- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,130,601
- Reaction score
- 59
The Washington Commanders finally introduced their new coordinators on Tuesday. Offensive coordinator David Blough met with the media for the first time in his new role, while Daronte Jones made his first appearance since Washington hired him two weeks ago.
Head coach Dan Quinn spoke first before Jones and Blough took the podium. Jones spoke for over 30 minutes, covering his background, discussing schemes, and discussing which current Washington players he likes.
Here are six takeaways from Tuesday's media availability.
One of the talking points throughout last season was quarterback Jayden Daniels playing more under center. Former offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury ran more plays — by far — out of shotgun than any other NFL team the past two years. When asked about playing more from under center, Kingsbury was somewhat dismissive. It's not that Kingsbury thought playing under center was wrong, but he didn't see it making a huge difference. He liked the advantages for the quarterback playing out of shotgun.
Blough, while he worked under Kingsbury for the past two years, expressed why he likes Daniels under center more.
"I think, you know, it opens up some different schemes in the run game, some things that I believe in," Blough said. "It opens up different play actions and keepers and getting him on the perimeter in different ways. You know, I think there's a level of communication that happens under center. I think there's just, there's different ways to go about things, and it's something that I'm convicted about that with his skillset, his fundamentals, the things that we absolutely loved about him when he first got here still ring true."
Daronte Jones has a teaching background. You could tell. He was specific with every answer and offered up something unique: He developed an IEP for each player. What's an IEP? An individualized education program.
"How can we as a staff assist them in that improvement?" Jones said. "And then when you meet that player and that player comes here, and you start to get to know that guy, you may have to tweak it a little bit in terms of, again, their learning style. All right. Is it more of walkthrough? Is it more film-based? Is it more auditory? So, then we can tweak it, but at least the overall 30,000-foot view plan of how to improve that individual player has already been assessed."
When Blough spoke, he mentioned teaching a number of times. This quote stood out:
"We're gonna make the same things look different and different things look the same and teach in a creative way," he said. "And there's things that I think will be really evident when they come to life on the field."
While there's a lot of excitement about the 30-year-old Blough calling plays, his preparation will make him successful.
Frankie Luvu was outstanding in 2024 but struggled in 2025. The Commanders changed his role, and it impacted his play on the field. Washington changed his role due to injuries. Additionally, Luvu struggled with missed tackles. Now, he's heading into the final year of his contract. Make no mistake, Jones loves what he sees from Luvu.
"Love Frankie Luvu," Jones said. "Watched him on tape. He's a guy that before I even got here that we would watch and put on a tape in our meeting room. I love his athleticism. He's best going downhill, getting the match up on running backs, that's always a key. You're going to hear that a lot in terms of match ability and putting guys in advantageous positions. He's best when he can go downhill, use his athleticism to win on edges, use his speed, so time, distance, and space to encounter those matchups. And you want to put him in that situation where he's matchable on the running back. And I think running backs are one of the guys, on offense that gets the least amount of reps and protections."
Luvu is not going anywhere. Jones has a plan for Luvu to return to his 2024 form next season, when he was named a second-team All-Pro.
Jones has had an impressive list of mentors throughout his time as a coach. And while some believed he was hired because he's worked for Brian Flores with Minnesota the last three seasons, Jones has plenty of experience to pull from. Jones has worked for Marvin Lewis, Mike Zimmer, Vance Joseph, Lou Anarumo and Flores — all of whom, at one time or another, have been considered some of the NFL's top defensive minds. You could make the case that Flores and Joseph are the NFL's two best coordinators currently.
Just because he spent the past three seasons with Flores, don't expect a carbon copy of Minnesota's defense.
"You naturally want to be moldable because I've been around so many different schemes, I think that's an advantage of mine," he said. "There aren't too many schemes that I have not been a part of. There's, you know, everyone comes from some type of tree. And so, because of that, I've been able to answer your question, be able to implement various things from each scheme that I like and I want to pull from. So, whether it's the Zimmer scheme, ‘Hey, I like this on third down, I like the mug looks there’. Or if it's Flores and the versatility and how we can use, one person in multiple ways based off of their strengths. That's what you want to pull from."
