Tag: Kliff Kingsbury

Commanders OC Kliff Kingsbury talks where he got unique play

Kingsbury reveals where flea-flicker screen originated from.

Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury is the talk of the NFL. Some of that is due to rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, who is taking the NFL by storm. However, the former Arizona head coach is rightfully earning praise for the offense he’s built around Daniels.

Coming into the season, there were lots of questions about Kingsbury. Would his pass protection schemes work? How would he run the ball? What about keeping his top wide receiver lined up in one spot throughout the entire game?

It’s safe to say Kingsbury didn’t listen to any of that talk. The former quarterback and head coach regained some of the buzz surrounding him before landing with the Cardinals in 2019. Analysts watching Daniels can’t get enough of Kingsbury’s schemes and play designs.

In Sunday’s loss to the Ravens, Kingsbury called one play many fans and analysts had never seen before. It was a flea-flicker, but it wasn’t just any flea-flicker.

Check it out:

On Friday, Kingsbury met with the media and was questioned about that specific play, to which the offensive coordinator revealed where it came from.

“Yeah, I gotta cite my sources as always,” Kingsbury said. “It’s a [Louisville head coach] Jeff Brohm play. He did it at Purdue, and obviously, we have [Assistant QB Coach] David Blough, who played for Jeff Brohm. So, David Blough had brought that one up and we ended up, they threw it to a tight end. We ended up sneaking [RB] Austin [Ekeler] back there and it ended up working out. The guys executed it perfectly because they brought a pressure, which even made it better. But yeah, that’s, shout out Jeff Brohm for that one.”

Blough played for Brohm at Purdue and later for Kingsbury with the Cardinals. He joined Kingsbury’s offensive staff this past offseason.

While some in the media world spent the offseason criticizing Kingsbury, he was in a lab creating plays, studying other offenses to build the perfect offense for Daniels.

If things keep trending in this direction, Kingsbury will have head coaching options again in his future.

What Jayden Daniels saw on touchdown pass to Dyami Brown

Kliff Kingsbury already trusts Jayden Daniels to call plays he likes.

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels was phenomenal again in Sunday’s 34-13 win over the Cleveland Browns. Daniels was so good he didn’t play the final 13 minutes.

If you ask Daniels about the win, he’d tell you it’s another opportunity for growth. As good as he was against the Browns, he wasn’t perfect. His interception is one throw he’d like to have back.

However, Daniels shook off a slow start against Cleveland’s pass rush and led the Commanders on six scoring drives. Daniels had several big runs and made some big plays in the passing game.

There was one sequence in the second quarter where Daniels used his legs to set up a 41-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Dyami Brown.

First, here’s the play:

During the play before, Daniels scrambled and saw something that had him going to offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury to call the play, which would be the touchdown to Brown. He explained it after the game.

“I ran out of bounds the play before and then kind of saw some of the defense, I had seen they were playing man coverage, and I was turning back around, and I said, man let’s take a shot to Kliff and he called the play and we did it,” Daniels said. 

This is impressive on many levels. How many rookie quarterbacks would see this? How many rookie quarterbacks would deliver like Daniels did after the coach took his advice?

This is next-level stuff from Daniels; his comfort with the scheme and Kingsbury is encouraging moving forward.

 

Jayden Daniels is the NFL’s best downfield passer

Another impressive Jayden Daniels’ statistic.

Remember when critics tried to say Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels couldn’t throw across the middle? Or that Daniels did not scramble to throw?

Well, Daniels is quickly putting some of those pre-draft narratives to bed, completing 82% of his passes through his first four NFL games. That completion percentage is a record for a four-game stretch, besting legends such as Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.

Daniels isn’t the only one crushing narratives. Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury received criticism throughout his time in Arizona, and many called him a bad hire. The criticism for Kingsbury centered around pass protection, the lack of downfield passes and not moving his receivers around.

Through four games, Kingsbury’s offense has been phenomenal. In addition to his creative play design, balance and pass protection, Kingsbury and Daniels are creating big plays.

