David Blough and the Offensive Staffing Thread

[KDawg]

I didn't have a problem with the Deebo signing (and still don't) - the problem isn't that they signed him, the problem is that he was expected to be our #2 WR and he is not that guy any longer (if he ever was). As a #3 who you can move all over the field, he is still a dynamic threat and probably will remain one for a couple more years. The point about alienating Terry is an interesting one, but I think the problem with McLaurin was that they waited too long to resolve the situation, not so much that they 'created' the issue by signing Deebo. McLaurin has probably always felt like he was a top tier talent being paid as a 2nd tier talent - Deebo deal aside.

I agree that the McLaurin issue was bubbling.

But Deebo coming in being paid more than him very likely set it over the top.

And yes - they should have taken care of it earlier. Hopefully they take care of business with Tunsil in the next few weeks. I do not want that to linger.

 

[HOF44]

No but we also didn’t take on a 71,000,000 contract. It was a one year commitment.

Tunsil is another data point to watch.

 

[Boone]

Anyway - back to Blough...

 

[skinsinparadise]

Where is this message even coming from? There is a salary cap and floor.

Are we seriously so desperate for hope that we are trying to put DQ and AP's failures on Harris?

Harris might suck - I don't know. But what we very clearly can SEE with this team has missteps from the HC and GM for the 2025 season.

Did signing Deebo for big money help us? I'd say it hurt us. It made Terry hold out (he was being paid more than Terry) and it tied up a ton of money in the receiver room for an overall very mediocre product (72 rec on 99 targets, 727 yards for Deebo).

Bad decision after bad decision. That doesn't mean I'm out on AP or DQ. I think they misstepped coming off of the NFCCG. I think they can right the ship. But the start of this offseason is uninspiring.

Harris has upgraded the facilites, stadium in a big way, been classy (unlike his predecessor) and secured a stadium in DC. He's putting almost 3 billion of his own money into it. Dan couldn't even secure a stadium in the boondocks of Virginia and apaprently could give 500K to 1 million at best. So for me I am big fan of Harris. Is it possible that he push a leash on Peters spending last year? Maybe. Someone here posted that Peters referenced him being on a cash budget last year -- so we don't know if that was a good or bad version of it. But the proof in the pudding is they didn't spend a heck of a lot in FA. Even that was Harris driven, everything I've read about him, gives me the vibe that he's a smart dude and is willing to spend to win. So they were frugal last year. But I don't think they will be this year.

Doesn't matter but disagree about Deebo. If anything Deebo did the opposite of Terry, played on a one year contract without asking for a pay raise and was a good soldier about it. Terry whined about all of it, talked about not being loved and behind the scenes was pushing for a contract that he thought he deserved to be paid as a top 3 Wr in the league. In a dismal season, he was my favorite player to watch. Been more depressing to me to watch what was the worst WR crew in the league without Terry if there was no Deebo either.

 

[DWinzit]

No but we also didn’t take on a 71,000,000 contract. It was a one year commitment.

Tunsil is another data point to watch.

Not that it is a big deal but he did also cost a 5th round draft pick

 

[Ashburn Dave]

So, what style of offense will Blough run? I know he's never run one before, but do we have any insight on what it will look like?

Run first?
West coast?
Play action?
Aggressive?
Under center more?
No huddle?

 

[skinsinparadise]

Wait, what?

Deebo was the 17th highest paid receiver in the entire NFL.

Terry is now 10th.

We had two receivers paid in the top 20.

Do you think Deebo belongs in that group of receivers?

View attachment 13903

View attachment 13904

There's a couple of other grossly overpaid players in that bucket, too.

Terry lost his negotation. According local and national sources, some apparently with his agent, Terry was asking for 35 to 40 million a season and thought the 30 year old plus narrative was insulting and BS. Felt like him and his agent thought they could push it to the brink of the season and the FO would blink. In the end Terry blinked.

 

[Boone]

One has to think, if my 'theory' that this hire is as much about having an OC who does what Dan Quinn wants him to do, that at a minimum we will see:

- A much more obvious focus on the rushing attack
- Far fewer designed runs using Jayden Daniels
- More under center plays
- More 'trickeration' (not necessarily a Quinn-driven aspect, but gadget plays seem to be one of the things Blough has made his name on)

Beyond that, who the hell knows?

