The Dogs have a full bowl in this edition, with NFL coaching firings and hirings, a great Wild Card Weekend, and a new feature, “The Three-Pointer,” as we discuss some local happenings. Brought to you by Energy Windows LLC, your go-to team for those projects outside the home: windows, roofing, gutters, doors, even attic insulation. Visit them at https://energywindowsllc.com
Greetings from The Booth!
Sometimes, you gotta change the wallpaper…
It’s “Coaching Carousel” time in the National Football League, and the firings began on so-called Black Monday, right after the regular season finale. Although Commanders’ Head Coach Dan Quinn was spared the wrath of “The Turk,” the fans were thrown a bone with the dismissal of Defensive Coordinator Joe Whitt, Jr., and the surprising exit of Offensive Coordinator Kliff Kingsbury. In the case of Whitt, the defense had become a sieve, with opposing teams running up and down the field against the burgundy and gold. Late in the season, Quinn took over the defensive play-calling, with minimal results. Yes, injuries were an issue (on both sides of the ball), and that’s why Quinn is probably safe for now.
With Kingsbury, there had apparently been some internal disagreement with GM Adam Peters over offensive philosophy and the handling of franchise quarterback Jayden Daniels. That situation came to a head late in the season during a game when Kingsbury called three consecutive pass plays following a second-and-goal at the 2-yard line, when many in the organization and the fan base felt the Commanders should have run the ball. Following the season, Kingsbury and the team mutually agreed to part ways.
Since then, the team has hired from within, promoting QB Coach David Blough to the OC spot. The upside is that there is a comfort level between Daniels and Blough, and the offense will have some continuity instead of starting totally fresh with an outside OC. The downside is that Blough is untested as a coordinator, and with a seat that is getting warmer for Quinn headed into Year 3, he better get this hire right. As of this writing, the DC position has yet to be filled, and interviews are ongoing. The Commanders will surely have to dismantle a defense that needs to get younger and faster, so this is another hire that must be a good one. It will be an interesting and important offseason for this regime.
And, the AFC North will look vastly different in 2026. The Baltimore Ravens fired long-time Head Coach John Harbaugh, while Pittsburgh Steelers’ HC Mike Tomlin stepped down after 19 seasons with the club. Both Tomlin and Harbaugh led their respective teams to Super Bowl titles, and their teams were perennial playoff contenders. However, both the Ravens and Steelers had high bars of expectation, and in recent years, Tomlin and Harbaugh had not reached that bar. Tomlin’s Steelers suffered their 7th playoff loss in a row Monday night when they lost at home to Houston 30-6. And Harbaugh’s fate was sealed when the same Steelers team downed the Ravens in the regular season finale, in a winner-take-all contest. To add insult to injury, Harbaugh was fired by phone as he was headed to his home from the team facility. At least the Pittsburgh organization allowed Tomlin, who probably saw the writing on the wall, to step down.
Neither will be out of work for long, but the exits of Harbaugh and Tomlin point out the “what have you done lately” nature of the NFL coaching profession. Just ask Dan Quinn…
Until next time from The Booth…enjoy the Divisional Round!
RW
Greetings from The Booth!
It’s starting to feel like Spring is settling in for the long haul, but you know what they say: if you don’t like the weather in Virginia, wait 5 minutes and you’ll get something else. Still, the mid-70’s temps feel good to my ever-aging joints and bones. On the SU scene, baseball stumbled a bit recently, but hopefully is back to it’s winning ways. Both lacrosse programs are having great seasons, and everyone else is at the very least, competitive. For a complete “State Of The Hornets” update, head to the podcast section and check out the latest Sports Dogs Podcast, where I’m joined by Shenandoah University’s Scott Musa.
By now you’ve heard about the tragic death this past weekend of NFL quarterback Dwayne Haskins. The former Washington QB was training with his current team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and was killed while walking across a busy interstate. He was just shy of his 25th birthday.
For whatever reason, Haskins wasn’t the franchise quarterback that Washington had hoped he would be. The Ohio State product captured the eye of owner Dan Snyder, although several personnel people in the organization warned against taking someone with basically one year under his belt as the Buckeye’s starter. That one season in Columbus was a great one, though, as Haskins threw for well over 4-thousand yards and 50 touchdowns against Big Ten defenses, setting conference records in the process and leading his team to a 13-1 record and a spot in the Rose Bowl.
But sometimes you can achieve too much too soon. Those in the Washington organization cited Haskins’ lack of work ethic, undisciplined play, and lack of leadership as sources of frustration. One example is the time when Haskins was called on to close out a Washington victory, but was busy celebrating with fans in the stands. Haskins was eventually replaced by Taylor Heinicke and released by the club after less than two seasons.
Now is certainly not the time to pile on as several national pundits have done, but a time to grieve for the young man and his unrealized potential. By all accounts, Haskins was making good with his second chance in the NFL. His head coach in Pittsburgh, Mike Tomlin, said that Haskins was working hard, and with the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger, certainly had a chance at moving up from his third-string spot on the club. Hopefully, Haskins had realized that raw talent alone isn’t enough to succeed in the National Football League. It’s quite possible that Dwayne Haskins could have learned from his time in Washington, and become a star at the professional level.
Sadly, now we’ll never know.
Until the next visit from The Booth…GO HORNETS!
RW
