The Josh Harris/HOG Thread

RedWolf

RedWolf

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I did a brief search and didn't find a thread dedicated specifically to Josh Harris and the other new owners. HOG!!!

I really don't know what to say. This franchise has been turned around in 2 years and our future appears to be quite bright. He has hired what appears to be a great staff, removed the dead weight, invested in critical programs (improve Ashburn, improve the existing stadium, future stadium planning, dealing with the Landover wart, politics across the 3 realms, etc.). "Good thoughts, good words, and good deeds."

I know there's other things that we want like improved uniforms etc. but this guy has been kicking butt for 2 years. We are blessed that he is "The Chief Commander." Imagine another 25+ years under the DS family reign.

We need to stop and be grateful for this man who has done nothing so far but kick ass for our beloved franchise. Hopefully this continues and we return to being one of the top franchises in the NFL.

Thank you Josh Harris + team!
 
It's crazy because so few of us believed we could ever rid ourselves of Beelzebub. Let's keep it real. Any replacement would've been an improvement. I know many of us were hoping it would be Bezos who would buy the team. Harris wasn't widely known by us. But it would be hard to argue we didn't hit a home run there. First of all - unlike *supposed Pat Fisher belt buckle wearing Dan Snyder), Harris was absolutely a die-hard fan growing up. That makes a difference. He had previous sports-ownership/executive experience. And he had the $$ to do whatever needed to be done.

There are so many things he's done right - namely bringing in the class of the league in Adam Peters and Dan Quinn who have quickly assembled one of the brightest and most experienced coaching staffs in the league.

Harris has been nearly perfect and (at least according to most fans preferences) is about to add to his list of successes by getting a new stadium built at the old RFK site.

The only detraction from his ownership record so far is his decision to stick with the baggage-filled Commanders moniker, which is probably the only unpopular thing he's done as an owner.

I have come to believe though that that 'mistake' was not of his making, and that the league has put the kabosh on re-naming the team behind the scenes. Some will point to other reasons for him deciding not to rebrand, such as cost, but I think it's nearly unfathomable that Harris wouldn't personally want to change the name, given that almost every Washington fan at best can 'tolerate' Commanders, but at worst generally despise it and the Snyder/Wright stink that is all over it. I suspect Harris dislikes it and most likely made efforts to convince the league to change it and hit a wall there. We'll likely not find out if that was the case (at least not any time soon) - and Harris is the kind of guy who is not going to point fingers, deflect responsibility for the decision, or reveal private conversations. But it's the only explanation for why he failed to give a clear majority of fans who dislike Commanders what they wanted - a new name. And for that reason, I'm no longer going to consider that a Josh Harris misstep.

We got a good one.
 
So is it your opinion that Redskins fans' ire should be directed towards Goodell and the league office?
 
It took me over two years from the day the "Commanders" name was announced until I began recognizing it. I still called the team the Redskins or Washington. I hated the no name tie as well as the Washington Football Team or WFT, I thought it might as well have been WTF. I have hated not having a real identity although it was fitting with the way the Snyder and all of his horrid decisions, meddling, hires...... Yeah it sucks Dan made the call of the Commanders naming but I identify him as ruining the end of the Redskins. Now he is flushed from the team. The Commanders are being managed incredibly and are now officially successful. I am accepting of the name but do want their to be changes with the uniform to bring a little more of traditional looks.
 
Just so happy to be rid of Snyder that I would love any owner, but yes, Harris has been everything we hoped he would be and then some. Hire a top quality GM and get out of the way is all I was ever asking for. No, I’m not letting him off the hook for failing to fix the name problem, but considering everything else has been great I can forgive him for that.
 
DieselPwr44 said:
So is it your opinion that Redskins fans' ire should be directed towards Goodell and the league office?
Click to expand...

It's the only explanation I can think of that makes any sense DP - that the league took another rebranding off the table.
 
Boone said:
It's the only explanation I can think of that makes any sense DP - that the league took another rebranding off the table.
Click to expand...

I think it’s possible. I also think it’s possible that if Harris isn’t super online (I doubt he is), that just by being immersed every day in our new culture in that building—where, separated from brand level decision-making, Quinn and Peters were actively working to redefine the lameness of “Commanders” into something that gained meaning for the locker room—he gained a different appreciation for it that is now completely divorced from fan sentiment. In that building it’s not lame anymore, because they’re in their own cultural bubble where they made it something else to rally around. In a way that hasn’t caught on with fans outside the building even though we like the winning.
 