That's the perfect answer. While everyone would love to see Flores' success in Washington, Jones doesn't have the same players, and he realizes that. The great thing about his experiences is that he's seen everything. He's waited a long time for this opportunity and he's ready.
First impressions are everything. Sure, we've seen Blough before, but not in this capacity. We've mostly seen short clips with a limited subject matter. It was nice to see Blough talk about schemes, play-calling, offensive structure and personnel. Kingsbury was always cordial with the media, but didn't often open up. Blough was thorough in his answers. It doesn't mean he will be successful as Washington's offensive coordinator, but he has the process part down.
As for Jones, he, too, was thorough. After Washington hired him, we'd heard that others were impressed with him in his various interviews. And once he interviewed with Quinn, he got the job soon after. You saw why. What I liked about Jones is that there was no false bravado, tough talk, or cute little catchphrases.
Dan Quinn hired two coaches who are all ball. Kingsbury is one of the NFL's top offensive minds and did an excellent job for the Commanders, but it always seemed like he had one foot out the door.
Jones and Blough were impressive on Tuesday. However, the real work for them will come in results.
Blough acknowledged there will be moves made at running back. The Commanders have only one running back under contract for next season, rookie Jacory "Bill" Croskey-Merritt. Kingsbury praised Croskey-Merritt last season, saying he was excellent when he had the ball but needed to improve when he didn't have the ball. Bill had a good seaosn, especially when you consider he was a rookie seventh-round pick.
Blough likes what he sees in the young running back.
"I think, as everybody saw, all the flashes that Bill had in his rookie season, I think it's really exciting to think about what he can look like in a second year behind this offensive line," Blough said. "And I think we've got one running back signed, so there will definitely be acquisitions that take place there. And it depends exactly kind of how the room looks, but man, incredibly confident in what Bill can be in this league as a starting running back."
The Commanders will add more to the running back room, but Croskey-Merritt will have a significant role.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: 6 takeaways from Blough and Jones
Continue reading...
Head coach Dan Quinn spoke first before Jones and Blough took the podium. Jones spoke for over 30 minutes, covering his background, discussing schemes, and discussing which current Washington players he likes.
Here are six takeaways from Tuesday's media availability.
David Blough believes Jayden Daniels will thrive more under center
One of the talking points throughout last season was quarterback Jayden Daniels playing more under center. Former offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury ran more plays — by far — out of shotgun than any other NFL team the past two years. When asked about playing more from under center, Kingsbury was somewhat dismissive. It's not that Kingsbury thought playing under center was wrong, but he didn't see it making a huge difference. He liked the advantages for the quarterback playing out of shotgun.
Blough, while he worked under Kingsbury for the past two years, expressed why he likes Daniels under center more.
"I think, you know, it opens up some different schemes in the run game, some things that I believe in," Blough said. "It opens up different play actions and keepers and getting him on the perimeter in different ways. You know, I think there's a level of communication that happens under center. I think there's just, there's different ways to go about things, and it's something that I'm convicted about that with his skillset, his fundamentals, the things that we absolutely loved about him when he first got here still ring true."
These coordinators are teachers
Daronte Jones has a teaching background. You could tell. He was specific with every answer and offered up something unique: He developed an IEP for each player. What's an IEP? An individualized education program.
"How can we as a staff assist them in that improvement?" Jones said. "And then when you meet that player and that player comes here, and you start to get to know that guy, you may have to tweak it a little bit in terms of, again, their learning style. All right. Is it more of walkthrough? Is it more film-based? Is it more auditory? So, then we can tweak it, but at least the overall 30,000-foot view plan of how to improve that individual player has already been assessed."
When Blough spoke, he mentioned teaching a number of times. This quote stood out:
"We're gonna make the same things look different and different things look the same and teach in a creative way," he said. "And there's things that I think will be really evident when they come to life on the field."
While there's a lot of excitement about the 30-year-old Blough calling plays, his preparation will make him successful.