 

[HTTR]

Clearly, we all had our heart set on McDaniel, so anything else is a let down. However, I do feel like this was the succession plan all along. And more importantly, whether we like these decisions or not, they are being made by the football people in the organization. So put me down as “wait and see“ and hope for the best. Structurally the organization is finally being run the right way so I’m happy and supportive with whatever decisions they make. Here’s hoping Blough is in fact the next boy genius—there certainly are a lot of smart football people who think that he is on that path.

 

[skinsinparadise]

So, what style of offense will Blough run? I know he's never run one before, but do we have any insight on what it will look like?

Run first?
West coast?
Play action?
Aggressive?
Under center more?
No huddle?

Keim talked to someone who talked to Blough about this in the past and got the sense he was more Ben Johnson/O'Connell than Kliff.

Keim who was goofed on by some earlier yesterday as spitballing with the idea that its betweeen Bough and McDaniel was vindicated again. So lol, I am going to ride with his thoughts over anyone elses per usual for me. I usually have good payoff by relying on Keim's takes.

Keim also in podcasts referenced the effect that Kliff's offense had on the defense (as a factor with Quinn) including not practicing against motion hurting the team considering so many teams use it and using the run game to keep the defense off the field.

If Blough does borrow heavily from Ben Johnson -- the Bears are 2nd in the league in using motion, 2nd in play action, 2nd as the ranking of their running game.

I get the idea that Quinn can control Blough. But I don't get the sense that Quinn wants to micro manage the defense let alone the offense. It came off from what was said that in the meeting with Kliff, Quinn wanted him to tone down aspects of the offense that he thought were impacting the defense. And Kliff has no interest in doing so.

Keim in his podcast today said he felt this team thought Detriot would hire Blough. And Blough has some hype buzz around the league. They weren't sure they'd land Mcdaniel. And didn't want to be left holding the bag. One person in the building told Keim they didn't want to see Blough on TV along with all the other young faces of hot shot coordinators who thrived after leaving Washington.

NFL Offensive Tendencies & Play Calling Stats, All 32 Teams

Advanced NFL offensive tendencies. Explore team play calling trends including play action rate and motion rate to gain a deeper understanding of each offense.

www.sharpfootballanalysis.com

 

[burgold]

Listened to John Kiem's update. He sure made it sound like Blough to Detroit was a done deal if Washington didn't move. He also said that Detroit wasn't the only team wanting to talk to Blough.

 

[RexTomb]

Keim talked to someone who talked to Blough about this in the past and got the sense he was more Ben Johnson/O'Connell than Kliff.

Keim who was goofed on by some earlier yesterday as spitballing with the idea that its betweeen Bough and McDaniel was vindicated again. So lol, I am going to ride with his thoughts over anyones per usual for me. I usually have good payoff by relying on Keim's takes.

Keim also in podcasts referenced the effect that Kliff's offense had on the defense (as a factor with Quinn) including not practicing against motion hurting the team considering so many teams use it and using the run game to keep the defense off the field.

If Blough does borrow heavily from Ben Johnson -- the Bears are 2nd in the league in using motion, 2nd in play action, 2nd as the ranking of their running game.

I get the idea that Quinn can control Blough. But I don't get the sense that Quinn wants to micro manage the defense let alone the offense. It came off from what was said that in the meeting with Kliff, Quinn wanted him to tone down aspects of the offense that he thought were impacting the defense. And Kliff has no interest in doing so.

Keim in his podcast today said he felt this team thought Detriot would hire Blough. And Blough has some hype buzz around the league. They weren't sure they'd land Mcdaniel. And didn't want to be left holding the bag. One person in the building told Keim they didn't want to see Blough on TV along with all the other young faces of hot shot coordinators who thrived after leaving Washington.

NFL Offensive Tendencies & Play Calling Stats, All 32 Teams

Advanced NFL offensive tendencies. Explore team play calling trends including play action rate and motion rate to gain a deeper understanding of each offense.

www.sharpfootballanalysis.com

So based on the chart you posted (very interesting stats) it looks like we’ll run a lot more under center, play action with lots of presnap motion. If Blough is a Ben Johnson/Kevin O’Connell style offensive mind.