Boone said:
It's the only explanation I can think of that makes any sense DP - that the league took another rebranding off the table.
Click to expand...

If this was the case, you would think Harris & Co. would be aware of it from the outset. Why string fans along with his and others comments, making it sound like a real possibility ?
 
If they were planning on a possible rebrand, I doubt they'd 'go there' with the NFL until they had an entire plan/pitch in place. As Harris has said a lot - it wasn't the top priority, and he likely was being genuine on that front. I think it's quite possible they did approach the NFL in the past 24 months and the powers that be (for whatever reason) weren't supportive of the idea. I choose to believe this may be the case because Harris just ignoring fan sentiment would diminish him in my eyes. That's not to say I don't appreciate the competency and success he has brought the org. It would just be a let down if I knew he *could've* gotten rid of the name and elected not to.

It's kind of astonishing that we are at this point and there's still no real clear narrative as to whether this was seriously considered and if so why it didn't happen, or if it was never seriously considered, why not? I do think it was handled poorly in terms of communication with fans.
 
It's also a stain on the DC sports media that they weren't brave enough to dig deeper into the why. Maybe they got threatened with access if they tried to find out the why? Probably part of it.
Sad because in the end, fans lose again.
 
The mistake he made was not doing it right away. Putting it off for a year opened the door for the name to take root in some positive way. Jerseys continued to be sold. It was always going to be more and more difficult to make the change the longer he waited. I knew we were in trouble the minute he said it’s on the back burner because they have more important things to work on.
 
Boone said:
It's the only explanation I can think of that makes any sense DP - that the league took another rebranding off the table.
Click to expand...
I personally think it is a very good possibility. The Name was a growing problem for the League over the years. Politics just blew it wide open. The League is finally "rid" themselves of the problem. Safe (i.e., generic crappy name) for the younger fans. The League knows the only people that care about the old name are a long in the tooth fans of a severely diminished fanbase. Allowing another change just opens it back up to negative press because old folks (like myself) want to find a way to re-incorporate things like the classic logos. It would not surprise me one bit if the League told Harris no.

We may get a new name eventually, but I bet the League is gonna wait until we geezer fans die off...
 
AngryChuckT said:
Allowing another change just opens it back up to negative press because old folks (like myself) want to find a way to re-incorporate things like the classic logos.
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Depends on what it was. ( Could have been better, and not an " Indian " theme )
And the Chiefs keep rolling right along. Arrowhead and all.
The on-field and stadium situation has been great.
Harris blew it on the name.
 
Spearfeather said:
Depends on what it was. ( Could have been better, and not an " Indian " theme )
And the Chiefs keep rolling right along. Arrowhead and all.
The on-field and stadium situation has been great.
Harris blew it on the name.
Click to expand...
Maybe. But I don't think the League cares about "better" names. They care about $ and avoiding controversy that affects corporate sponsorships. That is why I would agree that the NFL has something to do with keeping the name. And now after the miraculous success of this team, Harris has no leverage with the League to go through another rebrand that will stir everything back up.

I hate that the Chiefs get a pass - and maybe one day they won't. However, their name doesn't have the word "Skin" in it. In the early 21st century reference to Skin color regardless of origins, intent, or support from the people the moniker is referring to, is always gonna be verboten. The change was inevitable, the events of 2020 just shortened the timeline. DS could have saved everything else regarding NA imagery if he was smart and had recognized the inevitability a decade prior and changed the name to Warriors or (preferably to me) worked a deal with a willing NA tribe a la FSU. However, he is not smart and the luckiest "businessman" alive. He got billions and we got a garbage name.
 
AngryChuckT said:
However, their name doesn't have the word "Skin" in it. In the early 21st century reference to Skin color regardless of origins, intent, or support from the people the moniker is referring to, is always gonna be verboten.
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No, I dont think it is. We still do it all the time. Its even done by the government on a regular basis.
But anyway, without getting too far into that, I'll always think we could have done better, and Harris chose not to.
 
‘Better’ is in the eye of the beholder. Though the very vast majority seems to dislike the current name…does anyone truly believe that any new name would gain the universal support of the fanbase? Fat chance. The beat would go on with a new tune but the same old song and dance.

Yeah, the organization is now top-notch. The team is winning and a darling of the league. There is a potential new stadium project at a site of historical significance. Our QB is the envy of fans far and wide.

But…the name. Oh boy, the name. If only for the name.
 
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