For much of his coaching career, Jeff Brohm has been widely hailed as one of the most innovative offensive minds and play-callers in college football.
Some of his handiwork is now even making appearances in NFL games.
During a news conference Thursday, Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury credited Brohm as the inspiration for a flea flicker the team successfully ran in the second quarter of its 30-23 loss last Sunday to Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens.
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On the play, Washington had two running backs in the game, with Austin Ekeler lined up next to quarterback Jayden Daniels in the shotgun and Jeremy McNichols in the backfield. Daniels handed it off to McNichols, who tossed it back to Daniels before reaching the line of scrimmage. The Commanders’ rookie phenom then dumped it off to Ekeler, who ran it 25 yards to the Ravens’ 18-yard line.
Washington capped off the drive with a touchdown to tie the game at 10 late in the second quarter.
Kingsbury said Brohm had run a similar play at Purdue, where he coached from 2017-22 before returning home to lead his alma mater. The Boilermakers ran it slightly differently, though, as they completed the pass to a tight end, not a running back.
The idea for the play came from David Blough, who played for Brohm at Purdue and is in his first season as an assistant quarterbacks coach with the Commanders.
“It ended up working out,” Kingsbury said. “The guys executed it perfectly because they brought a pressure, which even made it better. Shoutout Jeff Brohm for that one.”
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kliff Kingsbury credits Jeff Brohm as inspiration for Commanders’ trick play
