Washington Hires Adam Peters as GM!

Kevin was talking about the fans not the organization. He also said it’s not the priority at the moment, which it clearly isn’t and shouldn’t be.

Hopefully if it is being determined behind the scenes, J. Wright hasn’t been tasked with it.
 
The conversation Sheehan had yesterday is a lot more nuanced than that. Anyone with a brain knows the name issue is not a top 3 priority. But it’s also true that the org can handle multiple priorities at the same time - particularly when some priorities don’t require anything from the football side of the building.

I don’t think most fans expect something to be done on that front right away. The point Sheehan was making is that 2 weeks ago, Harris dismissed the topic (and he clearly communicated it wasn’t important to him at least in that moment). And now you’ve got new leaders using the name repeatedly as if it’s our permanent moniker. If you remember, when the Harris group first bought the team, they seemed reluctant to use the name AT ALL. Some referred to us as ‘Redskins’ and others as ‘Washington’ but they were avoiding the C word in a pretty obvious way. Sheehan wonders if they are hoping that if they can generate a relatively quick on-the-field turnaround if maybe the issue will fade or go away and free them of the burden of having to do anything?

I don’t know if that’s it, if they want to clean out the front office before even going there (which would be perfectly reasonable) or if the league is applying pressure not to rock the boat. But the point is, between Harris’ irritation with it even being brought up a few weeks ago, and how freely they are using the name now compared to earlier, something seems incongruent with statements 6 months ago that ‘everything is on the table’.

Time will tell - but that is what was being discussed, not that they should halt the rebuilding of the front office and coaching staff to announce a new name.
 
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I'd like to thank Ron Rivera for making the top 3 in this list possible and helping make Washington a destination for top candidates. :)

 
Not only just the name needs to be addressed but the uniform too.

It's hard for me to believe that a 6 billion dollar operation can't chew gum and walk at the same time.
Surely, with all the ownership partners, Harris could assign a group of them towards this?
 
I had a couple of thoughts re: name change.

I’d hope it’s clear that much of the fanbase are ambivalent at best towards the Commanders name. The Josh Harris administration has been pretty on the ball so far, so I doubt that’s slipped their attention.

My first thought was… we’ve had 3 names in 4 years (or whatever) so it can’t hurt surely to go to another new one now BEFORE we establish an identity on the field. You’d think therefore they’d jump on it pretty quick.

My second thought was… we’ve had 3 names in 4 years (or whatever) so do you think there’s any pressure behind the scenes from the NFL to establish a steady identity? I.e a resistance to change again?

Doubt it, but it was just a thought.

I totally expect a name change in the not too distant future. Considering the blank slate they’re starting with you’d think they’d want to give the franchise a fresh coat of paint too.
I also wouldn’t be surprised by a move toward a more traditional uniform style either.

I would have said maybe to coincide with a new stadium, but I think that’s too far out. By that time, if we’ve had any success with the new structure and brought a new generation of fans on board, it makes it more difficult to change the name just for us old timers.

It’s clear they were working in secret behind the scenes on the GM post, so I’m kind of hoping the name thing is being discussed quietly in the background too.

A name/uniform change would be the biggest and easiest quick win of their fledgling ownership.
 
I can't fault Peters for using the name. It's the name. He's trying to build that connection and association.

I do fault the idea that the Commanders have a long and rich history. They do not. The Redskins did. The Commanders have been around for two years. Riggins, Monk, Taylor, Huff, Sonny, Moss, Baugh... They were never Commanders. So while Washington may have a rich legacy as a cornerstone NFL city the Commanders do not.

As to the name change, I would prefer a change though the knowledge that we can never go back to the Redskins makes me a little ambivalent. I just don't think Commanders make sense. The Commanders don't take to the field. That's the infantry, the troops, maybe a lieutenant or a captain. Occasionally, a major or a cololnel. But the commanders sit behind a desk. They're not the players. The Commanders are the coaches and GMs.

Anyway, this is not what I want Peters focused on today. Right now, I want him studying the hell out of the roster, the facilities, the staff, and all the prospective coaches. Once that gets settled, we can become the Washington Gridlock, the Washington Controversy, or the Washington Lobbyists.... or Red Tails, Red Wolves, Werewolves, Wyverns, etc.
 
Knightingale said:
A name/uniform change would be the biggest and easiest quick win of their fledgling ownership.
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I have read this in a lot of places. You are not alone in this sentiment, Knight.

