David Blough and the Offensive Staffing Thread

[Conn]

Maybe his ‘hot seat’ played a role, but at some point what’s the alternative? Keep Joe Whitt because you’re afraid you can’t get better options, and hope for the best?


At some point, what can this coaching staff and front office do, outside of getting fired? Why is it a failure before it’s even happened?

It’s a criticism of the decision to continue to move forward with Quinn, if that’s the reality of the situation they were stuck in, trying to find qualified assistants. And it’s something some of us were worried about when Quinn failed on both of his initial coordinator hires (for different reasons) and had to start over completely going into year 3. No, Quinn shouldn’t just give up, or keep bad coaches. He had to do what he could to fill out the staff and move forward, that’s his job. This is criticism aimed towards a higher perch in the org chart. Because if this fails it’s a fairly predictable outcome given the restrictions that seemed to plague this brain trust due to the “hot seat” thing.

It can still succeed. That’s what I’m rooting for.

 

[CuredFromBatteredFanSyndrome]

One piece that struck me as interesting from his time with G&D, when Grant opened with and I’m paraphrasing here:

“This is a huge jump from assistant QB coach to an OC that’s calling plays overnight…”

Blough responded DQ had a plan for him ever since her got here and while this is a surprise to many, it’s not to them. He said it with conviction too.

For better or worse, it feels like DQ learned from watching Shanny and friends walk, and he vowed that was never happening again. He is betting his head coaching career on this guy. Let’s hope his intuition is right.

 

[KDawg]

Just want to point out that we are pinning our hopes that Quinn was able to prep Blough to be an OC, without any game experience, in a couple of years.

Again, Quinn… prepping… OC.

And in doing so, you can bet stepped on Kliff’s toes.

Oh, and all the assistant position coaches had to be prepped too, right? Which is why they made the jump?

So Quinn was undermining his entire staff with assistant position coaches the entire tenure.

I don’t think that inspires confidence. But that’s just me.

 

[DWinzit]

One piece that struck me as interesting from his time with G&D, when Grant opened with and I’m paraphrasing here:

“This is a huge jump from assistant QB coach to an OC that’s calling plays overnight…”

Blough responded DQ had a plan for him ever since her got here and while this is a surprise to many, it’s not to them. He said it with conviction too.

For better or worse, it feels like DQ learned from watching Shanny and friends walk, and he vowed that was never happening again. He is betting his head coaching career on this guy. Let’s hope his intuition is right.

DQ sure is all in with Blough.

The presser didn't leave me confident in where the offense will be in September (I am however with the D after Jones presser) I do like Bloughs plan with JD moving under center but that alone will be a major change. I will hold e breath and pray it works out if AP can get him a few weapon upgrades, maybe something new with the IOL and extending Tunsil.

The whole advanced DQ plan with Blough is something that caught me off guard, I mean he totally allowed Joe Whitt to go on with a crap scheme and not intervene and DQ is a defensive guy. something just smells in this whole plan

 

[Bulldog]

Let's be honest. Kilff wasn't going to be here for 5 years if everything went to plan. He was expecting Daniels and Washington to go to the playoffs again and then he was no doubt planning on moving to a quality HC job around the league.

The fact Quinn and Peters actually planned ahead to the degree they did for this eventuality with Blough to me is a plus for them as I thought the process here was more chaotic than that looking at it from the outside in

 

[SkinsNumberOne]

One piece that struck me as interesting from his time with G&D, when Grant opened with and I’m paraphrasing here:

“This is a huge jump from assistant QB coach to an OC that’s calling plays overnight…”

Blough responded DQ had a plan for him ever since her got here and while this is a surprise to many, it’s not to them. He said it with conviction too.

For better or worse, it feels like DQ learned from watching Shanny and friends walk, and he vowed that was never happening again. He is betting his head coaching career on this guy. Let’s hope his intuition is right.

yes this has been said by Blough a couple of times already and we have seen and heard hints on the past (Blough designed and called the winning play against the Eagles in 2024 - well at least designed).

So yes this is a test for Blough, but I think this was the plan from the jump.

Can DQ eval Blough and pivot as needed with conviction? Can he help Blough succeed? From what we saw, doubtful. But that was with KK. Maybe they ( DB and DQ) have a better relationship.

Just want to point out that we are pinning our hopes that Quinn was able to prep Blough to be an OC, without any game experience, in a couple of years.

Again, Quinn… prepping… OC.

And in doing so, you can bet stepped on Kliff’s toes.

Oh, and all the assistant position coaches had to be prepped too, right? Which is why they made the jump?

So Quinn was undermining his entire staff with assistant position coaches the entire tenure.

I don’t think that inspires confidence. But that’s just me.

I think Kliff was 100% in on it and onboard. This was supposed to be a stepping stone to HC for him. It didn’t work out because clearly they didn’t get on the same page and probably they both thought Kliff may get an HC spot but regardless would be happier elsewhere. I concur. They had a significant difference in opinion.

