Pride of Detroit
David Blough is the first name to emerge as a candidate for the Detroit Lions’ vacant offensive coordinator position. The Lions certainly have more names in mind that they will consider for the position, but Blough’s emergence has certainly evoked a lot of emotion in Lions fans.
I, too, have some complicated thoughts about Blough as a candidate for the job. So let’s break them down: my four reasons I like him and three reasons I don’t.
Let’s be honest with ourselves, the Detroit Lions’ offensive scheme does not need a dramatic overhaul. If the Lions can just get back to where they were under Ben Johnson—and they weren’t that far off last year—things can change in a hurry. The Lions’ scheme was one that was carefully developed with Jared Goff at the helm, and Detroit’s personnel was hand-picked to fit what the Lions want to do here. The biggest reason Detroit took a step back this past season was their inability to win up front, not huge schematic blunders. If the Lions go with an external hire, they risk alienating their quarterback and attempting to fix things that weren’t broken.
Blough spent two seasons in Detroit under this scheme (2021, 2023), has a clear rapport with Jared Goff, and throughout his time here, he constantly received praise for his deep football knowledge.
Here’s Johnson mentioning that he saw play-calling in Blough’s future:
“I talked to Tim Boyle right now and I think whenever he decides to hang the cleats up, he’s going to become a coach. David Blough was the same way when he was here. Those guys – you can already see that they want to be potential play-callers down the road.“
And here’s Dan Campbell from 2021:
“He’s smart. He’s extremely smart. He knows where to go with the football, I love his timing. He knows how to command the huddle, he communicates well and on top of that, he’s a hell of a dude, by the way. He just is.”
Blough may only be two years into his coaching career, but the man has already drawn the interest of several teams. Last year alone, the Commanders had to block interview requests from the Jets (QB coach), Bears (pass game coordinator), and Jaguars (QB coach). Obviously, Aaron Glenn and Johnson chasing him is no surprise considering their shared time in Detroit, but Liam Coen was also interested, and he has no history with Blough. Word is getting around.
While play-design is only a small part of the job of offensive coordinator, Blough has already been credited with pitching in for some critical plays at critical times. Here’s Commanders QB Jayden Daniels talking about this game-winning touchdown play in Week 16 against the Eagles (via Albert Breer):
“It set...
