The Washington Commanders did not manage the clock properly at the end of their tie game against the New York Giants on Oct. 11. In the aftermath, the big question was: whose fault was it? Head Coach Dan Quinn, Offensive Coordinator David Blough and/or Quarterback Jayden Daniels?
We may never know, because no one has truly owned up to the blunder that took place in the final 50 seconds of overtime. Here’s what each of them said after the game:
- Quinn: “Dave’s the one that calls it, but I want to make sure I’m clear on my guidelines, too. This will break down in a lot of ways, so it starts with me first.”
- Quinn, part 2: “We have to know the situation. We have to relay that as an offense. It starts with everyone, top down. Ultimately, it’s on me.”
- Blough: “For me in particular, it’s how do you handle that situation better the next time you’re in it? It’s a scar that we will all wear, but we go forward, man, and that’s all you can do.”
- Daniels: “We have to know the situation. We have to relay that as an offense. It starts with everyone, top down. Ultimately, it’s on me.”
- Daniels, after Thursday’s practice: “Don’t even put it on the coaches. I gotta be … more aware, go out there and manage the game. And I did not do that, so it doesn’t matter what happens on the sideline between the coaches or anything like that. I gotta notice everything that’s happening and make sure that we’re in the right situation to win the football game.”
Quinn does what he has to as the head coach: take the ultimate blame for the gaffe of his players and staff. His first statement seems to place the blame on Blough, and he continues that theme by using “we” in his second statement. To take accountability, Quinn should have said, “I did not do a good enough job of making my guidelines clear to the staff and the team.”
Blough sidesteps the issue by looking ahead, which is a common approach, but also avoids accountability. He is the one who can communicate to Daniels via the headset, after all. To take accountability, Blough should have led with, “In that situation, I should have …”
Daniels incorporates his teammates into taking the blame in his initial statement. A few days later, he mostly says the right thing, saying that he needed to be more aware of the clock situation. However, he then adds a dig at the coaches, perhaps implying that the real blame should be on them. To take accountability, Daniels should have said, “As the quarterback of the team, it’s my job to understand the situation at all times and manage the clock, and I did not do that at the end of the game.”