Redskins new coach Bill Callahan could complicate O’Connell’s trial run

Jay Gruden was the Redskins main play caller, but now, he’s out the door. Kevin O’Connell should theoretically get his trial run, but Bill Callahan could complicate things as head coach.

Washington Redskins offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell has often been referenced as a potential long-term coaching option in the future.

It’s not anything he’s done to this point, to warrant the interest, but instead the context: O’Connell is a young, up-and-coming offensive mind, much like former Redskins coaches Sean McVay, Kyle Shanahan, and Matt LaFleur were before they earned head coaching jobs. O’Connell also has a good background for the position, with previous stints at New England with Bill Belichick, and at San Francisco, with current Ohio State Buckeyes coach Ryan Day. He could be the coach to develop Dwayne Haskins.

O’Connell doesn’t necessarily deserve an opportunity based on exploits alone, but with Gruden gone, O’Connell is the next man up to call the plays on offense, and the Redskins should be motivated to find out if O’Connell is worth a substantial long-term investment of time, money, and confidence.

In theory, Gruden’s firing would allow O’Connell the opportunity to call plays with full freedom. But as it turns out, newly-appointed interim head coach Bill Callahan could get in the way of that process. Per Rhiannon Walker of The Athletic, Callahan has, at various points this season, lobbied for a greater emphasis on establishing the run. Last week, in fact, Callahan reportedly stood up at a team meeting and pointedly called out the team’s league-low rushing attempt totals.

Now that Callahan is at the top of the coaching chain, he’ll get his wish. But Callahan’s wish has a flawed foundation, and is predicated on the false notion that the Redskins haven’t tried to establish the run.

The Redskins have tried, but their rushing attack simply isn’t constructed or executed well; that’s why they’re always stuck in second and long, and third and long situations, and their predictable, conservative play calling is one reason they’ve been consistently playing from behind. Conversely, they have fewer rushing attempts because they’re always forced to pass, in an attempt to chip away at overwhelming deficits, formed by conservative play calling. It’s one big circle of inefficiency.

If Callahan places a larger emphasis on establishing the run, more likely than not, the Redskins will only find their current offensive problems to be magnified. In the modern NFL, establishing the run serves no purpose, other than sapping efficiency from an offense, and if Callahan micro-manages O’Connell’s job, in order to fulfill an “old school” purpose, he’ll hurt the team’s offensive performance in the short-term, while also diluting O’Connell’s influence and limiting the organization’s knowledge to make long-term decisions.