Owner availability drove Washington’s four-quarterback visit

The second I realized the Commanders have been bringing 4 two quarterback prospects to city on the identical day, I believed this: “That’s the one day the owner was available to meet with them.”

On Wednesday, former Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy confirmed this actuality throughout an look with Rich Eisen.

“The owner was in for two days and he wanted to get everyone there in those two days,” McCarthy mentioned.

It’s not a shock. It’s an enormous choice for the Commanders. It’s their most consequential draft choose since Robert Griffin III in 2012. They’ll doubtlessly be including a face-of-the-franchise participant, whose mere presence may maintain the important thing to getting essentially the most favorable stadium deal doable.

But there’s a danger. Just ask any Panthers fan. If the proprietor places his finger on the dimensions, the soccer operation would possibly make an enormous mistake.

That’s the most important problem for Commanders proprietor Josh Harris. The individuals who work for him, and who hope to proceed to take action, will probably be looking ahead to any and all cues. Body language. Facial expressions. Comments made. Questions requested.

Who do you assume the boss likes?

It could be silly for G.M. Adam Peters, coach Dan Quinn, and the remainder of the group to disregard that dynamic. And they’re not silly; they catered to Harris’s availability by having McCarthy, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, and Michael Penix Jr. visit on the similar time.

Would it have been higher to have someday for every of them? Given the magnitude of the choose, completely. Would it have been higher if the proprietor had made himself accessible for 4 separate visits on 4 separate days? Again, completely.

But that’s one of many basic issues with being a fan. You can’t choose your proprietor. And whereas anybody aside from Daniel Snyder was thought to be an enormous step ahead, one of the best proprietor is somebody who finds the candy spot between being round and accessible and concerned but additionally trusts the soccer individuals to do their jobs with out undue affect from somebody who isn’t a soccer professional.

For the Commanders, it clearly could be higher to have an proprietor who’s each concerned with assembly with the quarterback prospects once they visit AND accessible to accommodate 4 completely different visits from high quarterback prospects. Regardless of the justifications made and explanations proffered for the Commanders’ uncommon strategy to internet hosting the highest quarterbacks, the reality is that the proprietor wished to be concerned — and that the proprietor had a restricted window for his involvement.

That’s what occurs when the proprietor is a multi-billionaire with loads of different enterprise pursuits, together with a number of different professional sports activities groups in a number of different cities. But, sure, it’s nonetheless higher than having Daniel Snyder in cost.