 

[Boone]

Keim talked to someone who talked to Blough about this in the past and got the sense he was more Ben Johnson/O'Connell than Kliff.

Keim who was goofed on by some earlier yesterday as spitballing with the idea that its betweeen Bough and McDaniel was vindicated again. So lol, I am going to ride with his thoughts over anyones per usual for me. I usually have good payoff by relying on Keim's takes.

Keim also in podcasts referenced the effect that Kliff's offense had on the defense (as a factor with Quinn) including not practicing against motion hurting the team considering so many teams use it and using the run game to keep the defense off the field.

If Blough does borrow heavily from Ben Johnson -- the Bears are 2nd in the league in using motion, 2nd in play action, 2nd as the ranking of their running game.

I get the idea that Quinn can control Blough. But I don't get the sense that Quinn wants to micro manage the defense let alone the offense. It came off from what was said that in the meeting with Kliff, Quinn wanted him to tone down aspects of the offense that he thought were impacting the defense. And Kliff has no interest in doing so.

Keim in his podcast today said he felt this team thought Detriot would hire Blough. And Blough has some hype buzz around the league. They weren't sure they'd land Mcdaniel. And didn't want to be left holding the bag. One person in the building told Keim they didn't want to see Blough on TV along with all the other young faces of hot shot coordinators who thrived after leaving Washington.

NFL Offensive Tendencies & Play Calling Stats, All 32 Teams

Advanced NFL offensive tendencies. Explore team play calling trends including play action rate and motion rate to gain a deeper understanding of each offense.

www.sharpfootballanalysis.com

Good post. I like Keim. What folks need to understand most about him is - he lives at the Park. I mean, he is there constantly and he knows every single staff member personally. To the extent the direction the team is going is 'knowable', Keim is going to know it. He puts in the time and the work so folks are right to listen to him above all other Washington coverage people.

I have heard leadership defined as 'the art of getting someone to do whatever you want them to do and to thank you for the privilege'. This is my biggest criticism of Quinn (granted based on no confirmable data)... when you have someone as talented and smart as Kingsbury, it is a failure to be unable to sway/convince him to do things the way you need him to do them as the Head Coach. Perhaps Kingsbury is just 'unswayable' - but I tend to believe it is all about the approach, the tone of the interactions, and mutual respect. Apparently Kingsbury did not appreciate Quinn on those fronts?

Quinn will not have any of those issues with Blough. He will do exactly what Quinn wants him to do. Quinn may not 'micromanage' him, but there is no doubt that one of the first conversations they have had as part of this hiring is related to what Quinn wants to see out of the new offense. None of this is inherently 'bad' or ominous, but it does mean that we'd better hope that Quinn and not Kingsbury is correct on what kind of offense will work best for the franchise and even for Jayden Daniels. Say what you will about Kingsbury, but he definitely knew how to fashion an offense that could put up enough points to win games. We don't know if the kind of offense Quinn has imagined, lead by a new OC with almost no experience, will be able to do the same or better.

 

[skinsinparadise]

One has to think, if my 'theory' that this hire is as much about having an OC who does what Dan Quinn wants him to do, that at a minimum we will see:

- A much more obvious focus on the rushing attack
- Far fewer designed runs using Jayden Daniels
- More under center plays
- More 'trickeration' (not necessarily a Quinn-driven aspect, but gadget plays seem to be one of the things Blough has made his name on)

Beyond that, who the hell knows?

If its true what Keim heard from someone who knows Blough that he expects more Ben Johnson than Kliff as to Blough -- I can see partly how Blough had Quinn at hello in their interview. I am giving the most optimsitic take on this upon further digestion. Not because I believe it will work, I got no idea, but I am trying to put myself in Quinn's shoes.

Keep in mind that while being a player isn't a traditional way to train to be an offensive coordinator, its a bit different when you are QB like Blough. Just like Ben Johnson also who was a QB. You are trained to master a full offense in a way that you aren't when you play other spots. And Ben Johnson was some of that training for Blough on that front.

If you want to transition Jayden from a Kliff offense to more of a traditional NFL offense can it get any better than a dude who knows who to run both, knows what Jayden is comfortable with, and has an idea how to make that transition with a hybrid version of both?

Ben Johnson and Kliff couldn't be more different as to the style.

