Which Washington Commanders news stories are hitting the headlines as attention officially turns to what should be an eventful offseason?
It was no surprise to see the Super Bowl become the most-watched nationally televised event in history. A whopping average of 123.4 million watched the spectacle. The NFL is king. It's also much better when the Washington Commanders are competitive.
This is a task Adam Peters and the new structure will look to accomplish by laying the correct foundations this offseason. It's a fluid situation with plenty of twists and turns to come. The stories accumulating column inches include more hirings to the Commanders' staff, Dan Quinn hailed as a home-run hire, Magic Johnson's influence tipping the scales, and Kliff Kingsbury being slammed as fraudulent.
Let's delve into each topic in more detail.
Commanders filling out coaching staff
There was yet more notable activity in terms of coaching movement on Monday. Dan Quinn is leaving no stone unturned, acquiring the right blend of youth and experience in the hope of making a strong start to his second chance. He's also receiving the necessary financial backing from Josh Harris' ownership group to seal his preferred targets.
Bobby Johnson joins the Washington Commanders as the team's new offensive line coach. This received a mixed reaction among the fanbase. It's not like the G-Men had prolific protection last season, although his work to develop stud left tackle Andrew Thomas deserves praise.
Ken Norton Jr. will become the team's linebackers coach. John Pagano spurned multiple offers from elsewhere to link up with Quinn. His role will be a senior defensive assistant - another big coup for the organization.
Former player Ryan Kerrigan will stay on to coach the pass-rushers, which is great to see. The Commanders won't be bringing back tight ends coach Todd Storm. Travelle Wharton and Juan Castillo - who coached the offensive line last season - have also reportedly been made surplus to requirements.
Commanders hit home-run with Dan Quinn hire
Not everyone approved of the Washington Commanders making Dan Quinn their next head coach. Many thought they were settling after missing out on Ben Johnson and Mike Macdonald. None of that matters now - everyone must get behind the new regime as they look to drag the franchise from the proverbial abyss and back to respectability.
Quinn's arrival has been seen far differently in NFL circles. The latest to throw his weight behind the hire was Tony Romo, who thinks the Commanders struck gold by going in this direction based on comments via Sports Illustrated.
"I think that was a home-run hire. He’s one of the rare coaches who taught me, at this point, because I’ve talked to so many, I’ve learned so much about the game. I’m always inquisitive. I want to learn. When I retired, I wasn’t able to sit there and be like, ‘Oh, I’m going to go coach the defensive backs.’ I know coverages, I knew fronts, but I didn’t know why they were in a five high, six high, why it’s an over or an under front, I just know that they’re in that and here’s how to attack it. Dan, [Bill] Belichick, there are other coaches, too. I love learning, and for me, to be able to learn from a coach is a gift. Dan was one of those guys. They hit a home run there."Tony Romo via Sports Illustrated
The former quarterback turned CBS Sports analyst got a good vibe from Quinn. He's not alone in that regard around the NFL. Players love him. Coaches respect him. For fans, winning and growing is all that matters.
Magic Johnson's influence
Kliff Kingsbury made a sharp U-turn to become the Washington Commanders offensive coordinator. It looked for all the smart money as if the former Arizona Cardinals head coach was heading for the Las Vegas Raiders. But a contract dispute was enough for the deal to stall.
According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, the influence of Magic Johnson was felt. The Commanders' limited ownership partner had a huge part to play in Kingsbury's decision. Something that could be predicated on the offensive coordinator having a leading say in which quarterback is taken at No. 2 overall in the draft based on comments via Yahoo Sports.
"When you a defensive coach like Dan Quinn, the No. 1 question is ‘Who is going to be your offensive coordinator? This is as big as it gets for the Washington Commanders. To look at the flip that happened when he was with the Raiders, my understanding is Magic Johnson, who is a limited partner with the Commanders, was actually the one to step in and kind of pull Kliff Kingsbury back and go, ‘You know what if this deal with the Raiders isn’t perfect, maybe there’s a home for you in Washington.'"Ian Rapoport via Yahoo Sports
Whether the decision to hire Kingsbury or not remains to be seen. However, this situation is another prime example of how Johnson can help lure coaches and free agents to the Commanders this offseason and way into the future.
That's not a bad ace to have up your sleeve.
Commanders OC Kliff Kingsbury blasted
There is some skepticism surrounding the appointment of Kliff Kingsbury. Many deemed him unworthy of another shot in the NFL after how things ended with the Arizona Cardinals. Others feel like the coach continues to fall up despite his failings. This puts additional pressure on the play-caller to make an immediate impact.
Of course, this decision was swiftly followed by speculation linking the Washington Commanders with a trade-up for Caleb Williams, who worked with Kingsbury at USC. While that does appear unlikely, Damon Amendolara of CBS Sports slammed Washington's new offensive guru as the biggest fraud in football based on comments via Yardbarker.
"He has not succeeded anywhere he’s been to any significant degree. When he gets the head coaching job at Texas Tech, he never had a winning record in the Big 12. He’s supposed to be a great offensive mind with Patrick freaking Mahomes and his best season is 7-5 and he lost in the Texas Bowl. Then he somehow fails upward to get the head coaching job with Arizona. … Every year it’s the same thing — they start off hot and they collapse down the stretch. … Then he goes to USC and Caleb Williams has a worse season with him then he had without him, and USC crashes and burns. Now he’s going to take over a Washington gig because they’re angling for Caleb, perhaps, and they know there’s a familiarity there? I just think this guy has never proven anything and keeps getting plum jobs."Damon Amendolara via Yardbarker
Kingsbury's worked with some exceptional quarterbacks and had a hand in their encouraging development. There is much more to being an offensive coordinator, so fans should approach this hire with cautious optimism and nothing more until further notice.