Check out this statistic from The 33rd Team. Daniels has the NFL’s highest passer rating for throws over 10 yards.

So, for those who haven’t watched Daniels, his insane completion percentage through four games isn’t inflated by bubble screens. He and Kingsbury are attacking every level of the field.

The NFL will adjust; the league always does. The key is how Kingsbury adjusts.

Deion Sanders says Commanders OC Kliff Kingsbury is ‘brilliant’

Deion Sanders is a huge fan of Kliff Kingsbury.

While everyone around the NFL and media world is praising Washington Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, and rightfully so, don’t forget about offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury.

The Commanders are red hot, sitting at 3-1, winners of three straight games and alone atop the NFC East. Washington’s offense has punted once in three weeks and has only turned the ball over once this season. Daniels already looks like an NFL superstar four games into his career.

Kingsbury, who received plenty of criticism for his four-year stint as head coach of the Arizona Cardinals, looks rejuvenated as Washington’s offensive coordinator.

Kingsbury has plenty of fans in the NFL and college football. One of those fans is Pro Football Hall of Famer and Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders.

“Kliff Kingsbury was somebody that is the engineer behind this ship,” Sanders said on Monday’s episode of “Nightcap” with Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson. “He was doing the same thing, and it didn’t work out in Arizona. OK, Kliff Kingsbury is a brilliant play-caller. Brilliant.”

If Washington’s offensive success continues, you can bet Kingsbury’s stay with the Commanders will be short. Some criticized head coach Dan Quinn for his choice of Kingsbury, which now seems foolish.

 

Commanders’ Kingsbury has offense trending upward

Kingsbury is pressing all the right buttons for the Commanders.

Dan Quinn knows he has a good offensive coordinator; after all, Quinn hired him.

In the offseason, news flashed that the Raiders would interview Kliff Kingsbury for their offensive coordinator job. However, a couple of days later, the news was that Kingsbury was coming to Washington to work for Dan Quinn.

After scoring 20 and 21 points in the first two weeks, the Commanders’ offense, led by Kingsbury and Jayden Daniels, has scored 38 and 42 points in the last two games. Quinn was asked Monday what makes Kingsbury’s offense effective.

“Right. I think there’s probably more than one thing, like most offenses, that are tough to defend,” Quinn said Monday. “I’d say there’s an element of tempo, right, where it can be in and out at the line working some things, some with cadence, some without.”

We love that Jayden Daniels is playing superbly. Yet, we know that running the ball as effectively as the Commanders really helps the quarterback.

“Then there’s the element, like I was hitting earlier, about the runs and the play passes that go with it. And if you can make those two things look similar, John, with gap schemes and pulls and then be able to throw to the tight end and slants off of run action, that can make it challenging because your eyes are obviously at the line of scrimmage ready to defend the run and then rip a play pass to go.”

Listening to Quinn’s answers, you realize he is saying that the answer is never as simple as one element and only one. No, for a team to have success in the NFL, there are going to be a multitude of reasons.

“So, it’s run and play pass, that’s a combination. And then the combination of Jayden outside the pocket with his legs creating some first downs. That’s what makes it tough, but the tempo’s a big part of it too.”

No doubt, the Commanders rushing for 216 yards Sunday made life miserable for the Cardinal’s defensive personnel.

Kliff Kingsbury gets game ball in return to Arizona after Commanders crush Cardinals

The former Cardinals head coach was rewarded for the Commanders’ offensive performance in his return to Arizona.

The raucous video has made the rounds of Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn giving a game ball to offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury in the locker room following the team’s beatdown of the Cardinals Sunday.

 

Even though Kingsbury took the high road with what he said to the media about his Cardinals experience in the days leading up to the game, it had to be gratifying for him to see the way his offense, led by rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, sliced and diced the Cardinals defense to the tune of 449 yards and 42 points.