Kliff -- heavy in the gun, very little motion -- spread offense, tempo, no huddle, gap runs

Ben Johnson -- heavy under center, heavy play action, bunch sets, heavy motion, outside zone

For some reason Johnson's offense isn't grouped with McVay and Shanny but it is similar especially to McVay. It's about as different as it gets from Kliff. kliff though did lean some on play action this season especially with the backup QBs.

 

[skinsinparadise]

So based on the chart you posted (very interesting stats) it looks like we’ll run a lot more under center, play action with lots of presnap motion. If Blough is a Ben Johnson/Kevin O’Connell style offensive mind.

Keim doesn't know for sure. But he spoke to someone who knows Blough well and that's the rap he got.

So if so, I think Blough transitions the offense or runs a hybrid of the previous offense.

 

[Boone]

Listened to John Kiem's update. He sure made it sound like Blough to Detroit was a done deal if Washington didn't move. He also said that Detroit wasn't the only team wanting to talk to Blough.

I guess that is encouraging (in that Dan Quinn isn't the only guy who thinks Blough has the right stuff)?

But which kind of move is this? Dan Campbell's first move as Lions head coach was to hire Anthony Lynn as his OC. That lasted one season and Lynn was sent back to the position coach ranks. He was replaced by Ben Johnson. So which outcome will we experience with Blough? No one knows.

 

[Boone]

If its true what Keim heard from someone who knows Blough that he expects more Ben Johnson than Kliff as to Blough -- I can see partly how Blough had Quinn at hello in their interview. I am giving the most optimsitic take on this upon further digestion. Not because I believe it will work, I got no idea, but I am trying to put myself in Quinn's shoes.

Keep in mind that while being a player isn't a traditional way to train to be an offensive coordinator, its a bit different when you are QB like Blough. Just like Ben Johnson also who was a QB. You are trained to master a full offense in a way that you aren't when you play other spots. And Ben Johnson was some of that training for Blough on that front.

If you want to transition Jayden from a Kliff offense to more of a traditional NFL offense can it get any better than a dude who knows who to run both, knows what Jayden is comfortable with, and has an idea how to make that transition with a hybrid version of both?

Ben Johnson and Kliff couldn't be more different as to the style.

Kliff -- heavy in the gun, very little motion -- spread offense, tempo, no huddle, gap runs

Ben Johnson -- heavy under center, heavy play action, bunch sets, heavy motion, outside zone

For some reason Johnson's offense isn't grouped with McVay and Shanny but it is similar especially to McVay. It's about as different as it gets from Kliff. kliff though did lean some on play action this season especially with the backup QBs.

Good stuff. But it begs the question, can Jayden Daniels run that type of offense? Because he never has before. Whether it was a good thing long-term or not, Kingsbury was in some ways the perfect OC for Daniels because his offense took advantage of the things Jayden does exceedingly well. It may have been too risky a style for Daniel's long-term health, and there are other valid criticisms, but as far as matching Jayden's skillset, Kingsbury knew Jayden could execute that offense masterfully.

Will he be the same level of dangerous QB in a completely different offense? Maybe. But it's certainly not a given.

 

[HOF44]

I’ve come to doubt any QB can survive in the NFL running Kliff’s offense long term.

 

[philibusters]

Good post. I like Keim. What folks need to understand most about him is - he lives at the Park. I mean, he is there constantly and he knows every single staff member personally. To the extent the direction the team is going is 'knowable', Keim is going to know it. He puts in the time and the work so folks are right to listen to him above all other Washington coverage people.

I have heard leadership defined as 'the art of getting someone to do whatever you want them to do and to thank you for the privilege'. This is my biggest criticism of Quinn (granted based on no confirmable data)... when you have someone as talented and smart as Kingsbury, it is a failure to be unable to sway/convince him to do things the way you need him to do them as the Head Coach. Perhaps Kingsbury is just 'unswayable' - but I tend to believe it is all about the approach, the tone of the interactions, and mutual respect. Apparently Kingsbury did not appreciate Quinn on those fronts?

