After the Washington Commanders' calamitous final sequence to tie their Week 5 game with the New York Giants, head coach Dan Quinn and quarterback Jayden Daniels came under fire. It's deserved, but there is an overlooked figure who is more than complicit in the team's failure.
Offensive coordinator David Blough.
The Commanders took a big risk by promoting Blough to offensive coordinator this offseason. He is a rookie play-caller, but is seen as a fast-rising coach who could potentially secure a top job one day.
David Blough must also be held accountable for Commanders' overtime botch
After this, that might be a long way off from becoming a reality.
Quinn is the head man. Daniels is the man under center who should have recognized the situation for what it was. But his main source of communication on the field is Blough.
With 55 seconds left, they still had time to do something. The Commanders took their time, but a play came in. There was pre-snap motion, a hard count to decipher the coverage, and according to Quinn, the first read was third-year tight end Ben Sinnott on an outside throw.
What followed was a hilarious example of the worst clock management you will ever see.
Routes were run. Receivers and tight ends were downfield. The offensive line was looking for work. Daniels should have thrown it away when nothing developed as expected, but there was no better call than a spike or throwaway in this situation.
This is all Blough had to do.
David Blough got too cute, and the Commanders paid a heavy price
That would have left first-year kicker Drew Stevens with a 42-yard field goal at home to win the game. Not a layup, but makeable for someone with his leg strength.
He never got the chance, and Blough has to take a good portion of the accountability for this utter incompetence.
Blough doesn't speak to reporters after the game. No cameras were on him, and he'll have all the right words when he does face the media on Friday before Monday Night Football against the San Francisco 49ers.
But this was a grave lapse in judgment he would like to have back.
The Commanders believed in Blough, and they still do. He was the bright young offensive mind whom Quinn didn't want to lose when the Detroit Lions came calling. But he has got to handle situations like this better to justify Washington's faith.
There is a lot of blame to go around.
Quinn isn't calling plays, so his job is to read the situation correctly and make everyone aware of the plan. Daniels had all day to look at the scoreboard and make smarter decisions. Blough should have stopped fighting for needless yardage and focused on giving the Commanders a shot rather than trying to play hero ball.
It was malpractice of the highest order from everyone. Blough is in the proverbial shadows compared to Quinn, but that doesn't hide his role in this fiasco that left the Commanders falling on their face.
Everyone says it's on them, and that's fine. But in the Commanders' situation, talk is incredibly cheap.
This botched ending only heightened the pressure. And Blough shouldn't be exempt from blame just because he lacks experience.
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