Dan Quinn opens up on what he’s doing differently in second chance as a head coach

Dan Quinn is making sure he’s doing one big thing as the head coach of the Washington Commanders. When speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Quinn was asked what he’s doing differently as an NFL head coach for the second time in his career.

“I think knowing that there’s a really deep, strong crew through coaching and through Adam [Peters] is my ability to delegate and then keep my attention and my focus solely onto the players and push the coaches to find those things,” Quinn said. “What does it look like for another player to try new things, to go into new spaces?

“It’s allowed me to really keep everything right in the middle. That’s a really good feeling knowing that you have that much trust with a guy like Adam on the personnel side and the coaches. It’s allowed me to really connect with the players. When you have 91 guys here it’s not that easy to build a connection with that many people. That takes time, so it’s allowed me to be in that space with them.”

Dan Quinn had an up-and-down career with the Atlanta Falcons

Quinn, 53, was the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons from 2015 to 2020. He led the team to two playoff appearances, an NFC South title and an NFC title in 2016 but is known for losing to the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl after having a 28-3 lead late in the third quarter. After the Super Bowl loss, the Falcons made the playoffs again in 2017 but had consecutive 7-9 seasons in 2018 and 2019. He was fired during the 2020 season after the Falcons got off to a 0-5 start.

Quinn rejuvenated his career when he was the Dallas Cowboys’ defensive coordinator from 2021 to 2023. While the defense wasn’t the best In the NFL, the Cowboys recorded three consecutive 12-5 seasons and won the NFC East twice during that span. Quinn was hired as the Commanders’ head coach in February and replaces Ron Rivera.

“I am thrilled for the opportunity to become the next head coach of such a storied franchise and fanbase,” Quinn said at the time. “Under the leadership of Josh Harris, the ownership group, and Adam Peters, we cannot wait to help usher in a new era of Washington Commanders football. The organization has an outstanding vision, and I’m honored to be a part of what’s next.