Washington Commanders head coach will go up agaisnt the Dallas Cowboys for the first time since leaving in the offseason in Week 12.
When Dan Quinn was named the Washington Commanders head coach, it would have been easy to envision him finding the NFL schedule and circling the two games against the Dallas Cowboys.
Having been the Cowboys' defensive coordinator from 2021 to 2023, during which time he transformed them into a defensive powerhouse, Quinn has now switched to one of Dallas' rivals.
Now that we are at the doorstep of Quinn's first meeting with his former employer, it is easy to think that Quinn is extra amped up for this clash. But when asked if this game holds any more weight for him, he answered it in true "Dan Quinn" fashion - from the heart.
“No, I think probably because I'm a little bit older, maybe early on in your coaching career you do,” Quinn said. “But more than anything you see your friends that you coached with or worked with postgame and you see some of the players in the same space that you worked with beforehand. But it's funny that happens even when you play against a team that you didn't work for, but you worked with this person, or you coached with this person at this stop, and I certainly have a lot of respect for the people there. They had a huge impact on my life both professionally and personally.”
So, while Quinn isn't putting this game on the pedestal many think he would have, given the type of competitor he is and how driven he is, we can easily imagine Dan wanting to win this game a little more than others.
"Dallas week" takes on a whole new meaning for the Commanders now, and given that both teams are heading in polar opposite directions, this is perhaps the right time for Quinn's team to kick the Cowboys when they're down.
While Quinn will be respectful pre- and post-game, when that first snap is taken, you can bet your bottom dollar that he will have the fire in his belly to embarrass the Cowboys.
