If, as reported, former Eagles and Browns executive Joe Banner is consulting with the Falcons, the connection raises plenty of intriguing issues, questions, and dynamics.
For starters, the mere fact that owner Arthur Blank has secured Banner’s services as a consultant shows that there’s something about which Blank requires consultation -- but that he doesn’t see fit to obtain that consultation from any of the people he currently has on the payroll. Rumors have been swirling that the cost overruns on the team’s new stadium (at last count, the excess was $400 million) have angered Blank. Which could place whoever is responsible for not properly managing Blank’s expectations regarding the ultimate cost of the stadium in danger of no longer being on the payroll.
Second, Banner has become an active presence on Twitter. Which possibly sheds light on some of the advice he may be giving, if asked about certain topics.
For example, Banner recently has questioned the wisdom of hiring a General Manager to run the organization and to pick a coach. If Blank asked Banner for advice on how to hire the team’s next coach (if a coaching change is made), Banner presumably would advise Blank not to simply delegate the task to G.M. Thomas Dimitroff.
Banner also has defended the notion of hiring a consultant, explaining that it’s “easier to get people to tell the truth when researching candidate this way, and not have a G.M. hire someone he knows.” While not a bad point, it overlooks the reality that consultants routinely have their own relationships and agendas that influence the advice they provide. That’s why it’s important to have multiple consultants; they tend to balance each other out, especially if they don’t come from the same circle of friends and/or allies. Ideally, it would be best to find a couple of consultants who were rivals or even enemies.
If Blank asked Banner about potential coaching candidates, one of the first names on Banner’s list could be the guy Banner tried to trade for in February in the final days of his time with the Browns -- soon-to-be former 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh. The Browns could have had Harbaugh for a pair of third-round picks, but Harbaugh ultimately chose not to pursue the job. This time around, it probably will cost a lot less by way of draft-pick compensation; indeed, the process seems to be unfolding in a way that will make it virtually impossible to trade him at all.
For now, the report is that Banner will focus only on stadium and business issues. But if Blank likes what he hears and if Blank has concerns or questions regarding the football side of the business, it’s easy enough to ask a question and see what Banner has to say.
Or Blank can just read this article and Banner’s Twitter page and glean the answers without having to ask the questions.