Why has the Washington Commanders’ brass interviewed Pat Shurmur, Ken Zampese, Charles London, Eric Studesville, and Thomas Brown for their offensive coordinator position on the coaching staff?
The simple answer we may be tempted to offer is that Scott Turner was fired. But why was Scott Turner fired?
There are always going to be relational elements that go on behind closed doors, down on team sidelines, that the public is not made aware of until later.
We know there were some philosophical differences between Ron Rivera and Turner. But hey, they are two knowledgeable football coaches, and differences of opinion are to be expected.
It’s been reported that Turner was not altogether pleased with the trade for Carson Wentz last offseason. Was Turner upset about Wentz himself? Was Turner upset concerning the compensation the Commanders returned to the Colts?
However, what we can look at are some numbers. What were the numbers for the Washington Commanders offense this season? What will the numbers tell us? The numbers show the offense, whether one coach wanted to run more and one wanted to pass more, was not outstanding passing or running.
There were effective games passing (Jaguars, Titans) and running (Cowboys, Packers, Eagles, Falcons), but when looking at the season-long results, what do we learn?
*Team Rankings based on scale of 1st is the best and 32nd the worst
Washington Commanders 2022 Offensive Team Statistics
Points scored by offense 321 (24th)
Yards gained from scrimmage 5,615 (20th)
Offensive plays 1,140 (4th)
Yards per offensive play 4.9 (27th)
Turnovers lost 23 (18th)
First Downs 339 (18th)
Passing Yards 3,472 (21st)
Passing Touchdowns 24 (17th)
Interceptions Thrown 16 (27th)
Net Yards gained per passing attempt 5.8 (23rd)
Passing First Downs 184 (20th)
Rushing Yards 2,143 (12th)
Rushing Touchdowns 9 (29th)
Rushing Yards per attempt 4.0 (28th)
Rushing First Downs 124 (11th)
Percentage of drives ending in offensive score 29.4% (28th)
Percentage of drives ending in offensive turnover 11.7 % (18th)
Expected points contributed by the offense -24.27 (24th)
Conclusion:
a. Commanders quarterbacks were not very good this season, and the Commanders offensive line did not perform as well in run or pass blocking as they did in 2021.
b. Changes are needed on the offense in coaching and personnel.