Daily Slop – 15 Feb 24: Analyzing how CB Emmanuel Forbes fits into Dan Quinn’s defensive scheme

A collection of articles, podcasts & tweets from around the web to keep you in touch with the Commanders, the NFC East and the NFL in general

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Dan Quinn fills out Commanders coaching staff, Lance Newmark named assistant GM

We knew the Washington Commanders would be busy hiring coaches for Dan Quinn’s staff. It turns out new general manager Adam Peters had some moves to make.

Former Detroit Lions executive Lance Newmark is joining Washington’s revamped front office as Peters’ assistant GM, the team announced on Wednesday, with holdovers Martin Mayhew and Marty Hurney receiving new titles.

Quinn’s coaching staff is now intact and includes two former head coaches following Wednesday’s addition of Anthony Lynn as an offensive assistant. Former Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury was named offensive coordinator earlier this month.

• Newmark, the first hire of Peters’ front office, brings 28 years of experience to Washington after spending the past 26 seasons with the Lions. His most recent role, senior director of player personnel, included overseeing the college and pro scouting operations and assisting GM Brad Holmes.

“Lance is someone tha I have known and respected in the scouting community my entire career,” Peters said in a statement released by the team. “He is a highly respected talent evaluator and a great leader who will fit perfectly into what we’re building here in Washington.”

Other hires may occur after April’s draft. Teams typically keep staff through the entire draft period, even amid a transition. Peters thanked Holmes and the Lions’ organization in his statement for “being first class in working with us on the process of bringing Lance to the DMV.”

• Peters and Newmark will lead efforts in free agency — teams can begin negotiations with outside free agents on March 11 — and the draft. They will also get an up-close look at the overall front-office operations.

• Having arrived in Washington with the general manager title in 2021, Mayhew is now a senior personnel executive/adviser to the general manager. It’s unusual to see an executive stay with the same organization at a lower title. But the connection between Peters and Newmark, and Mayhew’s ability to keep his ego in check, explains the difference.

Hurney is transitioning to an advisory role unlikely to extend into the 2024 season.

With all position coaches known, here’s a breakdown of where Quinn’s coordinators and assistants worked last season (senior defensive assistant John Pagano’s previous NFL job was with the 2021 Denver Broncos).

— Four were on the Commanders’ staff last season and remain with the team.

— Two each from the Cowboys and 49ers.

— One assistant from each of the Buccaneers, Chargers, Eagles, Giants, Raiders, Seahawks, UCLA and USC.

ESPN

Commanders hire Anthony Lynn to staff, finalize front office

Darryl Tapp, another 49ers assistant coach, also is headed to Washington as the Commanders’ defensive line coach, sources told Schefter. Tapp, who was San Francisco’s assistant defensive line coach, played defensive end for Washington in 2013 as part of his 12-year NFL career.

Washington also is hiring Tom Donatell as defensive backs coach. Donatell spent the past three years with the Los Angeles Chargers and was their passing game coordinator/secondary coach in 2023.

Under Lynn, the Chargers were 21-11 in his first two seasons combined. But they fell to 12-20 in his last two, leading to his firing. Lynn was Detroit’s offensive coordinator in 2021 but was fired and replaced by Ben Johnson.

Lynn has served as running backs coach for five other teams as well. He’s the second former head coach hired for Quinn’s staff. Former Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury was named offensive coordinator for the Commanders.

Adding Newmark gives Washington another experienced voice in the front office. He spent the past 26 years with the Lions, rising from an assistant in the personnel department to becoming their senior director of player personnel, where he helped oversee both the college and pro scouting operations. He was considered a key assistant to Detroit’s executive vice president and GM Brad Holmes, who built a team that reached the NFC Championship Game this season.

Newmark survived three regime changes in Detroit. He was a national scout for three years and Detroit’s scouting director for two years. He was the team’s director of player personnel from 2016-21. Newmark interviewed for Detroit’s GM opening before the Lions hired Holmes in 2021.

Commanders.com

Commanders name Lance Newmark assistant general manager

rior to being named the senior director of player personnel in 2022, Newmark served as the director of player personnel for five seasons (2016-21). He also held the roles of director of college scouting (2015-16), assistant director of college scouting (2008-14), national scout (2005-07) and area scout (1999-2004). His first season in Detroit was in 1998 where he assisted the player personnel department with various scouting assignments during the season and in preparation for the 1999 NFL Draft.

