Becoming an NFL head coach did not come easily or quickly for Dan Quinn.
The Commanders new head coach spent some time Friday with The Team 980 show host Kevin Sheehan.
Quinn has certainly put in his time in 11 previous coaching jobs. As a result there has been much learning about football and also working with people.
When Quinn wanted to enter the coaching profession, his first opportunity came at William & Mary (defensive line) in 1994. From there, Quinn has held jobs with VMI, Hofstra, the 49ers, Dolphins, Jets, Seahawks, Florida, Seahawks, Falcons, Cowboys and now Commanders.
Sheehan asked Quinn when he was interviewing for this job, “What was the most important thing for you to get across to them?” Quinn responded, “Number one, I wanted to make sure they knew that over the time I left Atlanta and went to Dallas, I had time to really dig in and recognize the things that went well leading to success, but also wanted to make sure I learned from the adversity too.”
Quinn offered he conveyed in the interview that since his first head coaching job with the Falcons, he knew he was much stronger for this opportunity.
Sheehan inquired as to why Quinn thinks he is so well-liked and well-respected. Laughing, Quinn thanked Sheehan for saying that but also admitted he didn’t know about that being true in all cases.
He then added, “There are a lot of things I love about coaching. The relationships with the players and coaches, front office and personnel, those are the things you do, I just love being part of a team, man.”
“You get those experiences, and you map it out together. That’s what it is all about. You have these really competitive moments that bring you together. You just get closer and tighter, Kev”
“It’s not just a job when you are competing at the highest level. There is a loyalty there that goes way past the job. There’s a brotherhood that can connect you forever. I love that part of the game and the relationships that come out of it. But at the end of it, pushing one another to get better, that is probably one of the reasons.”
The Commanders have not had a winning record since Jay Gruden was the head coach and Kirk Cousins the starting quarterback in the 2015 and 2016 seasons. The franchise has not won a playoff game since the 2005 season when Joe Gibbs (2.0) was the head coach and Mark Brunell the starting quarterback.
Getting better and winning certainly sounds good doesn’t it, Commanders fans?