Here are two questions for Commanders fans, one off the field and one on: do Jason Wright and the business side of the organization deserve a clean slate in the post-Dan Snyder era, and regardless of what happens there, what will it take to win you back as a fan?
Grant & Danny tried to take a shot at looking at the latter early in Tuesday's show, referencing an article by Mike Jones – who used to cover the then-Redskins with Grant back in the day – in The Athletic where Wright explained why he wants to 'win back Commanders fans, no matter the challenge.'
"Maybe I should recuse myself from this, because after covering them, my fandom has changed; I don't feel any different about the team than I used to, but that kind of makes it hard for me," Grant said. "But Danny, I know you can offer something here."
"I need to see that something is really, truly different," Danny responded. "I've heard it all before, and I don't care about lip service anymore; I need to see it, and here's the biggest way it can manifest itself: correct structure immediately, like the minute Josh Harris takes over, a real GM who is in charge of the whole shebang."
Once that happens, and there are "demonstrative examples where fans are heard," then Danny will be back – and Grant doubled down on that.
"If they want to win fans back, you have to start acting differently than you have for years," Grant replied. "For a long time, this franchise didn't have to appease fans, because anyone who was unhappy, someone else would walk in and fill that seat. This franchise still acts like they're the bees knees, but they need to act like they need people to like them, not like they want people to like them. There's a big difference. They're no longer one of the NFL's most revered organizations, and your stranglehold in DC is gone. They need to adapt to the model of making people happy for the next year or two, whatever that takes."
Later in the show, the guys welcomed in Jones, who explained that he sat down with Wright for a little less than an hour at the owner's meetings in March, and then checked in occasionally about his vision and new ownership's potential impact before publishing the piece on Tuesday – and Jones agreed with Danny's synopsis.
"I think after a certain amount of time, what you say doesn't matter, you have to show it and have results on the field. They're trying hard to improve the fan experience and upgrade the stadium as much as they can – he's not in charge of football stuff, but he can give Ron Rivera and his staff improvements that they can use. And, there's mixed results – some people are happy with what they've seen so far, and some are disappointed. I think people are still pretty much holding their breath with Jason."
August will be three years since Wright was hired, so what does he have to show for that tenure?
"When I talk to fans, I hear that the Sean Taylor thing and the name are big on people's minds – and about Sean Taylor, he said that was execution and they have to be better. But, with that, there's been so much turnover that there's very little institutional knowledge – there were blunders in the greatest team of the 90s, welcoming Ryan Kerrigan back, and other things," Jones said. "He knows he hasn't been perfect, but one thing he's not afraid to do is say they were wrong about something and figure out how to be better. The thing is, at some point, you have to stop slipping up and actually be better."
Wright has reason to believe things are on the up and up on the business side, but once again, "fans have to see the wins on the field" for things to truly get better.
The original story was almost 4,000 words, a 'long-ass story' that was cut down over 1,000 words, so some of what Jones wanted to convey had to be cut out. But in what was left, Wright told Jones he was proud of the international and far-away visitors that come to FedEx Field…but to Jones, those people are outliers, not diehards.
"The bulk of the people coming to that stadium are people in your back yard, who you have to keep happy," Jones said. "I'm not worried about someone visiting from Greece and buying a Commanders jersey and taking it home; I'm worried about the guy right down the road who wonders if they should go to Baltimore – the people who have left to cheer for the Ravens because they've been so disappointed."
So how do they do that?
"A huge chunk of it is on the field, and while they haven't had a winning season in three years, they're hovering around .500 and have been in the thick of playoff races," Jones said. "But at the same time, the stadium is awful, so people don't feel like going there is a better experience than watching at home. He has to make it appealing, but they have to work with local governments and find out what their values are so they can get a good stadium deal and give them a fresh experience. Until we're done with FedEx Field, it's going to feel the same."
Danny believes that being able to say "this is when we're done with FedEx Field" would be ideal, even if legally it's almost impossible, but Jones WHAT.
"Ultimately, you look at that Sunday night game against the Giants and ticket sales were surging, that for him was a mark that if they get close, people will want to come even if that stadium is a mess," Jones said. "It's a package deal – you have to be good on the field, and there has to be some hope you can sell for the future."
Perhaps the bigger question is this: will Wright even be around under new ownership to get that chance? Listen to Grant & Danny's take, as well as Jones' thoughts, above, and let us know what you think!
Follow Grant & Danny on Twitter: @granthpaulsen & @funnydanny
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