Dan Quinn confirms the Commanders’ controversial decision that fans disagree with, and it could backfire this season
Fans won’t like to hear this response by Dan Quinn.
The Washington Commanders are off to a 2-1 start, but there are some surprising flaws and unexpected positions exceeding expectations.
One unit off to a great start is the special teams group, but there’s still one massive concern. We assumed the Commanders had finally figured out the headache that has been the kicker position after giving Matt Gay a one-year guaranteed contract this offseason, but that’s not the case.
A lot of kickers around the league are struggling, and a lot of teams have already made changes, but Dan Quinn says the Commanders will not be one of those teams.
The Commanders are sticking with Matt Gay
Gay is off to a rocky start, and the signs were there in the preseason when he missed multiple kicks. Through the first three games, Gay is three for six, and Sunday’s game was a roller coaster. He had his shortest miss of the season after going wide right on a 37-yard field goal attempt. Before halftime, he made his longest kick of the season from 56 yards out, which he missed before the Las Vegas Raiders called a timeout to ice him.
Quinn was asked about bringing in competition for Gay after another back-and-forth performance, but he reassured that they believe in the veteran kicker.
“Yeah, we have a lot of confidence in Matt [Gay],” Quinn said. “I was pleased to see the one at the end of the half. So, as we’re going through it, we’re still digging in to find our spaces to go, but no, we have full belief in Matt.”
In today’s NFL, making a kick from 50-55 yards out is expected, and that’s where Gay is at his worst. His 56-yard kick that moved him to two for four from 50+ yards this season may have saved his job.
All the top options are gone now
Even if the Commanders brought in competition, I have no clue who would be on that list now that all of the top options are gone. The Atlanta Falcons released Younghoe Koo after signing John Parker Romo, but Koo just signed with the New York Giants. Ben Sauls was an intriguing rookie prospect who became available after the Pittsburgh Steelers stuck with veteran Chris Broswell, but now he’s with the Falcons after Parker Romo’s recent struggles.
The Commanders can’t afford to be one of the teams playing musical chairs with the kicker position, but they also can’t afford to be in a kicking match after seeing how many close games were decided by a field goal last year.