Commanders

Commanders OC David Blough explained how his past experiences have shaped who he is as a coordinator and play-caller.

“I think every step along the way I’ve gotten to learn something, and as we go forward, our staff, our collective staff, 12 or 13 coaches, we get to kind of build it up from the studs around what Jayden and Terry (McLaurin) and Laremy (Tunsil) and all these guys do really well,” Blough said, via The Athletic. “Pulling from all these different experiences, new coaches coming in who have backed up Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers, and coaches who have been around Drew Brees and developed young quarterbacks, being able to pull from the collective so that we can all collaborate together and make this the best possible thing is what’s really stimulating right now.”

Commanders DC Daronte Jones has earned respect from former players, including Vikings DB Harrison Smith. Commanders HC Dan Quinn said hearing testimony from guys he used to coach holds significant value.

“Those are the types of things from a leadership standpoint that you want to hear about developing players, making an impact, finding ways to teach it where it can be clear and concise and high standards and accountability,” Quinn said. “And when you hear players talk that way about their position coach, that’s a big deal.”

Blough added that he used to call his own plays when he was in high school, which helps and makes him feel more comfortable being in control of an offense.

“I probably got to play in 150 games from my sophomore year to senior year,” he recalled. “They were like, ‘You just call the plays.’ As the quarterback on the field, it’s like, ‘OK, well, I know this works,’ and you get to create it. I had to create the wristbands for the whole offense. Now, I was throwing the ball too, but I was calling the plays for myself.”

Blough added that he plans to put QB Jayden Daniels under center a lot more often than the previous regime.

“It opens up different play actions and keepers and getting (Daniels) on the perimeter in different ways,” he said. “I think there’s a level of communication that happens under center. I think there’s just, there’s different ways to go about things, and it’s something that I’m convicted about, with his skill set, his fundamentals, the things that we absolutely loved about him when he first got here still ring true.”

Jones added that he’s pulled different concepts from every coordinator he’s served under and plans on being versatile schematically.

“You naturally want to be moldable because I’ve been around so many different schemes; I think that’s an advantage of mine,” Jones said. “I’ve been able to implement various things from each scheme that I like and I want to pull from. So, whether it’s the Zimmer scheme, ‘Hey, I like this on third down, I like the mug looks there.’ Or if it’s Flores and the versatility, and how we can use one person in multiple ways based off of their strengths. That’s what you want to pull from.”

Commanders

The Commanders hired Daronte Jones as their new defensive coordinator. Jones said he’s excited to work with LB Frankie Luvu, who is someone he’s studied over the years. 

“Love Frankie Luvu. Watched him on tape,” Jones said, via CommandersWire. “He’s a guy that, before I even got here that, we would watch and put on a tape in our meeting room. I love his athleticism. He’s best going downhill, getting the matchup on running backs, that’s always a key.”

• Albert Breer of SI expects the Commanders to be active in the free agent market, and they could revamp their defense under new DC Daronte Jones. 

Falcons

• Falcons HC Kevin Stefanski on OLB James Pearce Jr.‘s situation: “There is really nothing to add. Our coaches will defer to the statement that we put out. I understand there are questions but there’s not much to add there.” (Josh Kendall)
• Falcons OC Tommy Rees said the team will operate regularly under center: “There are definite benefits to being under center. It’s been an identity of Kevin (Stefanski) going back in his career ,and it’s something we believe in.” (Kendall)
• Falcons defensive pass game coordinator Mike Rutenberg is interviewing for Cleveland DC job. Falcons DC Jeff Ulbrich said they have a contingency plan in case he leaves: “Ruty does an amazing job. He is one of the best teachers in this game. He understands the back end at a PhD-plus level. Whether he gets a coordinator job this year or next, it’s coming. I’m excited for his future. Selfishly, I don’t want to lose him, but he’s got a bright future. We have a plan if he leaves.” (Kendall)
• Ulbrich on Stefanski: “He is a rare guy in this business, you can’t find anyone in this business who say something bad about this man. Everything has been off the charts good.” (Kendall)