Washington owner Josh Harris is more involved than expected
Last year, Josh Harris added the Commanders to a sports portfolio that includes the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers and the NHL's New Jersey Devils. It wasn't clear how involved he would be in the management of the team.
Per a source with knowledge of the situation, Harris has been more involved than people expected him to be.
The truth is that most owners are more involved than media and fans realize. They typically like to be able to blame bad decisions on others, in the same way that the owners collectively use Commissioner Roger Goodell as a highly-compensated pin cushion.
This dynamic created a significant potential problem. Whether the owner realizes it or not, his employees are paying attention to everything he says, every question he asks, every move he makes. When you're a multi-billionaire and the person who ultimately runs the team, anyone with any desire to remain employed by you will be searching for any clues as to what will make you happy.
It's the calzone effect, as Constanza learned while working for the Yankees. The owner wants what he wants. The best way to maximize job security is to be the one who gives him what he wants.
How subtle will Harris be when it comes to which of the top quarterback prospects he prefers? Our best explanation for this week's four-quarterback square dance was that they visited on a day that Harris was available to be there for the meetings.
Harris met with quarterbacks at the Scouting Combine. Harris realizes the importance of the decision his team is about to make.
Ultimately, it's his team. So it's his decision. He'll develop a preference. It will be impossible for him to keep it quiet. Once those around him sense what it is, that's the direction in which they'll go.
Unless, for example, G.M. Adam Peters is willing to wager his career on rolling the dice with someone other than who the owner wants.
It happened last year with Bryce Young in Carolina. It happened 10 years ago with Johnny Manziel in Cleveland. (It would have happened that same year in Dallas, if the Cowboys hadn't done everything they could to keep Jerry Jones from issuing a mandate to move on Manziel.)
While it's still unclear who the Commanders will take, it will undoubtedly be a guy Harris wants. Or, at a minimum, it will be a player of whom he approves.
