Commanders' questionable game plan can easily blow up in their face against the Buccaneers on Sunday
One of the big questions facing the Washington Commanders heading into Week 1 is the plan at left tackle, as it has been all offseason long.Rookie third-rounder Brandon Coleman was in the lead for the starting job until a strained shoulder/pec caused him to miss a big chunk of training camp and all three preseason […]
One of the big questions facing the Washington Commanders heading into Week 1 is the plan at left tackle, as it has been all offseason long.
Rookie third-rounder Brandon Coleman was in the lead for the starting job until a strained shoulder/pec caused him to miss a big chunk of training camp and all three preseason games. That allowed Cornelius Lucas to even things back out, leaving the position in flux against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Things got even more interesting after Coleman's second straight day of practicing in full. On Friday, Commanders head coach Dan Quinn revealed the plan for guarding Jayden Daniels' blindside.
"Yes, very realistic and we're planning on that," Quinn told reporters when asked if there was a realistic chance of both players rotating at left tackle against the Bucs. "But Brandon's really done a remarkable job coming back. I'll tell you, he was close to being ready for the third preseason game and we made the decision… to not push it into this spot, knowing we had to time to come. But he's absolutely ready to let it rip."
It's a decision that could easily back fire on the Commanders
This is a questionable move, for sure. Rotating offensive lineman isn't the greatest strategy because you want your front five to be as cohesive, as possible. Mixing in multiple guys, especially at a key spot like left tackle, leaves the offensive line open to more miscommunications and errors, which can easily sink drives.
It's worrisome, because the guys slated to start on Sunday haven't had much time to practice/play together during the offseason. Quinn isn't allowing any excuses when it comes to that, however, and this decision reflects that.
"I do expect that," Quinn said when asked if he expects the offensive line to be ready to go on Sunday. "Because that's what has to be done. There's not a 'Ah, if it doesn't happen, it's okay.' Like, that has to go down. Even when you're injured, you can go through a lot of times, the walkthroughs, and so it allows you to play it mentally, although you can't play it physically.
"You do have to have that, and it's really important. And so knowing that not all we're together the whole time, it's not what you like, but in terms of the communication, it's not an excuse at all."
It'd be one thing if Coleman's injury was affecting his ability to play at 100%, but as Quinn stated, the rook is "ready to let it rip", which signals the injury is behind him.
I know it's early to be second-guessing coaching decisions, but history has shown this doesn't work more than it does. When adding in the Bucs' exotic blitz packages and just the talent/ability of the pass rushers, one simply has to cross their fingers and hope that this simply goes OK. That, along with Jayden Daniels staying healthy, would be a big win for the Commanders. Even if the scoreboard says otherwise.
