During Dan Quinn’s press conference with the media on Tuesday, introducing Washington’s new offensive and defensive coordinators, David Blough and Daronte Jones, respectively, the Commanders head coach
said in his opening statement that he felt their vision and energy for it right away during their interviews. Their vision and energy were enough for Quinn, who is coming off a poor second season, to take a chance on two first-time coordinators. The decision to hire two first-time coordinators on both sides of the ball is thrilling. It’s a rare risk that a head coach in Quinn’s situation will take. Is it justifiable, though?
Quinn made sure to acknowledge that everyone needs “their first stop,” and he felt that his staff was strong and capable of elevating Blough and Jones. Further, part of what has bothered Quinn for some time is the missed opportunities during his time as Head Coach with the Atlanta Falcons. “Some of the benefits of me going through this experience as a head coach for the second time, I learned some lessons to say, when there’s talent in place, and you can find that certainly going through Atlanta and some of the coaches that were part of that staff, had we done things different? You might have.” This interviewing process this offseason seemed to test his development as a coach, and he did not want to pass up on someone like Blough, who was in-house and very impressive during the two years that Blough has worked under him.
Alternatively, look at Jones, who was not initially what he was looking for this offseason. Quinn wanted to hire a defensive coordinator with play-calling experience at one point, but Jones forced him to reevaluate what he truly needs in a coordinator. “I connected with him instantly about a vision for defense and how’d you play, the ability to create takeaways, the ability to have disguises,” Quinn stated on his initial conversations with Jones during the interview process. Jones football acumen stood out, and it was exactly what Washington was looking for.
Whether you agree with the hires or not, Quinn’s reasoning is certainly justified. But now, nothing matters more than making sure that his first-time coordinators, who’re already surrounded by a strong staff, have good players in place to elevate their respective sides of the football.
On the latest Trap or Dive Podcast, we discuss our first impressions of new coordinators David Blough and Daronte Jones, and our immediate takeaways from their introductory press conferences.
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