David Blough and the Offensive Staffing Thread

[burgold]

I don't know that Quinn is considered a lame duck or even on the hotseat in NFL circles. He had a fantastic year and a crazy injury-riddled one. Coordinators do get fired. Sometimes that indicates an HC in trouble and sometimes it doesn't. I thought I remember reading that the feeling around the NFL is that Quinn and AP are still tight and have a good rapport. If so, I don't know that firing Whitt would be looked at as a foreshadowing a firing. I do think there will be some headscratching about Kliff, but if he is immediately snapped up as a HC then that goes away, too.

 

[KDawg]

I don't know that Quinn is considered a lame duck or even on the hotseat in NFL circles. He had a fantastic year and a crazy injury-riddled one. Coordinators do get fired. Sometimes that indicates an HC in trouble and sometimes it doesn't. I thought I remember reading that the feeling around the NFL is that Quinn and AP are still tight and have a good rapport. If so, I don't know that firing Whitt would be looked at as a foreshadowing a firing. I do think there will be some headscratching about Kliff, but if he is immediately snapped up as a HC then that goes away, too.

I'm not sure that makes it go away. Coordinators are never let go prior to them being a head coaching candidate. They usually get interviewed, get the job, then go.

This is very different. And the news last week means there was some sort of rift/turmoil.

It could be purely on Kliff's end. It could be Quinn. It could be Peters. It could be all of them in some form.

We have no idea.

But this isn't the same as a coordinator being a potential HC candidate.

I think we are giving the FO way too much leeway in this scenario because we want to feel good about this franchise again.

That doesn't mean we shouldn't. We are still on a better path. But mistakes and bad decisions can happen to those with the best intentions as well.

 

[burgold]

True. Heck, it could even be that Dan and Kliff had a handshake deal for him to be here for only two years. Maybe that’s why from Day One Quinn talked about succession plan.

Now, I don’t fully buy it. There’s enough smoke to suggest there was some unhappiness between GM, HC, and OC that led to this decision, butt who knows maybe Kliff never wanted to stay an OC for more than two years and thought that’s all he would need to rehab his rep.

 

[Riggo44]

I don't think it even matters, really. I'm more interested in who they replace him with.

 

[Commander Wraith]

I don't want AP to engage with the media and push any narratives.

However - and this is the kind of thing media guys will try to manipulate FO people to get quotes with - if you don't push "your story" out there, what do OCs think? They only hear the other side of the story, and it sounds like a well regarded OC was let go. Why would they want to join that team?

DQ being a lame duck, I think it can easily be explained, but how will they explain Kliff being let go? I mean - sure they can explain it in an interview, but will they get the interviews they want with the prevailing notion being sour on how they handled the previous OC's situation?

My assumption is that’s part of the job of agents.

Part of that assumption is based on some of the alternatives:
1. “My client saw a tweet saying you guys ‘have a lot of shit going on’” so he doesn’t want to interview for your 7 figure job. 2. “My client saw you released your fairly respected/successful OC” so he doesn’t think it’s worth looking into the job.
3. My client isn’t sure your HC be there past 2026 so he doesn’t want to interview with you.

Possible? Sure. But doing due diligence, especially when we’re talking about high paying jobs with a high level of scarcity, would seem the logical route.
Also worth considering there’s a network in place - agents, clients, FOs, etc - and that they can simply ask whoever gets in touch with them (Newmark? Peters?). Not to mention that DQ and Peters are both well respected.

To be clear, I’m not saying there’s no way this - Kliff’s firing and DQ’s potential lame duck status - will have no bearing on candidates. (Ignore my triple negative there, lol). I just think it makes far more sense that there are more layers than simply a tweet or reporting, or whatever you want to call it, dictating the decision-making process for these candidates and their agents.

 

[Higskin]

 

[Ashburn Dave]

From Yahoo Sports yesterday:

Washington Commanders​

Offensive coordinator
Requested interviews: None reported yet
Possible candidates: Former Giants head coach Brian Daboll

Defensive coordinator
Requested interviews: Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham
Possible candidates: Former Jets defensive coordinator Steve Wilks

 

[DWinzit]

Hmm, I don't recall Wilks really being brought up, feels uninspiring

 

[KDawg]

I don't think it even matters, really. I'm more interested in who they replace him with.

From Yahoo Sports yesterday:

Washington Commanders​

Offensive coordinator
Requested interviews: None reported yet
Possible candidates: Former Giants head coach Brian Daboll

Defensive coordinator
Requested interviews: Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham
Possible candidates: Former Jets defensive coordinator Steve Wilks

Lots of time and still early, but this isn't a great start, in my opinion. Not being in on any of the high quality candidates that are highly regarded (reportedly) feels like a misstep. Maybe we are and are just being quiet. That is entirely possible, and even likely.

Even if those guys ultimately not being our guy, getting in on the discussion and talking to those guys seems like a no brainer. So we have to be behind the scenes - right?

I'm not even as against Daboll as many, but I'm not over the moon with it. It feels very sidegrade.

