Why This Kyle Smith Thing Is And Is Not a Big Deal
The Washington Football Team is in the process of finding and hiring a General Manager. This is good. The team needs this and it’s smart business. Having smart, qualified, and experienced football people helping with your football decisions is a solid approach. Even if a team has an unusual hierarchy, as Washington does with its head coach also the lead voice in all matters from personnel to playing time, it is still wise to have more sharp football minds than less.
Currently, most fans are reading the news in real time with tepid reactions. Names from different organizations who’s teams have had varying levels of success are met with shoulder shrugs and snap judgements based on a couple drafts or recent team records. Whereas members of the media are harping on and waxing poetic about Kyle Smith, Vice President of Player Personnel, not being considered for the General Manager role. Smith has not been interviewed. Eric Stokes, Director of Pro Personnel for the Washington Football Team, has been interviewed as have several candidates from around the league. To some who cover the team, not considering Kyle Smith for the GM role is a huge deal. To others, and it seems most fans, this is much ado about nothing. With that, let’s play DC Sports favorite game: ‘Big Deal or Little Deal?’ I shall now proceed to argue with myself and win.
Why It’s a Big Deal: 3 straight years, former Washington assistant coaches will have teams in the NFC title game. Former Washington executives John Schneider, Trent Baalke, and others were all employed in Ashburn and all have experienced massive success elsewhere. This drives so many people crazy as qualified executives and coaches have been stunted here because of Washington’s historically terrible structure, then they escape and lead their new teams to Super Bowl births. They look at Kyle Smith getting passed over and are understandably thinking: ‘OH MY GOD IT’S HAPPENING AGAIN!’
Why It’s Not a Big Deal: No one has asked to interview Kyle Smith for a role with greater responsibility. We understand the fear of losing a qualified and sharp football mind but maybe we are overreacting here? If he was ready to be a GM, wouldn’t some other team try to snatch him up? Or at least interview him to see if they should consider picking him up?
Big Deal: Washington, since the blanket of epic, morbid, darkness of Dan Snyder’s ownership has been cast over this once proud franchise, the team has had opaque leadership structures. We are never certain who is making important decisions. Remember, it wasn’t that long ago we had Doug Williams bringing in Adrian Peterson without anyone else knowing, Doug Williams being told to turn his cell phone off so that Bruce Allen could make a trade for Alex Smith, Scott Turner getting credit for identifying J.D. McKissic and Logan Thomas in free agency and so on. By all accounts, Kyle Smith has done an excellent job. The team should be promoting and rewarding achievement within its own ranks to that one day, they can have a crystal clear picture of decision making.
Not a Big Deal: You already said it, this is a murky structure. Do we really know what Kyle Smith did? There are a couple big hits in the last couple drafts like Terry McLaurin, Montez Sweat, Antonio Gibson. There are also the usual number of misses. The draft is an inexact science at best and Kyle Smith has just as many misses on his ledger as home runs. There are clearly other voices in the organization that have had more impact/clout. Putting together a league average draft board with mixed results doesn’t mean someone absolutely has to be a GM right now this minute.
Big Deal: They’ll probably lose Kyle Smith over this. You ready to do that dance again? This organization has been among the very worst in sports for 30 years. They cannot afford to lose good people or they will never get out of this endless cycle of disappointment.
Not a Big Deal: Good organizations lose people. They graduate guys who get plucked up by other teams both in coaching and front office scouting. At some point, you have to just do things the right way, build a culture, and then trust that culture to produce the next bright young mind.
Big Deal: That whole culture thing sounds great. If there’s one thing Dan Snyder’s team has been known for, it’s culture. I’m so sure that culture will be built post haste once Ron Rivera brings in all of his best pals from his time in Carolina.
Not a Big Deal: Just because someone has worked with someone else previously, doesn’t mean they are not good hires.
Big Deal: You’re right. That’s how new hires work in all walks of life. You narrow the search as much as possible to guys you went .500 with outside of a 15–1 season.
Not a Big Deal: You can’t just take away a 15–1 season dude. There are 11 and 12 win seasons in there too. When was the last time Washington had one of those?
Big Deal: Exactly.
Not a Big Deal: Exactly.
Big Deal: No I’m saying that.
Not a Big Deal: You can’t be saying that because I’m saying that.
So what’s the verdict? For me, it’s pretty simple. If I’m making decisions for the Washington Football team, I have only one question: Can I afford to lose Kyle Smith? This is what executives, HR managers, small business owners and anyone else that has employees must weigh constantly. How much do we value this person? Does the damage done from their departure outweigh an increased salary, responsibility, or more? I would submit that this organization cannot afford to lose Kyle Smith. He was a holdover from before the Rivera regime. They need more voices, not less, that are not ‘Ron’s guys’. No matter how independent someone may seem, their thinking will inevitably be influenced to make their bosses pleased. This doesn’t mean a person that worked with Rivera previously isn’t capable of smart decision making or independent thought. What it does mean is they know how coach likes things to get done, what kind of players he likes, what he looks for and so on. There’s a natural proclivity to try and find and adhere to that as opposed to being yelled at constantly for offering alternatives. We get conditioned. That inevitably leads to complacency, and when losing happens, blame shifting to the guys that ‘weren’t getting along’ with the vision of the boss(es). Back to Smith. He has been here through 3 regimes and dramatic staff overhauls. That is usually a good indicator of competence. One day, hopefully, this organization will be in a place where it is not a big deal for the team to have a bright young executive go somewhere else. They are not there yet, not close. What does that mean practically? You may not want him as your GM (fine) but you do need to find a path for growth or the outside impression that you don’t care if you lose him, will cause you to do just that.
Verdict: Big Deal
