Redskins Sign CB Tracy Porter

[fansince62]

There is no reason whatsoever for the team to tell anyone outside of the walls of Ashburn what their plan is. Especially the fans. All we really get, or deserve, comes on gameday. They need to improve the product. But how they do it is on them. Generic team/coach/player speak is all we will, or should, get.

so...professional FOs across the league won't grasp what the strategy is? cmon now....you know better than that. the strategy is pretty evident - especially over time. simple pattern matching thought process. what gets masked is which players are being targeted.

btw...I happen to disagree with your larger point. in the end, the NFL is a business. like all business...the customer reigns supreme. fans don't need to know all the details. most franchises are privately owned so their is no accountability either - I grant you that. but franchises do speak to their fanbase. they do make promises in order to sell tickets, merchandise, etc., etc. they make promises about winning championships and leaving no stone un-turned to build winners. they all do it. they also speak...to some degree on how they are going to do it: the Skins told us for quite a while that they were going to find a franchise QB. many of us were frustrated when they didn't do that. eventually they did. the new coach came out and in the very first interviews discussed what he thought the weaknesses and strengths were - kinda laid the groundwork for where the priorities were going to fall. now we can sit back and see if they execute/succeed.

so...I agree with you on one level - the braintrust plots its annual moves and cloaks that plan as much as possible so as not to be out-maneuvered by competitors. they are under no obligation to inform anyone.

lest we forget...at the end of the day...the fans grow restless and demand firings precisely because strategy & execution plans fail. and fans do influence these outcomes. every one one of these people know that their high dollar ride ultimately traces to fans being squeezed at the concessions stands, Redskins Store, and ticket booths. some fans - maybe most - don't care if they sit in the dark and have no basis for judging a team's strategic performance. that's clearly not the case here at BGO!!! there may be wide differences of opinion....but it is certainly a huge part of the substance of discussions. FOs know this...it's why they set up websites and support TV shows like Redskins Nation (that program personalizes the players but it also has a steady march of beat reporters and FO reps who speak by degrees to the plan and team issues - it intensifies, btw, when there are problems and the franchise wants to control or influence the message). you are right - but the facts suggest it happens anyway.

matter of perception I guess. now...about that o-line.....what's the plan Stan?

 

[Ax]

No, not masking anything. There is nothing to be gained by making their intentions/evaluations known to anyone. In the league, or in the stands. It serves no purpose.

 

[tshile]

There is no reason whatsoever for the team to tell anyone outside of the walls of Ashburn what their plan is. Especially the fans. All we really get, or deserve, comes on gameday. They need to improve the product. But how they do it is on them. Generic team/coach/player speak is all we will, or should, get.

+1

The less our moves, planes, and motives are telegraphed to those outside of the Situation Room in Ashburn the better run our organization is.

The fans have had over a decade of input and being part of the circus. It's time for grown ups to run the show and the rest to know their role - sit in the stands and watch the game day product once a week.

 

[fansince62]

No, not masking anything. There is nothing to be gained by making their intentions/evaluations known to anyone. In the league, or in the stands. It serves no purpose.

Intentions and evaluations are two different things. I just got through conceding the point that competition drives a requirement for some secrecy. however, over time, especially if there is a stable FO, it becomes obvious what the philosophy is, what the strategy is, how teams prioritize, what kinds of talent teams seek - it's all there in the data. it's what data management and statistical analysis are all about. we have a history on Bruce Allen...he's keeping to previous patterns.

You are wrong about it being a zero sum game. The business aspect of all of this guarantees that. Teams establish all the time what sort of franchise they are working toward in terms of goals, culture, player character, etc., etc. It all adds up. Coaches have philosophies - we know a Mike Shanahan is going to prefer a strong running game based on linemen who meet certain physical/athletic criteria to fit the ZBS. We know this will drive a preference for RBs with better field vision and one cut capability. In short, a team doesn't have to hit you in the face with a fill-in the numbers coloring book for one to figure out the broad outlines of the priorities. as noted, teams reinforce this with their TV shows and websites.

not arguing that you aren't correct in the main. just saying that if one examines what actually happens - teams directly and indirectly cue the fans in all the time on the priorities and long-term plans. it's in their economic interest to do so. the NFL is a big damn money machine. a machine fed by the fans. sustaining brand loyalty - if you will - includes creating bonds with the fans. I maintain that part of this includes...to some degree....revealing to the fans how a team expects to improve, move forward, win championships, etc.

another way of looking at it: you are addressing the pure football part of the equation; I'm looking at the business aspect.

 

[Ax]

Intentions and evaluations are two different things. I just got through conceding the point that competition drives a requirement for some secrecy. however, over time, especially if there is a stable FO, it becomes obvious what the philosophy is, what the strategy is, how teams prioritize, what kinds of talent teams seek - it's all there in the data. it's what data management and statistical analysis are all about. we have a history on Bruce Allen...he's keeping to previous patterns.

Obviously, intentions and evaluations are two different things. And other than generic team/coach speak about either subject, verbalizing their stances publicly does absolutely nothing to improve the team. That's why it's unnecessary. And you're right, over time, we can get somewhat of a handle on the modus operandi. Several months isn't enough time to accurately analyze our current team of FO-Scouting Dept.-Coaching.

You are wrong about it being a zero sum game. The business aspect of all of this guarantees that. Teams establish all the time what sort of franchise they are working toward in terms of goals, culture, player character, etc., etc. It all adds up.

Correct. But other than generalizations and cliches, who goes into any meaningful detail about their plan? No one.

Coaches have philosophies - we know a Mike Shanahan is going to prefer a strong running game based on linemen who meet certain physical/athletic criteria to fit the ZBS. We know this will drive a preference for RBs with better field vision and one cut capability. In short, a team doesn't have to hit you in the face with a fill-in the numbers coloring book for one to figure out the broad outlines of the priorities. as noted, teams reinforce this with their TV shows and websites.

And knowing all of that gives us, what?

not arguing that you aren't correct in the main. just saying that if one examines what actually happens - teams directly and indirectly cue the fans in all the time on the priorities and long-term plans. it's in their economic interest to do so. the NFL is a big damn money machine. a machine fed by the fans. sustaining brand loyalty - if you will - includes creating bonds with the fans. I maintain that part of this includes...to some degree....revealing to the fans how a team expects to improve, move forward, win championships, etc.

I would say the NFL, and all of it's teams, are masters of advertising, and misinformation. We know what they want us to know.

another way of looking at it: you are addressing the pure football part of the equation; I'm looking at the business aspect.

I feel like I'm addressing both. I don't think being completely, or overly honest, publicly, about their assessments, evaluations, or intentions, is good for the football end of things, or the business end.

I could be wrong.


Naw, I'm not.

 

[fansince62]

You always crack me up!

Not worth arguing over any longer.

HTTR!

 

[Ax]

Hey! I'm here all week!

And we never argue, my friend.

 

[Bulldog]

I just find it amusing that anyone could be that upset over signing Tracy Porter.

Is he an all pro? No. Never claimed that.

What I said is that he has shown he can be a solid contributor on a successful team and has cover skills that Josh Wilson and others we had opposite Hall did not.

So, that's an upgrade in my mind and evidently in the minds of Gruden and DB coach Morris as well.