Harris’s perception within the worth of analytics and sports activities science was central to his rebuilds of the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers and the NHL’s New Jersey Devils, and it will likely be integral to his shaping of the Commanders. The workforce continued the method of reworking its participant wellness and soccer analytics departments this week by hiring Tim McGrath.
McGrath will function Washington’s senior director of participant well being and efficiency, overseeing all points of athletic coaching, energy and conditioning, diet, sports activities science and participant wellness. McGrath, an Australian citizen, joined the workforce late final season as a guide whereas he awaited approval of an immigrant work visa to be employed full-time, an individual with information of the matter mentioned. Throughout that point, he noticed the workforce’s operations to seek out methods to enhance its coaching assets and processes.
McGrath is Harris’s second main rent on this realm. Eugene Shen joined the Commanders in October as senior vp of technique, overseeing all analytics and software program growth for soccer operations.
Washington additionally employed soccer knowledge analyst Preston Biro in June and not too long ago added assistant energy and conditioning coach Cesar Castillo. The workforce is more likely to proceed to bolster its athletic coaching workers and analytics teams within the coming months.
Shen and McGrath attended the NFL mix final week and hung out with Common Supervisor Adam Peters.
“Once you’re speaking about simply participant analysis, it’s a fantastic knowledge level. It’s a fantastic cross-checker for you,” Peters mentioned of his use of analytics. “And the extra you may actually tailor it to what you’re searching for in gamers, it could actually make it easier to achieve edges. … Everyone’s obtained the identical sum of money, identical quantity of gamers. … And by having a extremely good analytics workforce and analytics division, you may actually get an edge that means.”
Harris started to beef up the Commanders’ use of sports activities science and enhance participant wellness nearly instantly after buying the workforce. Simon Rice, the 76ers’ vp of athlete care, attended practices throughout coaching camp to look at Washington’s coaching operations and advocate potential modifications.
McGrath, a physiotherapist with 20 years of professional sports activities expertise and 22 years of scientific expertise, has a doctorate in scientific physiotherapy. His experience is in lower-limb damage prevention and rehabilitation, and he has been a scientific guide for greater than 35 professional sports activities groups in 11 leagues, together with the NBA, NHL, English Premier League, Main League Rugby and Australian Soccer League.
McGrath helped develop Pitch Prepared, a testing system that makes use of movement seize knowledge to assist kind tailor-made damage prevention and restoration plans. The idea of this system’s algorithms is from McGrath’s PhD analysis on knee accidents.
The 76ers started utilizing Pitch Prepared in 2021. The Commanders are possible to make use of the platform this yr as McGrath emphasizes extra individualized plans.
Washington ranked final in an NFL Gamers Affiliation participant survey of working circumstances, and among the many main gripes from gamers was the restricted assets for athletic coaching. The workforce’s energy coaches ranked among the many league’s highest (fifth this yr, tied for first final yr) within the NFLPA’s report card.
5 days after starting to reshape their roster with some veteran cuts, the Commanders started so as to add exterior expertise. On Wednesday, the workforce agreed to a one-year deal value as much as $5 million with tight finish Zach Ertz, two individuals with information of the deal mentioned.
Ertz, 33, is acquainted with Washington’s new system and its play caller. He spent a lot of the previous three seasons with Arizona, the place Kliff Kingsbury, now the Commanders’ offensive coordinator, was his head coach in 2021 and 2022.
Ertz started his profession in Philadelphia as a second-round draft select of Stanford in 2013, and he earned three Professional Bowl nods over 9 years with the Eagles. He was most not too long ago with the Detroit Lions — for all of six days; he was signed to the observe squad throughout the playoffs, and his contract expired after the Lions’ loss to the San Francisco 49ers within the NFC championship sport.
Though Ertz provides expertise to Washington’s tight finish corps, he has suffered a string of accidents and has performed only one full season up to now 5 years. He had 27 receptions for 187 yards and a landing in seven video games with Arizona in 2023 earlier than he was launched in late November.