 

[SkinsNumberOne]

If I am being honest, I don’t think there’s a great chance for success with DQ. At this point, I have seen enough to say “CEO, you are not.”

However, I choose to generally be positive so looking at it differently, these coordinators are going to have a really fresh take. It will be a significant uphill battle for Blough- not just the lack of experience but JD doesn’t play under center so his instincts will be dull there. It will take a LOT of reps to develop footwork, timing, and I think importantly the full set of instincts from that spot (feeling the rush, etc.).

leaning on the defense to help soften that uphill climb with a new dc? Tough. Good news is daronte has been a dc before. So, we will see. I am hoping that we have more talent than we think, due to poor coaching. I think that may be true. My worst issue is I was hoping our OL would help soften the blow, but with Stapleton I believe we didn’t do that right. Still- it should be interesting to see how it unfolds and hopefully we develop an arrow that points up by week 5 or 6.
^^ optimistic spin but still realistic take

 

[CuredFromBatteredFanSyndrome]

Just want to point out that we are pinning our hopes that Quinn was able to prep Blough to be an OC, without any game experience, in a couple of years.

Again, Quinn… prepping… OC.

And in doing so, you can bet stepped on Kliff’s toes.

Oh, and all the assistant position coaches had to be prepped too, right? Which is why they made the jump?

So Quinn was undermining his entire staff with assistant position coaches the entire tenure.

I don’t think that inspires confidence. But that’s just me.

Please don’t mistake the messenger for the believer. 😂

This season for me is really all about the 🍿. My gut says it ends up a disaster, we waste year 3 of Jayden’s rookie deal, and further stunt his growth as a player, and at minimum Quinn is gone- if not the whole operation. Ranking just behind that feeling in my gut might be even worse, which is it gets off to a bad start but shows signs of life near the end and we ride the thing out one more season.

 

[Busch1724]

Yes because Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Dan Orlovsky, Cam Newton, etc are quiet guys…

They didn't say anything in press conferences, nothing of controversy. Their post-careers, different story.

 

[Dlts20]

Just want to point out that we are pinning our hopes that Quinn was able to prep Blough to be an OC, without any game experience, in a couple of years.

Again, Quinn… prepping… OC.

And in doing so, you can bet stepped on Kliff’s toes.

Oh, and all the assistant position coaches had to be prepped too, right? Which is why they made the jump?

So Quinn was undermining his entire staff with assistant position coaches the entire tenure.

I don’t think that inspires confidence. But that’s just me.

I don't think that is necessarily a fair statement. Sometimes you know who you are hiring. We knew that when we got Kliff, if things went well then he would be a hot commodity and that went up ten fold after year one. You would be foolish not to see if you hard a successor within your organization and not to start prepping them for it.

It would be the exact same if we hired Mike McDaniel to be the OC. You know that he's only going to be here for 2 years at best and most likely one so let's get someone else ready for when that time comes so that we aren't left on stuck, looking stupid. I think that is being prepared for the inevitable.

I don't believe that DQ was against Kliff and I think that Blough was being prepared even before things started going left with Kliff. DQ felt like he didn't have anyone prepared when Shanny left and he is now coaching for am organization that let probably the greatest tree in NFL history walk right out of the door, including Shanny again so he wasn't about to let that happen this time.

 

[KDawg]

I’m not sure he has anyone prepared now. But we will see.

 

[Canuck]

Big gamble, gonna be boom or bust IMO.

 

[Conn]

I think the long term plan was probably to hope to develop Blough into a future OC. Maybe they even felt really confident in him, conceptually. I do think things happened faster than planned (by a year or two) because things became contentious with Kliff and interest in Blough came earlier than expected. I don’t think Quinn’s ideal plan was for Blough to take the reins literally right now, or he would’ve been learning in a more prominent position on staff than Assistant QB Coach as recently as a few months ago. He would’ve moved up the rungs of the ladder a little more over time first. But here we are, and when push came to shove they decided to jump when faced with the fact that things hadn’t gone 100% as planned.

It wasn’t a very strong market for OC talent (especially willing to work under a coach going into year 3), so I’m not particularly troubled by the choice even though I’m skeptical of the process and even though I think there’s a low chance of this working under Quinn at this point in his tenure. And that also being why we struggled to draw talented outside assistants to jump on this carnival ride, which may also make it tougher to succeed. But I wouldn’t have wanted to be needing a young offensive HC (which is what I want) this year anyways, so I’m willing to watch with interest as the whole thing plays out and the coaching market develops further in the next year or two. Pretty tapped currently imo.

Though like I said in the Jones thread, I think it’s actually the DC succeeding that could keep this regime employed, along with Daniels being good enough to buy Blough time to learn on the job if the defense isn’t an embarrassment again.

 

[Conn]

 

[HTTR]

More targets for Terry would certainly be welcome. Let’s see if he actually follows through on it.

