Washington’s hiring of Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn as the Commanders’ new head coach didn’t exactly set the team’s fan base on fire with excitement. On the other hand, most folks seem willing to give the NFL veteran a shot.
“I’m fine. Like most, I probably would have preferred an offensive guy but I never locked in on anyone,” said Eric Bickel, host of The Sports Junkies on 106.7 The Fan. “Everyone says [Quinn is] a great leader. So let’s go.”
The Commanders were the last team to fill their coaching vacancy this offseason, missing out on prospective first-time head coaches like Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and former Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald.
Johnson withdrew his name from contention on Tuesday, before a scheduled follow-up interview with the Commanders. Macdonald was announced as the new coach for the Seattle Seahawks on Wednesday.
Quinn most recently worked as the defensive coordinator for the Cowboys after serving as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons from 2015 to 2020. He drew the ire of Cowboys fans after his defense allowed 48 points in an embarrassing playoff loss to the Green Bay Packers.
“I do not fear Dan Quinn,” said Skip Bayless, sports media’s preeminent Cowboys fan, after Thursday’s news broke. “I am amused that both Philly and Washington have now made recent hires that are Dallas-driven hires.”
The last time we saw [Quinn] was in a playoff game where the Dallas Cowboys defense looked horrific. That was our last vision of him,” ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith said. “Am I excited about this hire for the nation’s capital? No.”
But former Washington quarterback Robert Griffin III wrote on X that Quinn‘s familiarity with the NFC East could help him in the new role.
“I personally hope he comes in, calls the defense full-time and builds the identity of the team through the way the defense plays,” Griffin wrote. “That’s what he is best at and an identity is what the Washington Commanders need.”
Some fans saw the new coach as just another version of Ron Rivera, the man Quinn is replacing.
“Not thrilled, hoping he’s adjusted since his days in Atlanta but I foresee much of the same that we’ve seen from these last 4 years,” Commanders fan David Pravia wrote on X.
Quinn’s players have showered him with praise throughout his career, often describing him as a players’ coach. Dallas All-Pro linebacker Micah Parsons commended Quinn after the Cowboys‘ regular-season finale.
“That’s like my OG for real, he means a lot to me,” Parsons said. “I think he does a great job of finding ways for you to love the game and finding ways to go around the game. It doesn’t always have to be hard-nosed and ‘I’m the coach.’ I think it’s more of a friendship.”
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