There are only three sustained periods in Washington football franchise history worthy of team (i.e., not player) recognition; going back in time, they are:

1. 1981 - 1992, Joe Gibbs (first stint as) head coach -- three SuperBowl wins

2. 1971 - 1977, George Allen, head coach -- over the hill gang had character and brought renewed competitive football but resulted in no championships

3. 1936 - 1942, Ray Flaherty, head coach -- move from Boston to Washington and team's first two NFL championships; notable but ancient history, even before league's racial integration following World War II

These three periods in Skins history stand out from ALL others (the rest is noise even if the one season under Joe Lombardi and the return of Gibbs were noteworthy and extremely special) and the first period mentioned does so even compared to the second and third periods, and so it's easy to see that the ideal name of this franchise should somehow at least align with the Gibbs teams from 1981-1992.

My feeling is Commanders does NOT do this. This name reflects something meaningful to Rivera because of his upbringing and his (unspoken) belief in the importance in certain, specific aspects of team culture -- discipline, willing to bow to and embrace "command and control," and with a proclivity to support and not question authority and chain of command. I appreciate and respect this a lot and understand its importance so I'm not knocking it: https://www.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/military_white_paper_final.pdf Also, given the military presence in the DMV, Commanders has at least a tie to our area so it's not entirely foreign, but the issue is Commanders doesn't tie to the Skins teams from 1981 to 1992 in my opinion. Commanders is also a vestige of the Snyder era.

Offensively, Jos Gibbs' took the genius of Coryell's air raid vertical attack and effectively combined it with ball control. Defense was under the sublime guidance of Richie Petitbon. Special teams were highly prized as well and coached mainly by Wayne Sevier (with a kicker winning MVP of the league one year). The three phases prepared for all seasons and games like only the best coaches and teams do. As a whole, each team improved over the season, they also made effective adjustments during games and generally rose to the occasion at crucial junctures. When players from this era look back, they talk about the overall level of excellence -- how knowledgeable, creative and well-prepared their coaches and their teams were; they played with resolve and like warriors -- elite commando units / special ops forces -- more than Commanders. They played for their coach, their teammates and their fans. The 1991 team is one of the most successful teams in NFL history. Players are also equally proud of teams that didn't win it all, such as the 1983 team, but the goal each year was to win the Super Bowl. Gibbs and GM Bobby Beathard found and accepted a full range of personality types (including "characters" like John Riggins and Dexter Manley) -- there were all types of Skins -- and got them to buy in to whatever was required for high level team performance -- these teams were not as regimented and yet they were the most successful. A number of ballers in specific roles that could make outstanding plays when called upon. Overall, they were the Skins and various nicknames applied to different players during different periods, some better known than others, and they included the Hogs, the Posse, the Fun Bunch, the Smurfs, Secretary of Defense, DoD / Defense Department, The Three Musketeers, the Diesel, Big Money, Hitman, World, C-Ment, Superman, Ageless Wonder, The Sweater, etc. Not that any of those have to be used -- in part because mostly they emphasize an aspect of the game rather than the collective team effort which was its calling card -- but my point is the nickname should better capture the essence of this period than Commanders does. Hopefully the new ownership group can galvanize the effort for a changed name for the better.

Also, there was no need to change the uniform COLOR scheme of the Washington football franchise - Burgundy, (24K) Gold and White; our traditional colors go well together and don't benefit from emphasized Black and different shades in Red that have been added.

I'll be the first to admit that play on the field is the main thing that matters but it would be sweet to correct the botched handling of this part of the franchise.