In his first season of his second stint as an NFL head coach, the 54-year-old Quinn has proven a capability to create contemporary messaging and authentically relate to gamers. He deftly balances an in depth, old-school method with the communication abilities he gleaned from Pete Carroll throughout his time as defensive coordinator with the Seattle Seahawks.
“He is the most effective culture-builder I’ve seen,” Lynn mentioned of Quinn. “When he is performed with the NFL, he can simply journey and train individuals methods to construct good cultures, as a result of he does that very properly. And it simply comes so pure to him. It is one thing he has a ardour for. You may see it. And I believe that authenticity is what makes guys belief him and purchase in so quick.
“He is a rattling good X’s and O’s soccer coach. However as a culture-builder, he is the most effective I have been round.”
Quinn entered the league over 20 years in the past as an assistant for the San Francisco 49ers. Earlier than the beginning of the 2001 season, then-49ers defensive coordinator Jim L. Mora was entrusted by head coach Steve Mariucci to rent a defensive high quality management assistant.
“This man from Hofstra saved pestering me,” Mora instructed FOX Sports activities. “Perhaps that is the flawed phrase. He was persistent, and calling me daily, and getting different individuals to name me. We ended up having a connection via a co-worker of my spouse.
“This was most likely like a six-week ordeal. And I would interviewed a bunch of individuals and hadn’t actually discovered a match. I felt prefer it was an extended method to convey a man. And I did not know him. I did not know Hofstra. However I lastly flew him out to San Francisco. He had a coat and tie on. He took that coat and tie off, threw it over the chair and obtained up on the blackboard. And inside 5 minutes I am going, ‘That is the man. This man’s particular.'”
Mora mentioned the 2 grew to become good pals, spending late nights recreation planning. They nonetheless speak usually. Mora, now the pinnacle coach at UConn, flew down to go to Quinn quickly after he was employed by the Commanders.
Mora famous Quinn’s penchant for creating deep relationships with gamers, which permits him to educate them tougher.
“You may solely do this in the event that they know that you’re personally invested in them,” Mora mentioned. “To me, that is precisely who Dan Quinn is. He can coach them laborious. He can coach them aggressively as a result of he by no means offers them a motive to query the authenticity of his intentions.”
Jayden Daniels & Dan Quinn have constructed a profitable tradition in Washington
One more reason for Quinn’s success in Washington has been his potential to convey collectively an skilled teaching workers that features two former head coaches in offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury and Lynn. The workers additionally features a former offensive coordinator in Brian Johnson and two former defensive coordinators in Ken Norton Jr. and John Pagano, and former NFL gamers Bobby Engram (receivers coach), Darryl Tapp (line of defense coach) and Tom Izzo (particular groups coach).
Former Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck obtained an up-close have a look at Quinn’s detailed method to group conferences when Quinn was Seattle’s line of defense coach.
“Pete [Carroll] was very a lot about getting the ball out and turnovers,” Hasselbeck mentioned. “And each Wednesday morning he would have DQ rise up in entrance of the group with a PowerPoint presentation with nonetheless pictures of each single ball service and the quarterback, displaying how he held the ball. Whether or not it was with one hand or two, the tip of the ball or under his quantity. All of the stuff.
“And with the working again, is his wrist above the elbow or the elbow above the wrist? With broad receivers, is there area between the arm pit and the ball? Pete mentioned it was all concerning the ball, and DQ actually set the tone within the assembly for the protection and, subconsciously, guys like me on offense. It was like, ‘Wow, I would by no means seen somebody take this stage of element to how we will get the ball out.’ He was fast. He was fascinating. You simply form of seemed ahead to it. Some coaches are a human sleeping tablet. However he wasn’t.”
Quinn and the Commanders, in fact, have drastically benefited from basic supervisor Adam Peters choosing quarterback Jayden Daniels with the No. 2 total choose of the 2024 draft. The front-runner for Offensive Rookie of the 12 months, Daniels has exceeded expectations by taking part in with an effectivity and poise seldom seen by rookie quarterbacks coming into the league.
“He is such a professional,” Lynn mentioned about Daniels. “You do not see plenty of rookies come into our league which might be professionals proper off the bat. I’ve to take my hat off to Adam Peters and Dan Quinn. They introduced in some actually cool children which might be mature {and professional}.”
Tom Brady on what makes Jayden Daniels so particular
Lynn additionally singled out Mike Sainristil, a second-round cornerback who helped Michigan win the nationwide championship final season.
“He is like Jayden on protection,” Lynn mentioned of Sainristil. “His preparation when he involves work, his focus and his intent, it’s extremely cool to see. They have been raised proper. They had been fierce rivals after they had been at school, they usually simply picked up the place they left off. These children have been unbelievable.”
Lynn mentioned whereas the Hail Mary play that gave the Commanders a late-game win over the Chicago Bears was actually a lift, a extra validating victory was Washington ending Philadelphia’s 10-game profitable streak with a 36-33 victory in Week 16 — a recreation during which the Commanders overcame 5 turnovers.
As Washington will get set to face the Eagles for a 3rd time this season — on the street as heavy underdogs — will Quinn have his group able to shock the NFL as soon as once more?
“We’ve got a saying: ‘Anyone, anywhere, any time,’” Lynn mentioned. “That is how we really feel.”
Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for greater than a decade, protecting the Los Angeles Rams for Sports activities Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma Information Tribune. Observe him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.
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