The Right Move for Doug!
In January of 2020, Redskins legend Doug Williams was named Senior Vice President of Player Development.
In June of 2017, Doug Williams was officially named the Senior Vice President of Player Personnel for the Washington Redskins.
A change of title by one word, but quite a significant difference, if you believe his former title was authentic.
Bruce Allen, at that point, still the President of the franchise, said this in a press conference that I was "lucky enough" to be at.
“After the (2017) draft, I started talking to people outside of the Redskins about the opportunity and wanted to head what their vision was for this position and what role they thought they could fit to help the Redskins win," Allen said. "Talked to over a dozen candidates and must say that some were impressive and some might fit the role of what we were looking for. But there was one person who we had met with inside the Redskins that we know will fit the role. It’s a person that I hired in 2004 with Tampa, and when you’re looking for someone in this position, you want somebody who has unquestionable character, great leadership skills, a presence and a great teammate for everyone around him, and that pointed to Doug.
“In Doug’s interview with us, he presented a plan and we had several talks after that and we accepted Doug’s plan. His resume is impressive, as you all know, but it’s really remarkable when you consider everything he’s done that matters in this job. This job is daily communication and leadership of the personnel department. It’s daily communication and leadership of our coaches and players. And Doug being a high school coach, a high school athletic director, obviously an outstanding player, fits the role perfectly for where we want to be as Washington Redskins. His probably most-understated accomplishment, he’s one of only a handful of people who is in two Ring of Honors in the NFL. And it’s not just about the player, it’s about the man, and I’m proud to announce our new Senior Vice President of Player Personnel, Doug Williams.”
It was a very eloquent statement by Allen, but he never explained how exactly Williams' leadership and wonderful qualities, translated to leading the lifeblood of any NFL franchise.
When you are in charge of all personnel, you have to be more than a leader and a communicator. You have to be a player evaluation wiz.
Williams did not arrive back in Washington with an important title or the reputation of being a great personnel evaluator.
He certainly grew behind the scenes but did he rise to the true definition of a typical SVP of Player Personnel, overseeing Alex Santos (pro) and Kyle Smith (college)?
There's nobody that I ever talked with that believed Doug was in the right position. Many in the building would privately roll their eyes or say other things that let you know.
I had personal dealings with Williams away from Redskins Park that strongly indicated 2 + 2 was not equaling 4.
Somehow, in his old position, he was still able to serve as part of a committee at the University of Maryland to investigate the Jordan McNair tragedy and culture of the football program.
Per the Washington Post "Doug Williams, retired Redskins quarterback and current team senior vice president, charged $30,550."
Further - "Doug Williams had a car service drive from Ashburn to Baltimore and back, which resulted in a $477 charge. The invoice from the Redskins executive is the only one not itemized by date, but it stated that he put in 47 hours in all, helping with a “review of interview memos, Commission conference calls, drafting conference calls and meeting with the Board of Regents," according to Rick Maese of the Post.
There were Bahamas trips as part of a team sponsorship, autograph and personal appearance signings and more.
Which is to say - there isn't a top level executive in the NFL that can do all that and do such an important job title at the same time. Sorry, it just doesn't happen.
Essentially, Williams was the general manager without that specific title. Sources inside Redskins Park and around the NFL knew that it wasn't exactly going down the way it was portrayed.
Bruce Allen wanted a friendly face to be the spokesman for the front office so that he could run and hide.
He chose Doug Williams, gave him a fancy title and kept running the show. He gave Williams a title promotion but didn't give him any juice or authority over personnel and if we're being completely honest, Williams wasn't considered by many as the right person for that type of job.
I could go on and on, but I know that simply by relaying what many others and I have heard and witnessed, that it's not a good look for Williams. However, I feel it shines the light more on just how hideously poor Allen's mismanagement of the franchise was for a decade.
Here's the bottom-line: Doug Williams is a valued resource. He is a Redskins legend. He has done more good things for the sport of football and this organization than just about anyone.
He's finally in the right position where he can help the Redskins organization and players moving forward.
He's not being asked to do something that he wasn't necessarily prepared for or given the resources to do.
Williams can now help the Redskins players and coaching staff connect and get better.
He's a salt of the earth human being and his personality fits right in with Ron Rivera.
In other words, a good leader (Rivera) recognized a good person (Williams) who was miscast and used as a pawn piece by a terrible "leader" and he immediately recognized the value that Williams could add in a newly defined role.
Finally, an adult is in charge.
Chris Russell is the Publisher of Maven & Sports Illustrated's Washington Redskins channel. He can be heard on 106.7 The FAN in the Washington D.C. area and world-wide on Radio.com. Chris also hosts the "Locked on Redskins" Podcast and can be read via subscription to Warpath Magazine. You can e-mail Chris at russellmania09@Gmail.com or follow him on Twitter at @Russellmania621.
