The day after the regular season ended, the Commanders announced that former NBA General Manager Bob Myers will serve as a consultant. His consulting continues after the hiring of a G.M. and a head coach.
Via Bryan Manning of USA Today, Myers continues to work with the Commanders. He recently explained that he sat in on quarterback interviews at the Scouting Combine, along with owner Josh Harris.
“Sometimes we talked a little bit about these interviews, these 15-minute interviews or these short snapshots,” Myers said. “Sometimes, you overreact to a good or bad interview, realizing that’s a mistake. That’s not smart. It’s making a determination on a big decision in 15 minutes is never smart. So just sharing ideas like that, sharing experiences, because the NFL and NBA combine have a lot of common threads to them, they have a lot of similarities.”
They have similarities. They have differences. They are two different sports. And both Harris and Myers are brand new to football. That hasn’t stopped Myers from rolling up his sleeves and getting to work — which he did at the Combine.
“Meeting with [coach] Dan [Quinn], meeting with [G.M.] Adam [Peters] about free agency,” Myers said. “Meeting with Josh, spending time with him while he was there. Just honestly being aware that there was a lot I didn’t know. Asking questions in areas that I might see commonality, I would offer, ‘This is the NBA’s version of how we approached free agency.’ Sometimes, when you ask questions, it helps the leaders of the Commanders find answers themselves.”
Sometimes, when you ask questions, you hint at a preferred answer. That’s what Myers will need to avoid.
There’s nothing wrong with Harris and Myers sharing their perspectives. It becomes a problem if they develop an affinity for a player based on merely talking to him, and if they let others in the organization know about it. That’s how NFL teams end up drafting quarterbacks like Bryce Young instead of C.J. Stroud — or Johnny Manziel instead of literally anyone else.
It’s Harris’s prerogative to run his team however he sees fit. For now, he sees fit to involve a former NBA General Manager in high-level meetings and decisions. If it works, look for others to copy it. If it doesn’t, well, at least Dan Snyder is still gone.