Jones loves Frankie Luvu
Frankie Luvu was outstanding in 2024 but struggled in 2025. The Commanders changed his role, and it impacted his play on the field. Washington changed his role due to injuries. Additionally, Luvu struggled with missed tackles. Now, he's heading into the final year of his contract. Make no mistake, Jones loves what he sees from Luvu.
"Love Frankie Luvu," Jones said. "Watched him on tape. He's a guy that before I even got here that we would watch and put on a tape in our meeting room. I love his athleticism. He's best going downhill, getting the match up on running backs, that's always a key. You're going to hear that a lot in terms of match ability and putting guys in advantageous positions. He's best when he can go downhill, use his athleticism to win on edges, use his speed, so time, distance, and space to encounter those matchups. And you want to put him in that situation where he's matchable on the running back. And I think running backs are one of the guys, on offense that gets the least amount of reps and protections."
Luvu is not going anywhere. Jones has a plan for Luvu to return to his 2024 form next season, when he was named a second-team All-Pro.
Don't expect a carbon copy of Brian Flores' defense
Jones has had an impressive list of mentors throughout his time as a coach. And while some believed he was hired because he's worked for Brian Flores with Minnesota the last three seasons, Jones has plenty of experience to pull from. Jones has worked for Marvin Lewis, Mike Zimmer, Vance Joseph, Lou Anarumo and Flores — all of whom, at one time or another, have been considered some of the NFL's top defensive minds. You could make the case that Flores and Joseph are the NFL's two best coordinators currently.
Just because he spent the past three seasons with Flores, don't expect a carbon copy of Minnesota's defense.
"You naturally want to be moldable because I've been around so many different schemes, I think that's an advantage of mine," he said. "There aren't too many schemes that I have not been a part of. There's, you know, everyone comes from some type of tree. And so, because of that, I've been able to answer your question, be able to implement various things from each scheme that I like and I want to pull from. So, whether it's the Zimmer scheme, ‘Hey, I like this on third down, I like the mug looks there’. Or if it's Flores and the versatility and how we can use, one person in multiple ways based off of their strengths. That's what you want to pull from."
That's the perfect answer. While everyone would love to see Flores' success in Washington, Jones doesn't have the same players, and he realizes that. The great thing about his experiences is that he's seen everything. He's waited a long time for this opportunity and he's ready.
A great first impression from Blough and Jones
First impressions are everything. Sure, we've seen Blough before, but not in this capacity. We've mostly seen short clips with a limited subject matter. It was nice to see Blough talk about schemes, play-calling, offensive structure and personnel. Kingsbury was always cordial with the media, but didn't often open up. Blough was thorough in his answers. It doesn't mean he will be successful as Washington's offensive coordinator, but he has the process part down.
As for Jones, he, too, was thorough. After Washington hired him, we'd heard that others were impressed with him in his various interviews. And once he interviewed with Quinn, he got the job soon after. You saw why. What I liked about Jones is that there was no false bravado, tough talk, or cute little catchphrases.
Dan Quinn hired two coaches who are all ball. Kingsbury is one of the NFL's top offensive minds and did an excellent job for the Commanders, but it always seemed like he had one foot out the door.
Jones and Blough were impressive on Tuesday. However, the real work for them will come in results.
Blough sees big things for RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt
Blough acknowledged there will be moves made at running back. The Commanders have only one running back under contract for next season, rookie Jacory "Bill" Croskey-Merritt. Kingsbury praised Croskey-Merritt last season, saying he was excellent when he had the ball but needed to improve when he didn't have the ball. Bill had a good seaosn, especially when you consider he was a rookie seventh-round pick.
Blough likes what he sees in the young running back.
"I think, as everybody saw, all the flashes that Bill had in his rookie season, I think it's really exciting to think about what he can look like in a second year behind this offensive line," Blough said. "And I think we've got one running back signed, so there will definitely be acquisitions that take place there. And it depends exactly kind of how the room looks, but man, incredibly confident in what Bill can be in this league as a starting running back."
The Commanders will add more to the running back room, but Croskey-Merritt will have a significant role.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: 6 takeaways from Blough and Jones
Continue reading...
