We’re going to have to talk about the factory of football dysfunction that is thrumming along down in Washington.
Their general manager, Scot McCloughan, has turned into a bit of a football Bigfoot. No one seems to know where he is, if he even is is, and yet we keep seeing grainy footage of his alleged whereabouts from amateur nature photographers. He popped up walking his dog, in full Washington gear; he popped up in a local Whole Foods, in full Washington gear; and he was also spotted in a barber shop. Where he was not spotted? The NFL Combine.
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As the fallout continues to fall out, a shit sandwich of a situation is emerging (re-emerging? perma-merging?) from Landover. McCloughan’s relationship with team president Bruce Allen has completely deteriorated over the last few months, with both men disagreeing on a range of issues. That finally reached a crescendo in the days before the combine last weekend. McCloughan left the office for three days prior to the combine. The team eventually decided that he would not attend the combine and concocted a story about “family issues” that were keeping McCloughan away, referencing the passing of his elderly grandmother three weeks prior.
While McCloughan was away from the team, Washington franchised quarterback Kirk Cousins, and extended head coach Jay Gruden. He also had no part in re-signing tight end Vernon Davis, or letting wide receiver Pierre Garçon walk. The team is wheeling and dealing without a GM…even though they have a GM.
Put yourself in the shoes of a fan/follower of this franchise, and consider what you’ve had to endure throughout the Snyder era. This is essentially expert testimony.
The problem seems fairly obvious, and just as easy to fix. Bruce Allen wants to be the GM, except for the times he doesn’t want to be the GM. McCloughan was hired as an ace talent evaluator in 2015 after two straight bottom-dwelling years in the NFC east, and has overseen a mini-renaissance in Washington. He was promised control over the roster at his introductory press conference, but not control over his staff. He was also not allowed to bring in his own crew. Red flags right there. Then, as his tenure went on, it turns out he didn’t even have control over the roster. Allen again inserted himself and overrode personnel decisions, or sided with Gruden.
Allen also disapproved of McCloughan’s hands-on approach with players. At one point late in the year, a frustrated defensive back left practice with the session in progress and retreated to the locker room. McCloughan went to retrieve him, telling the player to come to his office so they could talk. Allen, according to two people, later reprimanded McCloughan, cursing at him and telling him never to go in the locker room again.
The “This is fine” dog lives in FedEx Field.
All signs point to “Scot McCloughan, Washington general manager” being a thing of the past, and the team is reportedly looking to buy his contract out. In what is perhaps the most Washington part of this situation, however, the team will not be able to hire a current NFL GM because of tampering rules. So it’s either Bruce Allen calling the shots, an unproven candidate, or guys who are currently not working.
That could be a problem now that free agency is starting, and players like DeSean Jackson are leaving for more historically stable franchises like…the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And now we learned that Kirk Cousins basically begged Dan Snyder to trade him and Snyder managed expectations, like any good Washington fan would:
