ARTMONK HOF Posted October 26, 2023 Share Posted October 26, 2023 (edited) John Keim ASHBURN, Va. -- Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris, whose other professional sports organizations have strong analytics department, made a first step in making sure his new team has the same. The Commanders hired Eugene Shen as their senior vice president of football strategy Thursday. Shen will oversee their analytics as well as the software development on the football side. Shen will start on Nov. 6. Shen has worked for three other NFL organizations. He was the director of analytics for the Miami Dolphins from 2019-21 and the Baltimore Ravensfrom 2014-2019. He served as the vice president of football analytics with the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2021-22. He was working as a derivatives analyst for Millennium Management Global Investment when Washington hired him. Harris, also the primary owner of the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers and NHL's New Jersey Devils, made it a point of emphasis to bolster the analytics department in both franchises. Harris spoke at the 2020 MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference. In a 2021 ESPN study, Washington was named one of the least analytically advanced teams -- tied with the Cincinnati Bengals and ahead of only the Tennessee Titans. Washington coach Ron Rivera said this summer that he was aware of how much Harris' other teams used analytics but added that, "we've done it; we've used it." "Bringing Eugene's level of expertise to lead our analytics and software development enables us to build on our data capabilities to help inform decision making," Rivera said Thursday in a statement. "Eugene brings a great deal of practical NFL experience, and we look forward to bringing him into our conversations about the vision of our team going forward. The willingness of our ownership group to follow through on their pledge to allocate resources to data and analytics is exciting for the future of the franchise." Edited October 26, 2023 by ARTMONK HOF 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RSkinGM Posted October 26, 2023 Share Posted October 26, 2023 25 minutes ago, ARTMONK HOF said: John Keim ASHBURN, Va. -- Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris, whose other professional sports organizations have strong analytics department, made a first step in making sure his new team has the same. The Commanders hired Eugene Shen as their senior vice president of football strategy Thursday. Shen will oversee their analytics as well as the software development on the football side. Shen will start on Nov. 6. Shen has worked for three other NFL organizations. He was the director of analytics for the Miami Dolphins from 2019-21 and the Baltimore Ravensfrom 2014-2019. He served as the vice president of football analytics with the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2021-22. He was working as a derivatives analyst for Millennium Management Global Investment when Washington hired him. Harris, also the primary owner of the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers and NHL's New Jersey Devils, made it a point of emphasis to bolster the analytics department in both franchises. Harris spoke at the 2020 MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference. In a 2021 ESPN study, Washington was named one of the least analytically advanced teams -- tied with the Cincinnati Bengals and ahead of only the Tennessee Titans. Washington coach Ron Rivera said this summer that he was aware of how much Harris' other teams used analytics but added that, "we've done it; we've used it." "Bringing Eugene's level of expertise to lead our analytics and software development enables us to build on our data capabilities to help inform decision making," Rivera said Thursday in a statement. "Eugene brings a great deal of practical NFL experience, and we look forward to bringing him into our conversations about the vision of our team going forward. The willingness of our ownership group to follow through on their pledge to allocate resources to data and analytics is exciting for the future of the franchise." I can't begin to understand how this information is used. Is it used as a draft tool? Play calling too ? Evaluate plyers on another level. Whatevr it's for - I hope it's an asset ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ARTMONK HOF Posted October 26, 2023 Author Share Posted October 26, 2023 24 minutes ago, RSkinGM said: I can't begin to understand how this information is used. Is it used as a draft tool? Play calling too ? Evaluate plyers on another level. Whatevr it's for - I hope it's an asset ! Football clubs use data analytics to study player movements, passing patterns, and shot accuracy. By analyzing these metrics, coaches refine tactics and improve team cohesion. Data-driven insights enable teams to identify the most effective playing style and formation for their squad. Player performance analysis lies at the heart of football scouting, and data analytics plays a pivotal role in this process. By leveraging advanced statistical models and algorithms, clubs and scouts can assess a player's overall performance, strengths, weaknesses, and contributions to the team. The performance analyst will look at what tactics and strategies the opponent tends to use both in and out of possession, focussing on when the opponent has played teams that use a similar tactic to the analyst's own team. They will look for their strengths and weaknesses and present a report to the manager. Hope this gives you some insight. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
e16bball Posted October 27, 2023 Share Posted October 27, 2023 Wasn’t really sure where to put this, but Josh Harris just hired a new front office guy by the name of Eugene Shen, who will specialize in analytics and software development. He’s been with a few organizations over the last decade with similar responsibilities (BAL, MIA, JAX). We’re starting from miles behind most teams in this area, so he has his work cut out for himself, but this has always been something approaching a certainty when Harris bought the team. One of the best things about him is that he is a huge advocate for analytics and other “egghead” type stuff. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naptownskinsfan Posted October 27, 2023 Share Posted October 27, 2023 11 hours ago, e16bball said: Wasn’t really sure where to put this, but Josh Harris just hired a new front office guy by the name of Eugene Shen, who will specialize in analytics and software development. He’s been with a few organizations over the last decade with similar responsibilities (BAL, MIA, JAX). We’re starting from miles behind most teams in this area, so he has his work cut out for himself, but this has always been something approaching a certainty when Harris bought the team. One of the best things about him is that he is a huge advocate for analytics and other “egghead” type stuff. Hopefully he’s our Sig Mejdal. Just need to find our Mike Elias now. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lavar703 Posted October 27, 2023 Share Posted October 27, 2023 11 hours ago, e16bball said: Wasn’t really sure where to put this, but Josh Harris just hired a new front office guy by the name of Eugene Shen, who will specialize in analytics and software development. He’s been with a few organizations over the last decade with similar responsibilities (BAL, MIA, JAX). We’re starting from miles behind most teams in this area, so he has his work cut out for himself, but this has always been something approaching a certainty when Harris bought the team. One of the best things about him is that he is a huge advocate for analytics and other “egghead” type stuff. It's pretty exciting to have an owner like this. At least we have the future to look forward too lol 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeT14 Posted October 27, 2023 Share Posted October 27, 2023 34 minutes ago, lavar703 said: It's pretty exciting to have an owner like this. At least we have the future to look forward too lol Yeah man! Let him keep doing his thing to set up the future! He’ll get to the staff eventually when he’s ready. No reason to add that disruption yet. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naptownskinsfan Posted October 27, 2023 Share Posted October 27, 2023 Broken all of these posts out into a new topic Pretty big deal that someone was hired into the front office despite Rivera have control of the football side 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
e16bball Posted October 27, 2023 Share Posted October 27, 2023 2 hours ago, lavar703 said: It's pretty exciting to have an owner like this. At least we have the future to look forward too lol Very cool, I think. Especially in a sport like football, where there’s still room to carve out some advantages by being ahead of the curve on the analytics stuff. In baseball, basically everybody’s there. You can’t exist in the world of baseball if you’re not relying heavily on the analytics and all the various data/models. Basketball is getting pretty close to that same point. But in football, there is still some of that *resistance* that Moneyball and the early sabermetrics guys ran into in baseball in the late 90s and early 2000s. Some stubbornness and a definite disdain for metrics over the old-fashioned eye test. And I have to say, in large part that’s for good reason. Each individual play in football is so much more complex than in baseball, for example. You have 11 moving parts on each side of the ball, most/all of whom are involved on the action in any given play. In baseball, you can largely reduce the outcome to the contribution of a few guys — just figure out how the outcome gets attributed between pitcher, batter, and fielder(s). That’s much more conducive to clean statistical analysis than a football play, which is for the most part a chain reaction where one player’s actions can be dictated (or at least influenced) by several other players around him. Still, there is room for a shrewd team to seize some real advantages in various areas. It certainly doesn’t have to all be related to on-field performance evaluation — there are lots of areas where analysis could improve processes. Personality modeling and group dynamics to try to build a better/more cohesive locker room (a big thing that I think Elias and Sig are very into, @naptownskinsfan). Using biometric data to make targeted improvements to health, capabilities, techniques, etc., of individual players. Better valuation of draft picks and perhaps more priority placed on positional value. It could unlock a lot of more informed, more efficient decision-making. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taylor made Posted October 28, 2023 Share Posted October 28, 2023 This is a big hire I feel. Hopefully will stop all the reaches in the draft at least. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naptownskinsfan Posted October 28, 2023 Share Posted October 28, 2023 Also, I am going to predict that Shen is an early front runner for GM. If so, I like that we are going with someone who isn’t a “personnel” guy, who is going to go the analytical approach and make decisions on data, supplemented with scouting reports. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ARTMONK HOF Posted October 29, 2023 Author Share Posted October 29, 2023 Riggos Rag While this is sure to help Rivera during his planning once Shen gets into the building, it does nothing to alter the notion that landmark alterations to the Commanders' football infrastructure are coming at some stage. Confidence is waning in the coach's ability to lead this team. With a gauntlet of difficult opponents down the stretch, all signs point to Harris going in a different direction once Washington is formally eliminated from playoff contention. This might be a small hire in the grand scheme of things. But it's a sign that Harris and his ownership group are feeling more confident about involving themselves on the football operation side. That's bad news for Rivera unless significant improvements aren't made over the next 10 games. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeT14 Posted October 29, 2023 Share Posted October 29, 2023 5 hours ago, naptownskinsfan said: Also, I am going to predict that Shen is an early front runner for GM. If so, I like that we are going with someone who isn’t a “personnel” guy, who is going to go the analytical approach and make decisions on data, supplemented with scouting reports. I’d lean closer to President to hire a GM but I think your train of thought is good. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ARTMONK HOF Posted October 29, 2023 Author Share Posted October 29, 2023 (edited) Our new GM? Alec Halaby, who enters his 16th year with the Philadelphia Eagles, was named assistant general manager in 2022 after spending six seasons (2016-21) as the team's vice president of football operations and strategy. During his tenure with the Eagles, Halaby has focused on player evaluation, roster management, and resource allocation, with a particular emphasis on integrating traditional and analytical methods in decision-making. Halaby previously served as a special assistant to the general manager (2012-15) and player personnel analyst (2010-11). He began his career as an intern with the Eagles' football operations department (2007, '09). A native of Madison, WI, Halaby graduated from Harvard in 2009. Edited October 29, 2023 by ARTMONK HOF 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeT14 Posted October 29, 2023 Share Posted October 29, 2023 10 hours ago, ARTMONK HOF said: Our new GM? Alec Halaby, who enters his 16th year with the Philadelphia Eagles, was named assistant general manager in 2022 after spending six seasons (2016-21) as the team's vice president of football operations and strategy. During his tenure with the Eagles, Halaby has focused on player evaluation, roster management, and resource allocation, with a particular emphasis on integrating traditional and analytical methods in decision-making. Halaby previously served as a special assistant to the general manager (2012-15) and player personnel analyst (2010-11). He began his career as an intern with the Eagles' football operations department (2007, '09). A native of Madison, WI, Halaby graduated from Harvard in 2009. He's on my shortlist I made. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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