It also was a bitter pill to swallow for an Arizona fan base that never thought Kingsbury should have been hired as head coach to begin with and quietly might have been silently rooting for him to fail so they could be proved right.

The expert outside offensive coordinators and wannabe play-callers reveled in labeling what he coaches a “college offense” and “simplistic,” yet Quinn thought enough of Kingsbury to hire him when he got the Commanders job this past offseason. But what does he know, right?

After the thumping, when asked what the win meant for Kingsbury, Quinn said, “I’ve been in that space before and know there’s some emotion that goes with that of playing somewhere where you put so much into it and it doesn’t go the way that you want. So yeah, he definitely got one (game ball) today and there’ll be some others as we get back home, but I wasn’t going to leave Arizona without presenting one to him.

“He did an excellent job all week, honestly, just like staying in it, the game plan, the focus, the effort and no one would’ve ever known otherwise. The internal side and those emotions that are there; it was really cool to see that after the game.”

Daniels said, “It meant a lot (to him), coming back here after being a head coach here for a couple of years. Now coming back facing his former team; I know it meant a lot to him.”

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

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Kliff Kingsbury said what about returning to Arizona with the Commanders?

Kingsbury still has a ton of respect for a lot of players but is just preparing the Commanders to face Arizona’s defense.

There will be a familiar face on the sidelines for the Arizona Cardinals’ next opponent, the Washington Commanders. Their offensive coordinator is Kliff Kingsbury, who was the Cardinals’ head coach from 2019-2022. It is his first time returning to State Farm Stadium since his dismissal (though he still is getting paid by the Cardinals through 2027).

While that has to mean something more for this game, he isn’t saying it.

When he spoke with Washington media on Friday, he said, “it’s been all work.”

It was all respect.

“I have a great appreciation for the place and the players,” he said. “You look at the film — Budda Baker, I’m still in awe of the way he plays the game, Jalen Thompson, all those guys.”

While some might point out how he didn’t mention Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray, here is context — Kingsbury spends his time watching film of the Cardinals’ defense, not their offense.

“It’s exciting to get to play a bunch of guys you know and have a bunch of respect for, but other than that, it’s just been a short game week after Monday.”

That doesn’t mean that he doesn’t feel a little extra something.

After Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt referred to Kingsbury’s offense as “that college offense,” Washington put up 38 points on them.

While the Cardinals haven’t said anything disrespectful about Kingsbury, the Washington offense or anything, you can bet he has some extra motivation against them.

It will be fun to see what he has in store.

The Cardinals and Commanders kick off at 1:05 p.m. Arizona time.

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

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What does Cardinals QB Kyler Murray think of facing former coach Kliff Kingsbury?

Kyler Murray doesn’t say much about Kliff Kingsbury ahead of Week 4.

There was a lot of excitement surrounding the Arizona Cardinals in 2019. Arizona had just hired former Texas Tech head coach Kliff Kingsbury, one of college football’s most innovative offensive minds. And the Cardinals held the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft, which they’d use on Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray.

Kingsbury and Murray looked like a perfect pairing. Kingsbury seemed like the perfect coach to take advantage of Murray’s dynamic dual-threat abilities. After a strong start, things appeared to sour between player and coach before Kingsbury was dismissed after the 2022 season.

Now, for the first time since Kingsbury’s firing, the pair will face one another as Kingsbury, the offensive coordinator of the Washington Commanders, comes to Glendale on Sunday to battle Murray and the Cardinals.

Murray met with the media this week and was asked if he could provide the defense any tips on Kingsbury’s defense, to which he replied, “No.”

Murray didn’t seem to want to talk too much about Kingsbury, but he did indicate that he has seen him since his firing.

“I’ve seen him since, just out and about,” Murray said.

Then, he was asked about facing him as a competitor for the first time.

“To be honest, I’ve done it before,” Murray said. “I’ve competed against him before and many other coaches that I’ve been coached by. It doesn’t really affect me. My goal is to go out and win the game.”

