Category: Coaching Hires

Jay Gruden examines what’s happened to the Commanders’ offense

The former Washington coach with some excellent analysis on the Commanders’ recent offensive woes.

Jay Gruden said the Commanders didn’t take advantage of their opportunities and, as a result, lost to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday at Northwest Stadium.

The former Redskins head coach went back and watched the game a second time in preparation for his Monday appearance on the Grant & Danny Show (106.7 the Fan). Gruden said he is convinced that in the first three quarters, the Commanders had their chances to take control of the game and simply didn’t do it.

“The last few minutes was pretty chaotic on both sides of the ball, but the first three quarters, I think was just a matter of taking advantage of great opportunities, and Washington didn’t do it,” Gruden said via Lou DiPietro of Audacy. 

“They had great field position, opportunities to really jump out on them early and put your foot down and show who’s a better team, and they didn’t do it. They just let Dallas hang around and hang around.”

Gruden was the head coach in Washington for the 2014-2019 regular seasons, and the offensive coordinator for the Benglas (2011-2013) and Jaguars (2020).

“Third downs are bad; they’re 12-for-38 in their last three games, 10 sacks, and time of possession. They’re averaging 24 minutes per game in the last- three games,” Gruden said. “A lot of that has to do with the ability to keep the ball, and they’re not staying on the field on third down. There’s a lot of reasons for it – sometimes it’s pressure related, sometimes Jayden misses a throw or there’s no throw to be had – so there’s a lot of things they can clean up, but the most important thing is they got to do a better job on third down.”

Having been a Division 1 starting quarterback at Louisville and working with NFL quarterbacks for a decade, Gruden is not simplistic. He knows there are various reasons why the Commanders’ offense is struggling.

“A lot of times it’s hard to get off your No. 1 target when feel pressure inside, and you gotta get rid of the ball,” Gruden said. “It’s just hard to point your finger at one thing. Sometimes it’s pressure, sometimes he feels like the guy is open and the defensive back makes a good play, but it’s easy to hold the film on pause, and then when the ball’s gone, let it play again and see somebody come wide open, and say you should have held the ball and thrown it to this guy. That’s not always the case when you have the ball in your hand,d and you’re playing quarterback.”

Jay, unlike his brother Jon, is not overly critical. He exhibits much more empathy and is much more understanding of the pressures of a rookie quarterback.

“There are times I agree he could have maybe held the ball a little bit longer, but that’s easier said than done for a young quarterback.”

Commanders Quinn not buying the narrative about Kingsbury offenses

What Dan Quinn said about the narrative regarding Kliff Kingsbury.

Three weeks ago, the Commanders were 7-2 and were considered one of the best offenses in the NFL.

Three consecutive losses later, the offense is not the only thing struggling; however, fans and local media often want to discuss the offense in general and, in this case, offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury in particular.

So it wasn’t all that surprising when Dan Quinn was asked Monday about Kingsbury and his offenses regressing in the second half of the year. What was surprising was that Quinn was even asked if he had given it thought to before hiring Kingsbury.

“Sure, I probably don’t give it as much, and here’s why,” Quinn said. “You’re talking about a different program with different people and different players. And so, I think going into it, and you’re putting in a system together, you want to make sure that you’re featuring the players and the things that they do best and all of that. And so I think Kliff’s done a good job of that, although they’re peaks and valleys and any season that’s going to go. I don’t have a sense of what somebody did you know well before, because the system that was in place there is not the same exact carbon copy as the one here.”

I don’t have much doubt that there will be those who interpret Quinn’s reply as a knee-jerk cop-out, avoiding the subject.

However, there is truth in what Quinn is saying: There is turnover most years on most rosters in the NFL.

Consider Kingsbury, who was the Arizona Cardinals head coach during the 2019-2022 seasons. His first season saw Larry Fitzgerald as his leading receiver, but Fitzgerald retired following the 2020 season. DeAndre Hopkins became the Cardinals’ leading receiver in 2021, but Christian Kirk took over that role in Kingsbury’s last season in Arizona.

Kenyan Drake led the Cardinals in rushing in 2019 and 2020, and James Conner has taken over that rule in recent seasons.

Kyler Murray replaced Josh Rosen from 2018, who had replaced Carson Palmer as the Cardinals’ signal caller.

Whether Kingsbury’s offenses have taken this huge dive downward regressing in the second half would require a deeper dive in research.

The Commanders’ offense first slowed down during the Bears game. Washington could only generate 12 points throughout the game until the ‘Hail Mary’ provided six points on the game’s final play.

But the defense may be just as big a story as the offense. In the last four games, the defense has given up 22 points (Giants), 28 (Steelers), 26 (Eagles), and 34 (Cowboys).