"Easy" and "quick" are often mentioned when people talk about it.

My last company went through a rebranding exercise not long before I left so I got to witness it from the inside. From the point the company decided to do it to the point it was launched publicly, the process took 5 years and $8 million.

And that was just a rebrand. We kept the same corporate name.

There is a reason it took 2 years to go from Redskins to Commanders. Honestly, I'm still impressed the team managed to go from Redskins to Washington Football Team as quickly as it did.

I'd also point out that the team took 2 years to rename itself and messed it up so badly that the majority of fans are begging them to do it again so maybe 2 years was rushing it.

If I'm Harris, I have people working on it in the background now.

Also if I'm Harris, I'm not going to talk about it publicly until I have a name I like better, that I know the fans will like better, and that I know I can use.
 
burgold said:
I can't fault Peters for using the name. It's the name. He's trying to build that connection and association.

Anyway, this is not what I want Peters focused on today. Right now, I want him studying the hell out of the roster, the facilities, the staff, and all the prospective coaches. Once that gets settled, we can become the Washington Gridlock, the Washington Controversy, or the Washington Lobbyists.... or Red Tails, Red Wolves, Werewolves, Wyverns, etc.
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Agreed, for now it’s the name. Peters would have nothing to do with a rebrand regardless so that’s a non-factor.

I think Harris could put it to rest in one of two ways. Announce that they will rebrand at the appropriate time or announce that ‘Commanders’ is the team name and it won’t be changing.

Honestly, why WOULDN’T you state one of those two things? I think for those that care, that’s all we want to know at the moment.
 
The only reasons I can imagine not to broadcast a future name change are:

1) You don't want to get everyone anxious, excited, and then pissed off when the process moves slowly.
2) You don't want to encourage a raft of preemptive trademark buys forcing Harris to negotiate for the name of his choosing.
 
burgold said:
I do fault the idea that the Commanders have a long and rich history. They do not. The Redskins did. The Commanders have been around for two years. Riggins, Monk, Taylor, Huff, Sonny, Moss, Baugh... They were never Commanders. So while Washington may have a rich legacy as a cornerstone NFL city the Commanders do not.
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I have to take some issue with this idea.

At 23 years of age, my wife married me. In a few seconds, with a publicly spoken sentence or two, she went from being Ms. Williams to Mrs. Floyd. She didn't even keep her maiden name as a middle name but dropped it entirely.

That didn't change her achievements before that day. It didn't alter her past associations. She was still a high school graduate, a regional tennis champion, and a member of the Thespian Society.

Her history remained.

This team started life in a different city, with a different name - Boston Braves. Nearly every fan knows and accepts this even though we don't talk about it much.

This franchise, our franchise, absolutely has a long and rich history.

The proof that this is indeed still the same franchise is found in our very fandom. How much we hated the former owner. How much we all longed for him to sell. The embarrassment of 3 decades of mediocrity and futility.

And, most especially, how much hope we all have for the future of our club. How much excitement we all felt when Harris was announced as the new owner and then felt again yesterday watching the presser with Peters.

If this were truly a club without history or roots, we wouldn't care.

But we do. God help us, we do care.
 
I don't know Neophyte. I hear ya, but I don't think I agree.
I think changing the name, but wanting all the history, records and achievements is a bit like wanting your cake and eating it too. I mean I guess that you're technically right from a Shakepearean "A rose by any other name would still suck if owned by Snyder" point of view, but I think the name change goes deeper than that.

My identity with this team is forged with Washington and the Redskins. Riggins was never a Commander the same as your mother in law doesn't get your last name because you married her daughter.

(No heat in this argument. I'm just bored and stuck at the dealership waiting for some work to be done.)
 
burgold said:
My identity with this team is forged with Washington and the Redskins. Riggins was never a Commander the same as your mother in law doesn't get your last name because you married her daughter.
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I think this is why I was more aligned with the Washington Football Team name than I am with Commanders. If we couldn’t use ‘Redskins’ then at least this kept most of our identity kind of intact.
The colours, the uniform, etc still maintained a continuity of tradition.
The Commanders changed everything making it kind of feel like a new team. Even their keeping the burgundy and gold felt like lip service considering we played in black or a Cardinals bootleg uniform.
 
Girl Fire GIF by MOODMAN
 
burgold said:
(No heat in this argument. I'm just bored and stuck at the dealership waiting for some work to be done.)
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No heat here either, brother. We are just discussing things like adults. :)
 
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