The Dallas Cowboys’ defense made a swift and monumental 180 compared to where they stood a year prior. After Mike McCarthy’s first year, he had to show his hand-picked defensive coordinator the door. In stepped Dan Quinn, former Atlanta Falcons head coach and immediately the club’s defense improved.
A player’s coach, Quinn came in enthusiastically and his personality immediately resonated with his players after a year of disgruntled compliance with Nolan. A breath of fresh air to the veterans and a continued father figure to the young players worked out well, along with all that he studied about the NFL in the time he got to watch the 2020 season after being fired mid-year in Atlanta. The Cowboys improved from 28th in scoring defense to No. 7 and led the league in forced turnovers (34) and interceptions (23). Quinn’s efforts were recognized Thursday night at the NFL Honors ceremony when he won the 2021 Assistant Coach of the Year award.
.@dallascowboys Defensive Coordinator Dan Quinn is the 2021 Assistant Coach of the Year! #NFLHonors pic.twitter.com/zkf5ewDWmW
— NFL (@NFL) February 11, 2022
The club scored six different times on the season as CB Trevon Diggs (11) and rookie sensation linebacker Micah Parsons (13) became the first teammates to have 10 or more interceptions and 10 or more sacks.
Quinn was a hot commodity in the head coaching searches following the season, but after missing out of the jobs he most wanted, reportedly turned down other offers to remain in Dallas to hunt for a title with the Cowboys.
Entering the season, Quinn’s resume as a coordinator was just two seasons long. He adopted the league’s best defense in Seattle (one he helped raise), ranked No. 1 two years in a row for a Super Bowl winning and runner-up club, then parlayed that into the Falcons’ gig. There, he led that team to a Super Bowl appearance though they weren’t able to seal the deal.
The Cowboys defense turned the corner when it came to turning over the opposition. Their 34 takeaways lead the league and they had the most interceptions (26) in the league since 2018. 50% of their games last season resulted in allowing 400 or more yards. That was down to 29% in 2021.
Normally it takes about a year and a half to two years for a team to fully sink into a new defense, so there’s a chance despite an expected turnover regression, the defense might be even better in 2022 than it was this past season now that Quinn is back.