But are we even sure about those numbers? On Sunday, Dallas returned two kickoffs for touchdowns. How is that the defense’s fault?

Of course, many years ago, it was proven that the best defense is a good offense, and the best offense is a good defense.

So, it will take a deeper dive to uncover some real data on the Kingsbury offenses’ continually declining and regressing performance in the second half of seasons.

 

Commanders’ captains this week is no coincidence

Dan Quinn’s choice for captains were very deliberate.

Well, it was certainly no coincidence when Dan Quinn announced the Commanders’ captains for their game Sunday.

Quinn’s Commanders are playing host to the Cowboys on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Northwest Stadium. Consequently, Quinn named not one, not two, but all three captains to be former Dallas Cowboys, adding, “And all three of these guys have really had different ways they’ve made their impact with their teammates and on the team.”

Center Tyler Biadasz, DE Dante Fowler and CB Noah Igbinoghene were named the Commanders captains for the Week 12 contest against the Cowboys.

Biadasz spent his first four NFL seasons (2020-23) in Dallas, three of which were when Quinn served as defensive coordinator. Quinn brought Biadasz to Washington to add a veteran to the inside of the line and give rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels NFL experience. Biadasz has started all 11 games for the Commanders this season.

Fowler has been with Quinn while playing for the Florida Gators, Atlanta Falcons (2020), and the Cowboys (2022-23) and is now in Washington in 2024. Previously, Fowler was with the Rams (2018-2019) and played for the Jaguars (2016-18) after they drafted him third overall in the 2015 NFL draft.

This week’s captain representing the special team units is cornerback Noah Igbinoghene. Drated 30th overall in the 2020 NFL draft by the Dolphins, he played three seasons in Miami (2020-2022) before moving on to Dallas for the 2023 season. He followed Quinn to Washington, signing a one-year contract with the Commanders. Prior to coming to the Commanders, he had started only five games in his four seasons. But with Emmanuel Forbes struggling, Mike Sainristil often has to play outside corner, leaving the slot corner spot to Igbinoghene.

Commanders HC Dan Quinn is fired up for Washington-Dallas week

It’s Dallas week. Dan Quinn is fired up.

Dan Quinn remembers well when the Cowboys and Redskins were a big deal.

Quinn was born in 1970 and raised in New Jersey. He has said on more than one occasion that he grew up watching the NFC East.

He recalls the Giants’ Bill Parcells’s two Super Bowl teams, the Cowboys coached by Tom Landry, the Eagles by Buddy Ryan, and the Redskins by Joe Gibbs.

Regarding the Week 12 match-up this week of the Cowboys coming to Washington, Quinn wasn’t shy Wednesday with the media, saying, “For me and for the guys, man, it’s like, Washington-Dallas Week, let’s get down.”

Whether Quinn watched, in particular, the Cowboys at Redskins 1982 championship game, I don’t know. But the fact he referred to this week as “Washington-Dallas Week” reveals in itself that Quinn does have a knowledge of the rivalry and what it was 40 years ago.

The Cowboys won two Super Bowls in the 70s with QB Roger Staubach at quarterback and the “Doomsday defense.”  QB Danny White never had a Doomsday defense when he led the team to three consecutive NFC Championship games before losing all three, the last to the Redskins in 1982.

The Redskins won the NFC East three consecutive seasons (1982-84), and went to four Super Bowls under Gibbs (1981-92) winning three, along the way winning and losing some big games to the Cowboys.

Quinn was asked Wednesday what the game means for the former Cowboys and his message to them.

“I haven’t talked to them much different about that. You probably know from now, I don’t make one [game] too often bigger than another. I just think they’re all really important and we absolutely go after it as hard as we can.”

But of course, Quinn is more than aware that NFL divisional rivals are more intense regular season games.

 

Former Washington coach in trouble?

Is 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan really on the hot seat?

A former Washington Redskins offensive coordinator is said to be on the hot seat.

Sunday, the Seattle Seahawks drove down the field and, in the game’s final seconds, defeated the San Francisco 49ers, dropping the 49ers to 5-5 this season.

A couple of hours later, Grant Cohn, publisher of 49ers on SI, tweeted, “If the 49ers miss the playoffs, they should fire Kyle Shanahan. Period.”

Twitter was ablaze on Sunday evening, as 49er fans declared their disappointment with this year’s team in general. In particular, many voicing they wouldn’t mind if Shanahan was not San Francisco’s coach next season. That was putting it nicely, by the way.

Many are tweeting things they should not, being mean-spirited, unfair, and frankly hateful towards Shanahan. Yes, they are exercising their First Amendment right to say what they think. However, aren’t they also revealing how unfair and unkind they are as people?

Yes, the 49ers are struggling, and yes, injuries have been a major issue. They are a reality.

