The Washington Commanders took a big risk in the offseason when they moved on from both of their main coordinators. While many saw the writing on the wall for former defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr., the team’s decision to part ways with offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury was a bit more shocking.
Sure, the Commanders were coming off an offensively down season, but the majority of that came without Jayden Daniels under center. That was also just a season after an NFC Championship Game appearance in which Kingsbury helped their rookie signal caller blossom into one of the league’s best.
The move came from creative differences between Kingsbury and head coach Dan Quinn, as well as general manager Adam Peters, over how to evolve the offense. Kingsbury, for as good as he is, runs a very run-pass-option-heavy scheme which is emblematic of a college program. The team’s new desire was to make the offense more pro-ready. Hence why they took a big gamble in letting Kinsbury go and moving forward with assistant quarterbacks coach David Blough instead.
Blough, just a season removed from his playing career as a quarterback, joined the Commanders’ coaching staff in 2024 and has rapidly escalated into a top-level position just two seasons later. The Commanders’ offense through the first two weeks of the season showed promise, but it all really culminated in Week 3, ironically without their starting quarterback and against perhaps the best defense in the NFL.
The Commanders dropped 33 points to the Seattle Seahawks in their upset victory last week. The offense accumulated 258 total yards, and the game plan consistently kept the Seahawks’ defense off balance.
Mike Florio Believes David Blough Could Become A Head Coach
PFT Live host Mike Florio was so impressed with the Commanders’ performance that he threw out Blough’s name as a potential head coaching candidate.
“You’re taking on this incredible defense, the Seattle Seahawks, and Marcus Mariota is stepping in as the backup quarterback. Nobody expected much of anything, and it was this epic back and forth. I couldn’t believe how exciting it was”, Florio opened with.
“David Blough, the offensive coordinator, you have a few more games like that, and we’re going to be talking about David Blough as the youngest head coach in the NFL.”
Florio’s co-host Chris Simms followed up with, “Yeah, maybe. That was impressive; there’s no doubt. Mariota looked really good.”
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Chris Simms went on to label the Commanders’ decision to name Mariota a captain for the year as odd.
“I don’t know what to make of that,” Simms said in response to Washington’s decision, to which Florio answered, “I know what to make of it: ‘Hey, Jayden [Daniels], take your time.”
Florio continued, “Or if you take too much time, take the rest of the season. I mean, if Mariota keeps playing well, how do you put him back in?”
Florio prefaced that by saying he understands why Mariota is a backup quarterback; if he is playing well, the Commanders should just roll with him. The Commanders sit in the mix of an NFC division where every team is within a win or loss of each other. If the Commanders can keep rolling while also letting the face of their franchise heal, it would be hard to ignore that outcome.
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