While Murray was professional and didn’t take any shots at Kingsbury, he didn’t praise him either.

As for Kingsbury, he also kept it professional.

“The one major thing I try to do is make sure this was Year One of the Commanders’ offense, not Year Five of the Arizona Cardinals,” Kingsbury said on Thursday via Darren Urban of azcardinals.com. “We did things (in Arizona) that we felt (Murray) could be really successful at and then tried to build and let (Murray) grow and us grow together. We wanted to make sure I didn’t start at some point that would overwhelm anybody.”

Murray and Kingsbury will likely shake hands before or after Sunday’s game, but you can bet both badly want this one. Last week, Bengals cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt took shots at Kingsbury’s offense, calling it a “nice college offense,” Kingsbury and the Commanders proceeded to score 38 points and defeat Cincinnati on Monday Night Football.

Will Kingsbury have a similar chip on his shoulder on Sunday?

Jayden Daniels’ touchdown pass to Terry McLaurin was the most improbable of 2024 season

Next Gen Stats weighs in with how impressive this connection was.

For the first two weeks, Washington fans wondered when rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels and star wide receiver Terry McLaurin would get on the same page.

In Washington’s season-opening loss to Tampa Bay, McLaurin broke open deep on a couple of occasions, and either Daniels missed him or didn’t throw it.

McLaurin, as always, remained patient. Daniels missed McLaurin deep again in the first half of Monday night’s 38-33 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. However, that disappointment was short-lived as the rookie passer finally connected deep with McLaurin for a 55-yard completion to set up first-and-goal and the Commanders’ second touchdown.

The duo wasn’t finished, though. In the fourth quarter, up 31-26 with over two minutes remaining, the Commanders faced a third-and-7. Would offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury play it safe and go for the field goal?

Of course, he wouldn’t. Instead, Kingsbury showed complete faith in his rookie quarterback, who delivered a strike to McLaurin in the end zone for a 27-yard touchdown. It was a picture-perfect throw and catch.

Here’s the play:

https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1838409377935691793

Next Gen Stats tracked the throw and catch, calling it the most improbable touchdown reception at 10.3% of the 2024 season thus far. And, more incredibly, the most improbable Commanders’ completion in the Next Gen Stats (2016 to now).

https://twitter.com/NextGenStats/status/1838411501516063050

It was a breakout night for the Daniels/McLaurin connection as Washington’s passing game continues to evolve.

Bengals coach Zac Taylor not pleased with Cam Taylor-Britt’s comments about Commanders

The picture says it all.

Bengals cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt likes to talk. Ahead of Cincinnati’s Week 2 game against the Kansas City Chiefs, the cornerback seemed to downplay rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy.

While the Chiefs did win the game, Taylor-Britt got the best of Worthy on that day.

So, last week, Taylor-Britt decided to talk about the Bengals’ next opponent: The Washington Commanders.

Here’s what Taylor-Britt said about the Commanders, offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury and quarterback Jayden Daniels.

“They don’t make him do a lot,” Taylor-Britt said Thursday. “They keep it really simple for him. Nice college offense, (Kliff) Kingsbury, the OC, so they love to move guys around here and there, but just keep it real simple for him. I heard his pass percentage is very high, but he’s only throwing short routes, some intermediate stuff, and quick throws.”

On Monday night, the Commanders defeated the Bengals 38-33 in Cincinnati. Washington wide receiver Terry McLaurin burned Taylor-Britt, while Daniels played a flawless game, completing 21 of 23 passes for 254 yards and two touchdowns.

After the game, McLaurin downplayed Taylor-Britt’s comments, but Cincinnati head coach Zac Taylor was not pleased, instead praising Washington.

“We don’t need to take shots like that,” Taylor said. “That team hasn’t punted in two weeks.”

https://twitter.com/aroundthejungle/status/1838422038207160791

It sounds like Taylor would prefer his cornerback stop talking and instead focus on how to help the Bengals pick up their first win.