If Shanahan’s 2024 team does not make the playoffs, there will be changes made. However, that doesn’t mean necessarily the change made will be the head coach. They could choose to make personnel changes.

And yes, they could fire Kyle Shanahan. However, the 49ers could still win the NFC West, where the Cardinals lead at 6-4 and the 49ers, Rams and Seahawks are tied at 5-5.

Shanahan was the Redskins’ offensive coordinator during the 2010-2013 seasons. He was subsequently fired along with head coach Mike Shanahan, Matt LaFleur, and others after a horrible 3-13 2013 season, when Robert Griffin had refused to run the offense that Kyle had designed for him in 2012, bringing Griffin his lone season of NFL success.

Shanahan was the Houston Texans’ offensive coordinator for the 2008 and 2009 seasons. After Washington, he was the offensive coordinator for the Browns in 2014 and the Falcons in 2015 and 2016 before becoming the 49ers’ head coach for the 2017 season.

What do the Commanders know about Marshon Lattimore’s injury?

What is Marshon Lattimore’s current status?

Marshon Lattimore did not practice again on Thursday.

We know some said Lattimore was coming to a good team and would find his hamstring wasn’t really injured after all. Well, seeing the opponent is the 6-2 Pittsburgh Steelers, and Lattimore has not practiced Wednesday or Thursday, we should safely conclude that, yes, Lattimore does have a hamstring injury, and it has been confirmed by the trainers and medical personnel.


GM Adam Peters, head coach Dan Quinn, and defensive coordinator Joe Whitt have all publicly stated since the trade that they love Lattimore’s competitive fire and intensity.

The Steelers coming off a bye week, are rested, and they have also picked up former Redskins and Packers pass rusher Preston Smith and receiver Mike Williams. In addition, the Commanders are apparently going to be without Lattimore, and the Steelers do like for Russell Wilson to go deep occasionally.

Whitt, in his introductory remarks launching his press conference, expressed,

“I didn’t know if I was going to see some guys with their heads down because you bring in a talent like this, some other guys might say, ‘Well, I’m going to lose opportunity.’ And they might be saying that I don’t know, alright. But that’s the business, but nobody’s acting that way.”

Whitt likes the winner’s attitude he sees in the current defensive backs, who are glad to be bringing in Lattimore. Whitt added, “That’s a credit to DQ (Quinn) and AP (Peters) and the brotherhood and the culture that’s being set here. That everybody is bringing them in, helping him, teaching him, talking to him.”

However, Whitt made it clear from the start that he was willing to talk about his defense but not about Lattimore’s health and when he would actually begin playing for the Commanders.

“As soon as we can get him out there, we will. When that will be, I don’t know. Okay. So, please don’t ask me because I don’t know when that will be, but as soon as we can, we will.”

Would the Commanders keep Lattimore from running until warmups for Sunday’s contest? We can only hope. But for now, they might be targeting Lattimore for Thursday at the Eagles.

How will the Commanders respond to success?

How will the Commanders respond to their recent success?

Sometimes, one of the hardest things to respond to is success.

Commanders head coach Dan Quinn talked with the press Wednesday about their commitment to preparing each week, which will help them respond to success. He’s been around, so he knows that such an emotional win one week must give way to the usual process of weekly preparation for focus and success to continue.

“I think because of the precise nature that we do to get ready; it does allow you to get right back into it,” Quinn said. “All the things that we have to do on a Wednesday and a Thursday and a Friday. And so today, we spend so much time on tackling and breaking tackles.”

Quinn also has the routine laid out for every Thursday, forcing the team back to fundamentals. “Tomorrow it’s into the ball and all securities and takeaways, and then after that on to Friday, winning time moments. So, we really work hard at that to make sure the process of the week can take care of all the learning, so it doesn’t leave you a lot of time for that.”

Quinn also implied that though the Commanders won miraculously on Sunday, there has already been a time when he has told the truth to his team. These can be tough moments to accept, but teams that do can better move forward.

“Then also tell the truth is a big part of it too, because to be a good team you have to handle the stuff, and the stuff can be a lot of things from injuries or a big win or anything that comes down the pike. And so, handling the stuff, it’s something that we talk about with them.”

It’s human nature. We love to be complimented, but criticism doesn’t go smoothly.

The old proverb is still true today, “A truthful witness saves lives, but one who breathes out lies is deceitful.”

Eagles sign former Commanders/Ron Rivera draft pick

Two of Rivera’s former draft picks find new teams.

The Eagles felt they needed another offensive lineman under their roof, so they signed a lineman the Commanders released earlier this season.

As the Commanders approached opening day, they released offensive guard/tackle Braeden Daniels.

The Commanders drafted Daniels in the fourth round, 118th overall, in the 2023 NFL draft. It was Ron Rivera’s last draft, beginning what would be his final season in Washington.

