Washington fans began hearing the word “culture” regularly in Oct. 2019, when former team president Bruce Allen foolishly and hilariously said the franchise’s “culture is actually damn good.”
Allen, who had managed to dodge the media for years, had to face Washington’s local media after firing head coach Jay Gruden. At the end of that miserable season, Allen would finally meet a similar fate.
Former owner Dan Snyder mentioned culture several times when hiring new head coach and top football czar Ron Rivera in Jan. 2020. Over the past four seasons, fans have grown tired and weary of hearing Rivera talk about the culture.
Players, too, are tired of hearing about culture and not seeing enough wins.
With Rivera expected to be fired after Sunday’s season finale against the Dallas Cowboys, talk of change is in the air.
After Wednesday’s practice, wide receiver Jahan Dotson was asked what the Commanders needed to be better on the field.
“I would say, as far as players, just a sense of culture,” Dotson said. “We got to have a mindset in here that we want change. We can’t just accept this type of stuff because this is really hard on a lot of people. I know a lot of people come from winning backgrounds, so we’ve got to bring that stuff in here. We can’t accept anything but winning. That starts with us players, no matter who the coaches are. It starts with us; we’ve got to bring our best foot and make sure that we go out every Sunday and bring it.”
Scott Abraham of ABC 7 in Washington, D.C., followed up with Dotson on his comments about culture and whether that is on the players or coaches.
“I feel like it’s everyone, but I feel like the best teams you see in any sport are player-led,” Dotson said. “Your captains, they step up, everyone really follows because when you’re surrounded by guys who are hungry and want to win, it trickles down, and it’s a domino effect. So I feel like that’s where we could start.”
This is a good, honest answer from Dotson. He’s not throwing anyone under the bus. Washington needs to change a lot of things. And change starts at the top.
The most significant change happened over the summer when Josh Harris took over as the Commanders’ owner. Next, there will be a new GM and coach. This offseason, there will also be roster turnover, too.
Players are tired of losing. Fans are even more tired of losing. While changing things does not guarantee success, the word “culture” is often overstated as winning = culture. Until the Commanders win consistently, the culture will not improve.
Changes are coming for the Washington Commanders.
What changes need to happen inside the locker room?
Honest response here from Jahan Dotson.
He told me, “a sense of culture. We got to have a mindset in here that we want change…the best teams in any sport are player led.” pic.twitter.com/9V3qbaZ9UC
— Scott Abraham (@Scott7news) January 3, 2024