 

[Riggo44]

Lots of time and still early, but this isn't a great start, in my opinion. Not being in on any of the high quality candidates that are highly regarded (reportedly) feels like a misstep. Maybe we are and are just being quiet. That is entirely possible, and even likely.

Even if those guys ultimately not being our guy, getting in on the discussion and talking to those guys seems like a no brainer. So we have to be behind the scenes - right?

I'm not even as against Daboll as many, but I'm not over the moon with it. It feels very sidegrade.

It's only been two days, so I assume they're still making a list and possibly checking it twice. I haven't seen too many coordinators going for interviews in the last few days either, it's also entirely possible I missed it. My X/Twitter Timeline is filled with blue checks spazzing out about the Schultz article and trying to generate clicks for this screaming podcast or click-bait articles.

Looking at the Yahoo article, have we been linked to Wilks at all? I haven't seen those reports. I'd imagine Ulbricht would be on the slate sooner rather than later, but he's still under contract with Atlanta, isn't he? Same with Schwartz? We could always go for Eberflus! 🤣 (He is the probably only one I want less than Morris!)

As for OC, I think the lack of action there is based on we can't interview our targets--most likely Klay Kubiak and Mike LaFleur. I'd also imagine they're waiting to see what happens in Miami. If they swoop in and grab McDaniels, I'll need to see a doctor because it will last 4 DAYS, not hours!

 

[KDawg]

It's only been two days, so I assume they're still making a list and possibly checking it twice. I haven't seen too many coordinators going for interviews in the last few days either, it's also entirely possible I missed it. My X/Twitter Timeline is filled with blue checks spazzing out about the Schultz article and trying to generate clicks for this screaming podcast or click-bait articles.

Looking at the Yahoo article, have we been linked to Wilks at all? I haven't seen those reports. I'd imagine Ulbricht would be on the slate sooner rather than later, but he's still under contract with Atlanta, isn't he? Same with Schwartz? We could always go for Eberflus! 🤣 (He is the probably only one I want less than Morris!)

As for OC, I think the lack of action there is based on we can't interview our targets--most likely Klay Kubiak and Mike LaFleur. I'd also imagine they're waiting to see what happens in Miami. If they swoop in and grab McDaniels, I'll need to see a doctor because it will last 4 DAYS, not hours!

Well, I assume we have a list and that firing Kliff wasn’t done on a whim and was something they were pondering and had a plan for.

Until proven otherwise I will assume that they just haven’t had the opportunity to speak to their candidates and/or it wasn’t reported.

 

[Conn]

Lots of time and still early, but this isn't a great start, in my opinion. Not being in on any of the high quality candidates that are highly regarded (reportedly) feels like a misstep. Maybe we are and are just being quiet. That is entirely possible, and even likely.

Even if those guys ultimately not being our guy, getting in on the discussion and talking to those guys seems like a no brainer. So we have to be behind the scenes - right?

I'm not even as against Daboll as many, but I'm not over the moon with it. It feels very sidegrade.

I think a bunch of the higher quality guys have HC interest first, and they won’t be seen lining up coordinator interviews while they have HC interest. Then again there are definitely some names not garnering HC interest that I want to see us connected with, and it hasn’t happened yet. So we’ll see I guess

 

[Riggo44]

Well, I assume we have a list and that firing Kliff wasn’t done on a whim and was something they were pondering and had a plan for.

Until proven otherwise I will assume that they just haven’t had the opportunity to speak to their candidates and/or it wasn’t reported.

I prefer to make assumptions with no real basis in reality, treating that as fact, and having a panic attack. 🤣

 

[Conn]

Looking more and more like McDaniel might come free

 

[skinsinparadise]

I couldn't find it--I thought it was Schultz. But yeah, more agent gobbledegook. That was my point. Not everything that's reported is fact--especially from the National media.

People are rushing to give Russini 100% credit, when she wasn't accurate. She said the rift was with Peters. It was with Quinn.

Keim hit it on today's podcast, without singling anything out said beware of reports driven by an agenda. Some other national reporter thought the Schultz story is via Kliff's camp. I gather Kliff isn't wild that in his HC quest he has to explained why he was fired -- so weakens his sell some.

Keim doubled down this was about Kliff and Quinn and Quinn wanted a better run-pass ratio in 2026 and Kliff wasn't obliging with the thought.

 

[skinsinparadise]

I couldn't find it--I thought it was Schultz. But yeah, more agent gobbledegook. That was my point. Not everything that's reported is fact--especially from the National media.

People are rushing to give Russini 100% credit, when she wasn't accurate. She said the rift was with Peters. It was with Quinn.

it was Schultz.

 

[Deebs31]

Mike McDaniel fired. Should be a top candidate for our OC spot

 

[Riggo44]

McDaniel just fired. Fire up Redskins One!

 

[Letthepointssoar]

Come home, Mikey!!

 

[KDawg]

McDaniel needs to be on our list. I'm not convinced he is our guy, but we need to have a chat.