Newmark got his start in the NFL with the San Diego Chargers where he spent two seasons as a staff assistant. In San Diego, Newmark worked under legendary General Manager Bobby Beathard who is a member of both the Pro Football Hall of Fame and Washington Ring of Fame.

“I could not be more excited about joining the Washington Commanders organization,” said Newmark. “I have tremendous respect for Adam, and believe strongly in him, and in his vision for this franchise. I cannot wait to join Adam, Coach Quinn, and the rest of the organization this week in the DMV. It was very clear in this process that Josh Harris is extremely committed to running a first class organization and building a championship caliber football team, which made this opportunity very special. His passion for returning this franchise to greatness is clear. I will always be thankful for my time in Detroit and cannot say enough good things about the Lions organization. I sincerely appreciate them allowing me to pursue this exciting opportunity in Washington.”

Riggo’s Rag

Did historical friction play into Commanders’ hands with Sharrif Floyd hire?

Everything happens for a reason…

Another notable arrival from the Dallas Cowboys was Shariff Floyd. The progressive figure will be Washington’s new assistant defensive line coach after successfully transitioning to the coaching side. His departure from Dallas also represented perfect timing for all involved.

Commanders benefitted from Sharrif Floyd-Mike Zimmer beef

Why does this impact Floyd? Upon digging a little deeper, there is an obvious connection.

Before embarking on his coaching journey, Floyd was a highly touted college prospect coming out of Florida. The defensive tackle was nothing short of dominant throughout his time with the Gators. As such, the Vikings made him the No. 23 overall selection in the 2013 NFL Draft.

Their head coach at the time? Mike Zimmer.

Things started well enough for Floyd. He looked capable of carving out a successful career for himself, especially as a sophomore. Unfortunately, a serious knee injury followed by nerve damage during surgery derailed his career. It ended with an early retirement after just four seasons.

There is a little tidbit that adds another fascinating layer to this equation. Back in 2016, Zimmer was blasted by Floyd on social media for what he believed were detrimental comments about his character. The coach brushed them off accordingly. This was swiftly followed by the ex-lineman filing a grievance against the Vikings for loss of earnings amounting to $6.75 million.

“Everyone who has claimed to love me has walked away, left when the weights got heavy. Close friends and loved ones looking to fill their pockets not knowing Or caring bout anything I’m going threw. Crawling around my house after long days of rehab, scooting down the stairs every morning and afternoon. somehow I managed to keep my head above water. I’m sharing this picture first because it was 2 days before I went into surgery, These words were used to slander my name, and tarnish me as a person and a player. So easy to forget the kinds of years A kid has had when your support system has so much B.s to say about you.”

– Sharrif Floyd via Instagram

We have no idea of the relationship between the two right now. The timing of his departure from Dallas – which almost immediately coincided with Zimmer’s appointment – was interesting. Perhaps he just wanted to continue his development under Quinn rather than having to answer to his old head coach. Perhaps there was more to this than meets the eye after how things ended in Minnesota. We’ll never know for sure.

What cannot be disputed is Floyd’s current coaching trajectory. He’s young and ambitious. His methods resonate well with the modern-day player. He has that fire many believed was severely lacking during the final days of Rivera’s tenure.

He’ll also get the opportunity to go against Zimmer twice a season.

Bullock’s Film Room (subscription)

How does Emmanuel Forbes fit under Dan Quinn in Washington?

Taking a closer look how the Commanders 2023 first-round pick fits under new head coach Dan Quinn

Forbes will be playing his second season in the NFL under new head coach Dan Quinn, who built a strong reputation in the NFL from the Seahawks Cover-3 era. After failing to replicate that success in Atlanta though, Quinn arrived in Dallas with a fresh mindset. He completely changed his scheme and the Cowboys majored in man coverage. Quinn stated in his introductory press conference that while he will continue to try and innovate and grow, there will be plenty of carry over from the system he ran in Dallas.

