That Mike and Kyle had potentially destroyed his future because they allowed him to run so much and he was getting killed. Gruden now gets destroyed because he's apparently trying to fit a square peg into a round hole by wanting Griff to be a better (not exclusively) pocket passing QB.





My point? How in the world can we be so upset with and inconsistent franchise, when WE have no consistency? A.J. Smith might not be the hot shot young GM but do you really want a GM who has never done it, leading a Coach who's in his 2nd year, A 2nd year (28 year old) OC, a new defensive scheme and coordinator, a seemingly very new roster (we ALL expect a large turnover in players, quite a few being rookies), and an owner who has a history of involvement in player personnel?


Maybe A.J. Smith is just what we need. He's a familiar face, someone the staff already knows, he's been involved in scouting here, and his strength, from what I understand is talent evaluation. Is he the long term solution? I don't know... but I'm not sure I want to completely rule him out at this point either.

 

[Factory of Sadness]

Maybe A.J. Smith is just what we need. He's a familiar face, someone the staff already knows, he's been involved in scouting here, and his strength, from what I understand is talent evaluation. Is he the long term solution? I don't know... but I'm not sure I want to completely rule him out at this point either.

Just can't get onboard with the whole "familiar face" thing. When is the last time a familiar face/name move has worked out around here?

Smith HAS been here, like you say, and indeed is a familiar face. Unfortunately he has all of the hallmarks of your standard-issue Snyder Crony.

I'm not suggesting we need an unknown...but maybe a guy under 60 who isn't already a Snyder drinking-buddy.

I admire your optimism but wouldn't "promoting" AJ SMith reek of the same kind of move we've seen countless times before?

 

[Primus Porcus]

Just can't get onboard with the whole "familiar face" thing. When is the last time a familiar face/name move has worked out around here?

Smith HAS been here, like you say, and indeed is a familiar face. Unfortunately he has all of the hallmarks of your standard-issue Snyder Crony.

I'm not suggesting we need an unknown...but maybe a guy under 60 who isn't already a Snyder drinking-buddy.

I admire your optimism but wouldn't "promoting" AJ SMith reek of the same kind of move we've seen countless times before?

Smith has been away from the facility 8 months out of the year. Until a month ago he was only at the park 1 or 2 days a week. The rest of the time he's out scouting college players or evaluating free agents. His home is on the west coast and he's been a consultant... not a full time Snyder employee.


Im not sure what he's done to lead you to think he's a Snyder criny.. I've never heard his name mentioned with Snyders...

 

[Primus Porcus]

Who else have we incorrectly promoted from within

 

[Boone]

Just can't get onboard with the whole "familiar face" thing. When is the last time a familiar face/name move has worked out around here?

Smith HAS been here, like you say, and indeed is a familiar face. Unfortunately he has all of the hallmarks of your standard-issue Snyder Crony.

I'm not suggesting we need an unknown...but maybe a guy under 60 who isn't already a Snyder drinking-buddy.

I admire your optimism but wouldn't "promoting" AJ SMith reek of the same kind of move we've seen countless times before?

He is 65 and he is currently contracted by the Skins. But beyond that, I don't think your argument holds water. Smith (like him or not) has a history of significant long term success as a football GM. I don't know if there's even any truth to the rumors, but he's not a 'typical Snyder crony'. Typical Snyder cronies usually have zero history of success

 

[McD5]

I view this as an absolutely huge opportunity for the team to hit the "reset" button, and to search all over the league for the brightest and best mind in the business. How about someone from Seattle, Baltimore or Green Bay? Why stick with a guy already within the organization, who is best friends with Bruce? It just continues the appearance of nepotism, where an objective analysis might be better for the organization.

From his bio: "On March 6, 2013, the Redskins added Smith as a senior executive. Smith and Redskins general manager Bruce Allen were longtime friends, while Smith’s son, Kyle, was a Redskins scout."

Fwiw, I've seen more than a dozen lists compiled of the top GM candidates in the league for 2015. Not one has him mentioned anywhere in even the top 10 names to pursue. Now it's possible that he might be better than a Pioli or DeCosta, and it's possible that everyone else's opinion in wrong. But can we at least interview 5 different candidates before just naming Smith to the role? That would seem to be a smart way to approach the process.

Is he really the best candidate out there? Or will we never know, because we won't even interview another?

NFL general manager candidates: new names and familiar faces - NFL.com

 

[Primus Porcus]

I'm not implying the idea that he's the best option.. I'm just saying that if we promote him, I don't think it's some obvious, horrific and debilitating move. Even if he only comes in for 2 years while we truly court and analyze the best option. If that's the case and things go well... we'll have an established foundation.

 

[ntotoro]

All I remember about AJ Smith is his inability to coexist in San Diego with Marty Schottenheimer, nothing to do with Snyder.

Nick

 

[McD5]

Two other things come to mind about this entire situation--and they would be comical if it weren't so painful.

1, It's mind-boggling when one steps back and considers that we're looking for a GM who knows what good players look like. It's insane that we've tried to compete in the highest level for so long without one.

2. Who is going to make the pick? Dan? Please don't let it be Dan. His last two GM picks were Vinny and Bruce. Are we at the point where we actually need to hire somebody to make the pick for us?

 

[MikeSr619]

He is 65 and he is currently contracted by the Skins. But beyond that, I don't think your argument holds water. Smith (like him or not) has a history of significant long term success as a football GM. I don't know if there's even any truth to the rumors, but he's not a 'typical Snyder crony'. Typical Snyder cronies usually have zero history of success

he drafted Rivers, gave Weddle his new contract, Gates, etc. They hated him when Marty was fired...but he has a knack of finding talent it seems.

 

[Kel Varnsen]

This post is not specifically directed towards one person, but directed at a more general pulses we've all come to take measure of.

Losing breeds distrust....

Your recap of the franchise the last several years is spot on. The majority of the fan base teeters between the old guy and the up and comer, the free agent and the draft pick. Even the running QB vs the pocket QB. And depending on which way the team goes, when it doesn't work, the other side comes out in droves to convince the fan base the other way is the right way. The only thing that has stayed the same is the losing.

Like you, I don't think Smith will be the worse thing in the world. That was Vinny. Smith may have success or he may not. What he did in SD was great. I can only hope he does that here.

Of course as others have said, he may have been the right pick 10 years ago. Which fits with a lot of the early FA Snyder acquired.

Time will tell.