 

[Ashburn Dave]

Sounds like Terry is a 4th round target in fantasy then.

 

[Chris]

I would have thought that Tavita Pritchard would have been next in the line of succession but shit happens. 🤷🏻‍♂️

 

[SkinsNumberOne]

I would have thought that Tavita Pritchard would have been next in the line of succession but shit happens. 🤷🏻‍♂️

Personally, I heard more about Blough in the assistant coach list than any other offensive coach. During 2024, it was heavily talked about that he designed the winning play to Crowder against the Eagles. After the season, he was pursued (I think by the Jets?) and the Commanders blocked it, I think because it wasn't a promotion or something they could block it? Can't remember exactly.

Anyway, my point is, out of all of the assistants especially on the offensive side but maybe overall, I heard the most about Blough. I don't find it unreasonable at all to think they had this plan to make him the OC when Kliff left. Do I think they meant to do it after 2 years? 3 years?

Actually, I think an expectation that KK may leave after 2 years is pretty reasonable. So, I don't know what they truly planned to do there, but that Blough was on their radar for promotion, I really find that more than simply plausible.

 

[Conn]

Personally, I heard more about Blough in the assistant coach list than any other offensive coach. During 2024, it was heavily talked about that he designed the winning play to Crowder against the Eagles. After the season, he was pursued (I think by the Jets?) and the Commanders blocked it, I think because it wasn't a promotion or something they could block it? Can't remember exactly.

Anyway, my point is, out of all of the assistants especially on the offensive side but maybe overall, I heard the most about Blough. I don't find it unreasonable at all to think they had this plan to make him the OC when Kliff left. Do I think they meant to do it after 2 years? 3 years?

Actually, I think an expectation that KK may leave after 2 years is pretty reasonable. So, I don't know what they truly planned to do there, but that Blough was on their radar for promotion, I really find that more than simply plausible.

I think Blough was indeed not just on their radar, but highly thought of, as a guy being groomed to be a future OC.

But you can’t seriously believe it was Plan A that he be promoted so soon. Meaning, the jump straight from Assistant QB Coach to OC wasn’t the planned route to take. In an ideal world he would’ve kept cooking for another year or two, maybe gotten experience with another position group like McVay or at least spent a year or two as the full QB Coach.

Clearly, we don’t live in that ideal world and things went downhill with Kliff after a tough season and outside interest in Blough (for an actual promotion we couldn’t deny) was greater than expected. So we jumped with him early.

But clearly no franchise would PLAN for their OC succession to run through the Assistant QB Coach position. He only technically got a little experience as the full QB Coach because Pritchard bailed a little early for a college job. Otherwise, promoted straight from Asst QB Coach. Clearly that wasn’t their ideal path for him, but it’s what happened.

 

[SkinsNumberOne]

I think Blough was indeed not just on their radar, but highly thought of, as a guy being groomed to be a future OC.

But you can’t seriously believe it was Plan A that he be promoted so soon. Meaning, the jump straight from Assistant QB Coach to OC wasn’t the planned route to take. In an ideal world he would’ve kept cooking for another year or two, maybe gotten experience with another position group like McVay or at least spent a year or two as the full QB Coach.

Clearly, we don’t live in that ideal world and things went downhill with Kliff after a tough season and outside interest in Blough (for an actual promotion we couldn’t deny) was greater than expected. So we jumped with him early.

But clearly no franchise would PLAN for their OC succession to run through the Assistant QB Coach position. He only technically got a little experience as the full QB Coach because Pritchard bailed a little early for a college job. Otherwise, promoted straight from Asst QB Coach. Clearly that wasn’t their ideal path for him, but it’s what happened.

100%.
But less than ideal circumstances occur literally all of the time. Anyone with good organizational skills would be ready for that. They adapted to their situation and landed here. When I walk it through in my head, there are circumstances that make it not sound so outlandish that nay have played out here.

I share your distrust for DQ’s capability at this point. We have plenty to go on. He is rambling in his pressers and I think he reveals more than he intends (KK did too but without the rambling). I also think he was results reactive more than process and that has been consistent which is particularly alarming.

There is more but that’s enough for now.

However, I think AP did give him the reins on this “take 2” and I also don’t think he made a bad decision here with his coordinators. As Boone has said, it is questionable that him being in Blough’s ear a lot makes Blough better. I wholeheartedly agree.

Lots of question marks but hiring two coordinators who even appear like they may be ok under these circumstances? I think that is quite an accomplishment. From my presser reviews, I see that as possible. Still way too early.

I wonder if DQ solicited help from AP. I doubt we would find out.

Btw it may be a bit on brand for DQ to promote Blough without having prepped him in a good way. I just don’t think DQ is very well organized. One of the key CEO characteristics. I have worked for CEOs like that, and funnily enough they also did awkward promotions at times. Good hiring eval and planning are the main skills a CEO needs. At least, hopefully his eval wasn’t horrible this time.