Quinn will not have any of those issues with Blough. He will do exactly what Quinn wants him to do. Quinn may not 'micromanage' him, but there is no doubt that one of the first conversations they have had as part of this hiring is related to what Quinn wants to see out of the new offense. None of this is inherently 'bad' or ominous, but it does mean that we'd better hope that Quinn and not Kingsbury is correct on what kind of offense will work best for the franchise and even for Jayden Daniels. Say what you will about Kingsbury, but he definitely knew how to fashion an offense that could put up enough points to win games. We don't know if the kind of offense Quinn has imagined, lead by a new OC with almost no experience, will be able to do the same or better.

Blough and Quinn need each other and hopefully that makes them make it work even if they experience a lot of advertsity. I don't think that either Kliff or Quinn necessarily believed they needed the other. And therefore neither was willing enough to bend to make it work. This is Blough's first OC opportunity. He doesn't have independent credibility the way Kingsbury did. If it fails at this job he may have a long wait to get another opportunity as a coordinator. Kingsbury probably gets another opportunity as a coordinator this cycle. Likewise Quinn didn't feel like he needed Kingsbury. But I think moving away from Kingsbury is such a risky move (Kingsbury is a top 10ish OC) that if Blough fails, Quinn is in serious jeopardy of getting fired. If we go 8-9 next year and the defense is signficantly better and the offesne is similar to this year but is much healthier, Quinn probably gets fired because moving on from Kingsbury is going to be viewed as having cost the team two or three games. If Blough tells Quinn he has to play offense a certain way to make the offense efficient I think ultimately unlike with Kliff, Dan will support Blough cause he needs Blough to succeed.

They both need each other and that is good. But I would much rather have Kliff personally. I really admired Kliff. I felt like he turned the 28th offense in 2023 into the 5th best offense in 2024. This year the injuries were worse on offense than defense in my opinon (although in fairness the offense started off with a much better roster) and maybe produced the 16th or 17th best offense (they were 22nd in scoring, but the efficiency numbers like success rate and epa per play were better because they had less possessions because the defense couldn't get off the field and less short fields because the defense was 31st out of 32 teams in producing turnovers)

I do believe Blough is smart and talented. I do think he is worthy of getting a shot as a coordinator. I just didn't expect that shot to be here because we already had a good coordinator. Smart and talented people maybe work out half the time when they get a promotion. Lets hope Blough is one of the ones that work out.

 

[skinsinparadise]

Good post. I like Keim. What folks need to understand most about him is - he lives at the Park. I mean, he is there constantly and he knows every single staff member personally. To the extent the direction the team is going is 'knowable', Keim is going to know it. He puts in the time and the work so folks are right to listen to him above all other Washington coverage people.

I have heard leadership defined as 'the art of getting someone to do whatever you want them to do and to thank you for the privilege'. This is my biggest criticism of Quinn (granted based on no confirmable data)... when you have someone as talented and smart as Kingsbury, it is a failure to be unable to sway/convince him to do things the way you need him to do them as the Head Coach. Perhaps Kingsbury is just 'unswayable' - but I tend to believe it is all about the approach, the tone of the interactions, and mutual respect. Apparently Kingsbury did not appreciate Quinn on those fronts?

Quinn will not have any of those issues with Blough. He will do exactly what Quinn wants him to do. Quinn may not 'micromanage' him, but there is no doubt that one of the first conversations they have had as part of this hiring is related to what Quinn wants to see out of the new offense. None of this is inherently 'bad' or ominous, but it does mean that we'd better hope that Quinn and not Kingsbury is correct on what kind of offense will work best for the franchise and even for Jayden Daniels. Say what you will about Kingsbury, but he definitely knew how to fashion an offense that could put up enough points to win games. We don't know if the kind of offense Quinn has imagined, lead by a new OC with almost no experience, will be able to do the same or better.

To me my issue with Quinn its hey this is the offense you signed up for. You want to train more against motion. You want a ball control offense that isn't about tempo? then why are you hiring Kliff? I think it worked for Quinn season 1 because Jayden was so good at extending drives on 4th down that they got the ball control. But when it didn't happen this year it exposed the bad defense.

It feels to me like Quinn changed his philosophy on offense. And when he asked Kliff for hey can you make some modifications, Kliff politely told him to take a hike considering he has opportunities elsewhere. Plus I doubt Kliff loved being scapegoated for being part of the problem for the defense,

A dude like Blough if he's indeed more of a Ben Johnson disciple wouid run an offense that fits apparently what Quinn decided he likes better.