So we’re now left in a situation where Forbes was the Commanders 2023 first-round pick because of his fit in zone systems, was benched in his rookie year for struggling in man coverage and now the new head coach is likely to install a system based more on man coverage than zone. On paper, it’s a bad match. However, dive a little deeper and it could well be a system that makes best use of Forbes and his instincts to ball hawk. The type of man coverage that the Cowboys played under Quinn wasn’t always the typical press coverage style with a corner up at the line of scrimmage looking to be physical and jam a receiver to disrupt their release. Instead, he often had his cornerbacks playing significantly off the line of scrimmage so they could play top down on everything and attack.

Here we see Cowboys cornerback Stephon Gilmore aligned about eight yards off the line of scrimmage. He’s still playing man coverage against Lions receiver Josh Reynolds, he’s just doing it from a position that grants him a wider field of vision and one that enables him to drive down aggressively on anything underneath. As the ball is snapped and the receiver works into his route, Gilmore is able to see both the receiver and the quarterback. As soon as the receiver starts to make his cut, Gilmore can also see into the backfield that the quarterback is beginning his throwing motion. Those two indicators are all Gilmore needs to transition into attack mode and he drives down on the route immediately. He arrives just before the ball does and he gets his hand on the pass to break it up.

That style of play was consistent among all the Cowboys corners under Quinn. Being able to play off and with vision allowed them to stay on top of everything and switch into attack mode as soon as they saw indicators of the ball being thrown. To enable that style to work, Quinn had to be aggressive up front too. If he wants his corners to be super aggressive and driving down instantly on anything underneath, he needs the pass rush to protect them from double moves and deep shots. The rush and coverage being in sync is key, but Quinn managed to create that environment in Dallas and his corners thrived as a result.

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Bleeding Green Nation

Eagles sign former third-round pick from the 2020 NFL Draft

Taking a chance on theoretical upside.

Okwara was limited to just six games as a rookie but he got healthier and took a step forward in his second season. He logged five sacks, six TFLs, nine QB hits, one forced fumble, and one interception in 2021.

But then he got bit by the injury bug again and was limited to just four sacks over 19 games played in 2022 and 2023 combined. He was a healthy scratch multiple times last season before being demoted to the practice squad in the playoffs.

It’s quite possible that Okwara just isn’t going to pan out as a consistent and reliable NFL player. But the Eagles might as well take a look at the 26-year-old with one of their opening on the 90-player offseason roster. Nothing to lose by letting him compete for a spot on next year’s team. Especially at a position where the Eagles are looking relatively light … and even more so if Haason Reddick gets traded.

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NFL.com

One person dead, multiple people injured in shooting at end of Chiefs’ Super Bowl parade

Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves said at a news conference on Wednesday that 22 people were victims of gunshot wounds, including one person who was killed. The deceased victim was Kansas City disc jockey Lisa Lopez, The Associated Press confirmed. Graves added that the shooting remains an active investigation and police have recovered firearms from the scene. Three people have been detained and are under investigation, per Graves.

Kansas City Fire Department Chief Ross Grundyson said on Wednesday that of the gunshot victims, eight were considered immediately life-threatening, seven were life-threatening and six were considered minor.

Lisa Augustine, spokesperson for Children’s Mercy Kansas City, confirmed to NFL Media on Wednesday that the hospital is treating 12 patients from the rally, including 11 children. Nine of the 12 are being treated for gunshot wounds.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the Chiefs confirmed that all players, coaches and staff are safe and accounted for.

“We are truly saddened by the senseless act of violence that occurred outside of Union Station at the conclusion of today’s parade and rally,” the Chiefs said. “Our hearts go out to the victims, their families, and all of Kansas City. We are in close communication with the Mayor’s office as well as the Kansas City Police Department. At this time, we have confirmed that all of our players, coaches, staff and their families are safe and accounted for. We thank the local law enforcement officers and first responders who were on-scene to assist.”

Pro Football Talk

All 12 parade victims at Kansas City children’s hospital will make a full recovery

12 patients were taken to Children’s Mercy hospital in Kansas City. All are expected to make a full recovery.

Nine of the patients were children between the ages of 6 and 15 who were shot. Two patients were children injured in the surrounding chaos. The 12th patient was an adult injured at the parade who was treated at the children’s hospital because her child was also injured and she wouldn’t leave her child’s side.

Stephanie Meyer, senior vice president and chief nursing officer at the hospital, said the care for the children will include fulfilling their mental health needs after the trauma they experienced.