The Detroit Lions will face the Washington Commanders in the divisional round of the 2024-25 NFL Playoffs. They have a brand new coaching staff in 2024, but it’s full of a lot of familiar faces.
“I have a lot of respect for Dan Quinn,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said Monday. “I know Dan – from a distance, I know him, but it’s not like we hang out every day or anything or talk like that – but I’ve known him for a while. And certainly, when he was in Atlanta, having to play him twice a year, I mean, you gain a high level of respect for what they do.
“And Joe Whitt, the defensive coordinator, I mean, those guys were all there. And so, inevitably, his teams will always be competitive and ready to go. And they’re going to try to do things the right way, so I have a lot of respect for what he did, and I’m not surprised that they’re where they are, just knowing how he did it. builds things, that is his attitude. So, it’s impressive.
Let’s take a look at the Commanders coaching staff and how their offensive and defensive schemes work.
Quinn began coaching at the college level in 1994 and entered the NFL in 2001 with the 49ers (defensive line coach), followed by stints with the Dolphins, Jets and Seahawks. After two years as the University of Florida’s defensive coordinator, Quinn returned to the NFL and was rehired by the Seahawks this time as defensive coordinator, where he laid the foundation for their “Legion of Boom” defense. .
It wasn’t long before Quinn was hired as head coach of the Falcons, and although he led them to Super Bowl 51 (the infamous 28-3 collapse), his overall record was 43-42 l ‘led to his dismissal at the start of his mandate. sixth season (2020).
Quinn would become defensive coordinator again, this time with the Cowboys under (then) head coach Mike McCarthy, and helped turn Dallas’ defense into a solid unit. When the Commanders were conducting their coaching search, it was thought to be because of Quinn and the Lions’ offense Ben Johnson, and when Johnson withdrew from consideration, it wasn’t long before that a deal be reached to make Quinn their next head coach.
Kingsbury played quarterback at Texas Tech in a high-octane aerial attack and was drafted in the sixth round of the 2003 NFL Draft by the Patriots. By 2009, he had left the NFL and was coaching at the college level. He developed several NFL quarterbacks along the way, including Case Keenum at Houston, Johnny Manziel at Texas A&M, Baker Mayfield (in his first season) and Patrick Mahomes at Texas Tech.
His offensive success landed him a head coaching job with the Arizona Cardinals, and while he drafted Kyler Murray, he was fired after just three seasons. After a year at USC as an offensive analyst – and working with 2024 No. 1 pick Caleb Williams – Kingsbury was hired by Quinn to be the Commanders’ offensive coordinator, where he is responsible for developing the rookie Jayden Daniels.
Virtually everything in the Commanders offensive plan is designed to maximize Jayden Daniels, and Kingsbury has tweaked his previous plans to help the rookie succeed by forcing defenses to adopt more fundamental concepts.
While there are still influences from Kingsbury’s Air Raid and West Coast concepts, such as pre-snap movement, play action, screens, and group formations, this version of his offense focuses forward all about running the ball. For the most part, Washington has done very well running the ball (a per-play EPA of +0.13 is the best in the NFL, according to Next Gen Stats). Some of that production can be attributed to their running backs’ early season success, but Daniels’ ability to run designed quarterback runs — like power and RPOs — as well as knowing when to rush , improved this approach.
With Brian Robinson and Austin Ekeler in the backfield to complement Daniels, the Commanders have their combination of thunder and lightning that most teams aim for. In addition to each back having plays designed for them, Kingsbury also has multiple plays featuring both backs on the field at the same time, which they deploy more than 10 percent of the time when Ekeler is healthy.
Over the past few weeks, Commanders’ play at running back has regressed, but Daniels’ success has kept things moving forward. For example, Ekeler averaged 4.8 yards per carry, but since returning from injury that average has dropped to 4.0 YPC, and he averaged 3.4 last week against the Bucs. Robinson is even worse, as he’s averaging 4.3 YPC on the season, but over the past month that number has dropped to 3.24 YPC, and last week he only accounted for 1.6 YPC in the Wild Card. Meanwhile, Daniels is averaging 6.0 YPC on the season, and in the final month of the regular season, with Ekeler out and Robinson struggling, he increased that average to 7.5 YPC. That being said, the Bucs held him to 2.8 YPC last week, so the Lions have a new game plan to figure out.
