Washington Commanders coaching staff is the hidden key to surprising a lot of people in 2024
Sure, everyone is hyped up and talking about Jayden Daniels and his potential prospects as the Washington Commanders' quarterback of the future. There have also been some big additions to the roster, like future Hall of Famer Bobby Wagner, veteran Austin Ekeler, underrated linebacker and defensive lineman Frankie Luvu and Dorance Armstrong, respectively. And plenty of […]
Sure, everyone is hyped up and talking about Jayden Daniels and his potential prospects as the Washington Commanders' quarterback of the future.
There have also been some big additions to the roster, like future Hall of Famer Bobby Wagner, veteran Austin Ekeler, underrated linebacker and defensive lineman Frankie Luvu and Dorance Armstrong, respectively. And plenty of others.
But it's the Commanders coaching staff, one that's chock full of experience at all levels, that really holds the key to how things turn out in 2024.
"That part's been fun," Commanders head coach Dan Quinn said a few weeks ago when asked about the staff's bonding process. "That's one of the great parts about our game, is, it's always evolving and changing. What has been good -it started probably, I recognized it during free agency- where people had different backgrounds that [had] even been around different players. That carried into the draft and now we're able to share ideas on things.
"[For instance], planning for minicamp or planning for training camp, it's very easy now to ask A-Lynn [Anothny Lynn] or Kliff [Kingsbury], 'Let's compare. What was good, what'd you like, or what could we do differently?' So, those are questions [where it's] nice to have somebody, right there, to discuss with."
Obviously, and first and foremost, this isn't Quinn's first go as head coach. He famously guided the Atlanta Falcons to Super Bowl LI before losing the famous 28-3 lead to the New England Patriots. Assistant head coach/running backs coach Anthony Lynn and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury have both guided NFL teams to playoff berths as head coaches. Special teams coordinator, Larry Izzo, won three Super Bowls with the New England Patriots and is entering his 14th year as a coach and more specifically, fourth as ST coordinator.
After them, it's a good mix of coaching experience, playing experience, and background from top to bottom. As in, several coaches come from different systems, philosophies, ways of going about business, etc. than what Quinn is used to. In his, and the other coaches' minds, that's something they think will really come in handy, because it allows everyone to be more open-minded and hopefully find more viable solutions to problems.
Sure, the Commanders aren't the only NFL team with a head coach on a second-plus go-around fielding a staff of one or more former head coaches. There's so much turnover in the NFL that it's impossible for one team to have that. Still, there's something to be said about how everyone can put their heads together, when it comes to both successes and failures. That should, in theory, help the Commanders avoid some of the typical mistakes, or even pitfalls, that come with a rebuild.
"The defensive staff, I don't think, I've seen enough written about those guys," defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. said Wednesday. "[Defensive pass game coordinator] Jason Simmons, [defensive backs coach] Tommy Donatell, I already talked about [linebackers coach] Ken Norton and [defensive line coach] [Darryl] Tapp. Man, we come to work every day and we compete, we have fun. And then we get the opportunity to coach a group of young men that are willing and wanting to show that that we can play high-level defense.
"And so, when you have that, with the people that you work alongside and with the people that you coach, I mean it's fun to come to work every day. Where else would you want to be?"
Multiple players have said the Commanders coaching staff played a big role in their decision to join the team
When listening to the vast majority of the Commanders' 2024 free agent haul, they typically label the staff as a big reason why they came to Washington, in the first place.
"I can't remember if it was a multi-year deal, but I did get another offer," Commanders safety Jeremy Chinn said on SiriusXM a few weeks ago. "I think Pittsburgh was probably a little more money, but the situation here with [head coach] Dan Quinn and [defensive coordinator] Joe Whitt Jr. and [defensive pass game coordinator] Jason Simmons and [defensive backs coach] TD [Tommy Donatell] – this is where I'm supposed to be, man. This is where I'm supposed to be."
"…Just seeing his defenses thrive and how people have played in those defenses… So, just really, relationships and the coaching staff was a big part of it for me," he later said after an OTAs session.
Barring injury, this coaching staff can certainly provide the needed infrastructure for a fun season. And while, yes, it's easy to see the past failures as red flags or caution -whichever word you want to use- there's also the idea of learning from said failures and knowing how to avoid repeating them in the future.
Either way, this staff has brought the roster a long way, so far, and it should lead to some good results in 2024.
