Best Org Structure Above/Below the GM as an Owner?

the Browns owner hired Depo as his Chief Strategy Officer. The title doesn't matter but I'd want someone really smart and experienced in winning in sports world running the hiring processes for HC and GM, and also being the one to evaluate them. for all that's discussed of bad external hires so many of the current problems stem back to bad assessments of people who were already in the organization for significant periods of time - Ross, Reese, McAdoo, Gettleman.

If the head coach is qualified enough, any organizational structure gets thrown out the window. Belichick & Reid run their organizations for the most part.

Assuming there isn’t a big time HC, I’d prefer the following:

-Owner (not involved in football operations)
-President of Football Operations
-General Manager

but Sandy Alderson is a good archetype of what I'd look for. Or Lou Lamoriello for the NHL fans. Jerry West for the NBA fans. Experienced executives who have been around the game for a long time, with a diversity of experience being around winners. Not quite sure who would fit in the NFL, maybe Polian? But as the Browns were with Depo I'd be pretty open minded, especially if it seemed like the game was evolving very quickly as it has the past decade or so.

the flip side is phil jackson w knicks but who knows how that would have gone if he wasn't in france. moving coughlin into that type of role post 2015 would have been interesting but i dont think he had the ability to give up the direct control and coach has.

as a legacy franchise and family owned/controlled:
Art Rooney II is Pres.
Art Rooney Jr. is VP

That's it as far as execs.

Then it's Tomlin, who is pretty close to 'big time HC' as Sean terms it.

Tomlin seems to have steered Steelers away from most of the wreckage that Giants have endured, limiting but not altogether avoiding issues that have felled the Giants:
how to move on from a franchise/HOF QB
how to construct a viable OL--virtually all new this season

Jerrah Jones got himself out of the way and the 'Boys have just proven better than Mara Tech in every way over the past ten years.

Comes down to the caliber of the football people and their willingness to self-assess, rather than org. structure, per se

but in the 1976 Raiders episode of America's Game John Madden said the best structure was the one that had the fewest people between the head coach and the owner. In Madden's case, there were zero people between him and Davis.

That's also probably the case in New England and Kansas City.

In comment 15553911 Go Terps said:

Quote:

but in the 1976 Raiders episode of America's Game John Madden said the best structure was the one that had the fewest people between the head coach and the owner. In Madden's case, there were zero people between him and Davis. That's also probably the case in New England and Kansas City.

I'm pretty sure this was unusual because Davis was the GM of the Raiders, too.

The personnel side in the modern game is such a delicate balance of scouting + team architecture + resource management.

I think you can count on one hand the coaches in the history of the game that can do that and coach a team.

I’d rather have an executive operate as GM, even if it’s an owner (wink wink).

But you have to have an incredible head coach, with a dominant personality and intellect.

I would be the CEO with the GM reporting to me as the GM/COO of Football.

Everything football - coaches/scouts/directors/Analytics/etc. - would report to the GM/CEO.

In comment 15553934 bw in dc said:

Quote:

I would be the CEO with the GM reporting to me as the GM/COO of Football. Everything football - coaches/scouts/directors/Analytics/etc. - would report to the GM/CEO.

If I knew jack about running a football organization, I could roll with that.

I imagine my billionaire self spending more time on St. Barts on a yacht than at the office though.

making all final draft and roster decisions, surrounded by his hand chosen brain trust. Look at the Patriots, that's the model.

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