In the passing game, their main goal is to pass on first downs in order to set them up for manageable second and third downs. That means high-precision plays that produce on short and intermediate routes and shoot downfield on later downs.
Additionally, commanders like to push the pace in attack, while maintaining control of the ball. While it may seem counterintuitive, no-huddle practices focus less on rushing to the line of scrimmage to get a quick play, and more on putting the defense in tough, basic spots.
Here are some of the advantages of the commanders’ no-huddle strategy:
Finally, the Commanders’ approach to staying ahead puts them on convertible third downs (46.12% conversion, sixth in the NFL), but they’re also not afraid to go for it on fourth down test in the right situations. Because they know the capabilities of their offense, when they gamble on fourth down, they typically convert and have completed 20 of their 23 attempts (86.96%, best in the NFL).
This strategy of going for it on fourth down also focuses on ball control and time of possession (51.27%, eighth in the NFL). Last week against the Bucs, they didn’t punt and instead went fourth down five times, converting three of those attempts.
Whitt began coaching at the collegiate level (Auburn) in 2000, before entering the NFL in 2007 with Atlanta. He joined McCarthy with the Packers in 2008 and coached their secondary for 11 seasons. After just one season as the Browns secondary coach, he was hired by Quinn in his final year with the Falcons. When Quinn left for the Cowboys (and McCarthy), Whitt followed to coach their secondary. When Quinn was hired by the Commanders, Whitt, who was the favorite to be the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator, chose to follow Quinn to become the Commanders’ defensive coordinator.
Before hiring Quinn and Whitt, the Commanders were one of the worst defenses in the NFL, so the front office made it a point to acquire several free agents who would fit their draft in hopes of a turnaround fast. Edge rushers Dorance Armstrong and Dante Fowler, as well as corner Noah Igbinoghene, all came from Dallas. Linebackers Bobby Wagner and Frankie Luvu were targeted for their unique roles. Although Washington’s defense has made serious progress, it still has some flaws, although it has made adjustments to hide them as best it can.
Although not identical, the Commanders’ defense relies on the same concepts as several of the Lions’ opponents this season, including San Francisco and Green Bay. Even though Quinn has adapted his plan over the years, for example by implementing more man coverage, the fundamental basis will seem very familiar.
Up front, commanders deploy a four-man, 1-spaced unit that uses twists and stunts to create pressure. This mix-up play is often used to cover up defensive linemen who aren’t very successful in winning face-offs, and forces the offensive line to communicate on the fly. The Lions have shown it a lot more since the defeat of Alim. McNeill.
According to Next Gen Stats, the Commanders generated just 189 pressures on the season (26th in the NFL), and like the Lions, relied on the blitz (32.9%, sixth in the NFL) to create more depression. Unfortunately for Washington, the added emphasis on creating pressure often leaves them vulnerable against the run, something the Lions will look to exploit.
At linebacker, they primarily use only two off-ball linebackers (Wagner and Luvu) on each down, with sometimes a third in base formations. Wagner is MIKE’s anchor in the middle of the field, while Luvu is the moving chess piece, playing the role Quinn created for Micah Parsons in Dallas.
In the secondary, Commanders have remained in sub-packages between 85 and 100% of the time over the past month. They spend about a third of their time in man coverage and two-thirds in zone, which is around the middle of the league for both coverage splits. Early in the season, the Commanders used more man coverage, but their corners couldn’t hold up and they played more zone to adjust.
In zone, they primarily deploy Cover-3 (25% of the time) and Cover-2 (18%), and when they switch to man coverage, it’s almost exclusively in single looks (30%). That means about 55% of the time they operate with a single strong safety, something the Lions offense has seen a lot in recent games, including from the Packers, Bears and 49ers over the past month of the season. regular season.
There are also some fun coaching and front office relationships between the CO staff and the Lions.
FRISCO, TX – A very familiar face was added to the mix, as expected, as…
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is banning the use of red dye No. 3…
David Lynch, the maverick American director who had a successful career while exploring the bizarre,…
Bob Uecker, the clubhouse mastermind who turned his tales of inferiority as a major league…
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – Republican Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Democratic California Gov.…
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida -- CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Blue Origin launched its massive new…