Wake Up Washington | OC Scott Turner will switch from the booth to the sideline

Aug 17, 2022 at 09:11 AM

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Commanders offensive coordinator Scott Turner will have a different vantage point on gamedays during 2022 season as he recently stated he would moving from the booth to the sideline.

"It's something that I've been thinking about really over the course of the entire offseason," Turner said. "Do I want to make that change?"

It's understandable that the decision was not one taken lightly. The upstairs play caller versus downstairs play caller preference has divided the league for years. Which one is better positioned for success? The evidence is completely split. Handfuls of pros and cons can be listed for either. Super Bowls have been won and lost with offensive coordinators in either position. A change in a preference though usually means a big change has happened on the field -- like the addition of a new franchise quarterback via a blockbuster offseason trade.

"I think it was an adjustment made after Carson [Wentz]," head coach Ron Rivera said. "We just feel that this is something that gives us an opportunity to be right there and get instant feedback as opposed to having to have it cycle through a quarterback coach."

Wentz is still settling into this offense, and he is a veteran guy who has played hundreds of scenarios. There is a lot that makes sense about Turner wanting to prioritize face-to-face communication with this quarterback.

"At practice, there's things that me and Carson will talk about that I think are really valuable for myself and for him," Turner said. "Just how he's seeing things and hearing it directly from him, not through another person or not having to get him on the phone or have somebody give him a headset."

Turner hopes other players too will benefit from having access to him on the sideline and that his presence closer to the action will positively influence the Commanders' offensive energy.

"Just being able to speak directly to them, if there's something that I need to say that is huge," Turner said about the sideline advantages. "Being down in there, you feel like you're a little bit more part of the game."

Here's a morning roundup of what the local and national media have to say about the Washington Commanders on Wednesday, August 17, 2022. All reports, rumors and conjecture are a reflection of the media conversation and are not endorsed or confirmed by the Washington Commanders.

The reports and deals expressed in this article have not been confirmed by Washington, nor do they reflect any insider information from anyone in the front office.

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