Daniels was noticeably behind the other offensive linemen during his rookie training camp, so the Commanders placed him on season-ending injured reserve in hopes that he would develop and be ready to contribute in 2024.

However, Daniels was released on August 27 by the new administration of head coach Dan Quinn and general manager Adam Peters. Two days later, the Houston Texans signed Daniels to their practice squad; however, he was released after only two weeks.

The following week, the Chargers signed Daniels to their practice squad before releasing him only five days later. Thus, in summary, Daniels was drafted in the fourth round, and now, in his second season, he has yet to make an active roster during the regular season.

Three other former Commanders were also signed to practice squads on Wednesday.

The Cardinals (4-4), tied for the lead in the NFC West, signed former Commanders linebacker Milo Eifler. Playing with Washington in 2021 and 2022, Eifler appeared in 13 games. His biggest moment was tackling the punter in the 2022 season finale against the Cowboys.

The Carolina Panthers (1-7) signed receiver/returner Dax Milne. Drafted in the seventh round (258 overall), Milne played in 28 games for Washington in 2021 and 2022. He collected 15 receptions for 120 yards, including a 6-yard touchdown in a home loss to the Vikings in 2022. Returning 40 punts, he had a long return of 19 yards.

Finally, kicker Riley Patterson was signed by the Jets. Patterson kicked in the preseason for Washington before being released on August 22.

What did Commanders coach Dan Quinn say about Terry McLaurin?

Dan Quinn a big fan of Terry McLaurin, the player and the person.

Dan Quinn likes what he is seeing from Terry McLaurin

The 29-year-old wide receiver leads the Washington Commanders with 40 receptions after a slow start to this 2024 season.

“Yeah, early on, it jumped out to me as professionalism,” said Quinn. “He was so squared away and so on his own details. What’s been really cool for me to see is this relationship with him and the entire team build and take place and leading.”

Last week against the Panthers, McLaurin took it upon himself to provide the team some extra leadership, with Jordan Daniels going out of the game with a rib injury during the first offensive possession.

“Like I was referring to yesterday of him up and down the different position groups, to the offensive line, to the quarterbacks last week discussing what he was seeing with [QB] Marcus [Mariota.] And so, I’d say that is probably one of the coolest things to see, is that development of the leader because the professional, it’s there and he’s got very high standards about how he does things. But now to see the extra gear taking place of bringing out in others, that’s the big deal to me.”

Quinn himself continues to learn about leadership, and leadership of a team in particular. Yesterday, he spoke of learning that leadership is not only about his leadership but also about how he influences other players to take on more leadership.

“Like I said, you may have heard me say early on, I thought leadership was about me and then I found out really, it’s about how I can bring out the leadership in others. And so, man, have I seen that in Terry, seen that leadership develop in its own way and it has to be authentic to that person. So, he has been a lot a bit fired up and I’ve liked what I’ve seen from the leading aspect as well.”

When they last met: Commanders vs. Bears

This was the beginning of the end of the 2023 season for the Commanders.

“When they last met” is an ongoing series during the NFL season, recalling the preceding game between Washington and the next opponent on the Commanders’ schedule.

Chicago 40, Washington 20 – Week 5, October 5, 2024

The Bears came into FedEx Field winless (0-4) to face the 2-2 Commanders. But when the game concluded, Washington was the loser.

Entering the game as a touchdown favorite, Washington, frankly, played like the game was going to be given to them. The Bears were the intense team. The Bears played with urgency and absolutely dominated the Commanders from the start.

The Bears totaled 199 yards in the first quarter, while the Commanders generated only 12 yards. The second quarter was even worse. The Bears ended the half with a 27-3 lead, 14 to 5 first downs, 307 yards to 84, 122 rushing yards to 13, and they averaged 6.8 yards each rushing attempt to 1.9 by the Commanders.

In the second half, Washington finally showed up, battling back to narrow the lead to 30-20, but the Bears recovered, scoring the game’s final ten points for the final 40-20 margin.

The Commanders’ defense permitted Bears quarterback Justin Fields to pass for 282 yards with four passing touchdowns and no interceptions. Khalil Herbert rushed for 76 yards, averaging 7.6 a carry, while DJ Moore looked like Jerry Rice against the Washington secondary, catching eight passes for a startling 230 yards, including three touchdowns.

Sam Howell finished 37 of 51 for 388 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. But he was sacked five times, and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy entirely abandoned the run, only getting Brian Robinson six carries for 10 yards.

The game marked the unofficial end of the Ron Rivera era (2020-23). The loss was so embarrassing and so revealing of Rivera’s not having the team ready to play that his tenure was sealed as finished. Sure enough, new owner Josh Harris saved Rivera the embarrassment of being fired in mid-season, firing him upon the season’s conclusion after a woeful 4-13 season.