Washington’s new offensive coordinator, David Blough, has *never* called an NFL offense, and that alone makes this game against the Eagles a massive question mark. Seriously, think about that for a second: absolutely no film exists for Vic Fangio to break down. This Eagles defense is rolling into a total unknown, and it’s making everyone on edge.
The Blough Mystery Box
We can try to piece together what Blough might cook up based on his past, but let’s be real, it’s just guessing. The dude only stopped playing quarterback recently. He spent the last two seasons as Washington’s assistant QBs coach under Kingsbury, and before that, his playing career put him around some serious offensive minds like Ben Johnson in Detroit and Kevin O’Connell in Minnesota. So yeah, he’s been around, but calling plays on Sunday is a whole different beast. Washington’s been pretty open, too, about wanting to ditch some of Kingsbury’s old philosophy, aiming for more balance and cranking up the under-center play-action. Sounds familiar, right? Like, *really* familiar.
Daniels in the Deep End
Here’s where it gets wild: Jayden Daniels has spent *two seasons* getting super comfy in Kingsbury’s system. We’re talking shotgun, tempo, using his legs a ton, and just being unstoppable on those RPO calls. The guy clearly looks like he’s built for that shotgun, spread-heavy RPO offense. To just throw all that away would be insane, right? But Washington didn’t change coordinators to keep the exact same thing, so Blough’s got to find a balance. I’m expecting we’ll still see some of those shotgun and RPO elements that Daniels crushes, but they’re gonna mix in more motion, heavier personnel, under-center formations, and hopefully, a much more connected run and play-action game. Again, sounds familiar with some of the best offenses out there.
Learning from the Best (or Trying To)
It’s a whole different world for Daniels turning his back to the defense under center, then having to pick out safeties and underneath defenders. He’s seen most of his career snaps from shotgun. Ben Johnson, for example, is a master at making the run and pass game look identical, and he handled a similar situation brilliantly with Caleb Williams. Instead of just dumping a whole new offense on a young quarterback right away, Johnson simplified early play-action concepts and then gradually added more as the season went on. That’s the blueprint Blough needs to follow here. It’s about developing Daniels without stripping him of everything he knows.
This game isn’t just about a win or loss; it’s a peek into the soul of this Commanders offense and what Blough is really trying to build. How much does he change? How much does he keep? Every snap is going to show us if Daniels can make that leap with a new system that might not totally fit his current strengths. We’ll be watching to see if Blough gives Daniels the runway he needs or throws him into the deep end. The entire season’s offensive identity hinges on these early decisions.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleeding Green Nation.
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