Tag: Dan Quinn

Commanders DE Dorance Armstrong weighs in on Cowboys’ struggles

What does Commanders DE — and former Dallas Cowboy — Dorance Armstrong think of his former team’s struggles?

Defensive end Dorance Armstrong Jr. spent the first six seasons of his NFL career with the Dallas Cowboys. A fourth-round pick from Kansas in the 2018 NFL draft, Armstrong played his final three seasons in Dallas for Dan Quinn.

When Quinn departed Dallas to take the head coaching position with the Washington Commanders, Armstrong saw an opportunity and followed him. It’s been a good move for Quinn and Armstrong. Washington is 7-4, led the NFC East for much of the season, and remains firmly in the playoff mix.

This Sunday, Armstrong faces his former team for the first time. Things aren’t going so well in Dallas, as the Cowboys hold a 3-7 record and have lost five consecutive games.

What does Armstrong think about seeing the Cowboys from the other side?

“Obviously, when you play the team you came from, you have a more…..more urgency or something, I don’t know what it is about that, but that’s what it is right now for me,” Armstrong said.

With so many former Cowboys on Washington’s current roster, including Armstrong, Dante Fowler Jr., Tyler Biadasz and Noah Brown, they see the Cowboys’ current struggles.

So, has Armstrong paid attention to Dallas’ current struggles?

“Me, personally, yeah, I watch here and there,” Armstrong said. “Most of them are still my guys, for real, but I watch ’em; I see what’s going on.”

Armstrong was then asked what his thoughts were on the 2024 Cowboys.

“It’s not good, I’ll just say that,” Armstrong said with a smile.

Dallas allowed several players to depart in the offseason, some of whom followed Quinn to Washington. Each of those former Cowboys has played a pivotal role in the Commanders’ impressive turnaround.

 

Commanders’ Jayden Daniels explains why he wraps ribs during games

It’s not due to the injury.

In the ongoing saga of “Is Jayden Daniels still injured or not,” fans see the Commanders’ rookie quarterback on the sideline of games having his ribs wrapped.

Considering he suffered a rib injury in the Week 7 win over Carolina, it wasn’t a stretch to assume Daniels was having his ribs wrapped due to the injury.

Not according to Daniels. The star rookie passer was asked Wednesday why he has his ribs wrapped on the sideline during games.

“It’s to stay warm,” Daniels said Wednesday. “I mean, it’s getting later in the year as it gets colder; you don’t want your body parts to get cold. So, it’s just to stay warm.”

Daniels has played in four games since the injury. He’s looked great at times and looked like a rookie for the first time last week against the Eagles. While his numbers have decreased over the last four weeks, some of that can be explained by playing against more difficult defensive teams. Daniels is still having a terrific season.

Daniels and head coach Dan Quinn have insisted he’s no longer dealing with the rib injury.

Regardless of what Quinn or Daniels say, some will insist the injury still impacts him. The Commanders host the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.

What does Dan Quinn think about the Cowboys’ 2024 season?

What did Dan Quinn say about his former team?

Dan Quinn spent the past three seasons as the defensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys. It was a highly successful stint that saw Quinn lead Dallas to a top-five defensive finish each year and lead the NFL in turnovers over his three-year stint.

Quinn was so good in Dallas that he earned his second head coaching opportunity, this time against one of the Cowboys’ most hated rivals, the Washington Commanders. He has the Commanders at 7-4 and on pace for their first playoff berth since 2020.

Meanwhile, the Dallas defense has fallen apart without Quinn. Former Cowboys defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer returned to Dallas but hasn’t had the same luck as he did during his first stint.

On Sunday, Quinn will meet his former team for the first time since taking over Washington’s head coaching position earlier this year. He met with the media and was asked if playing his former team felt different compared to other teams.

“No, not really,” Quinn said. “I think probably because I’m a little bit older, maybe like early on in your coaching career you do. More than anything you see your friends that you coached with or worked with post-game, and you see some of the players, in the same space, that you worked with beforehand.”

Washington, having last played on Thursday, came off a few extra days of rest, giving Quinn and his coaching staff extra time to prepare for the Cowboys. Quinn was asked if he thought injuries played a significant part in Dallas’ struggles (3-7) this season. He didn’t take the bait.

“I can’t say how the injuries have affected them,” Quinn said. “It’s a different scheme, a different group of how they feature the players. So, I’ll get more into them as I dig into the week, but really, I can only comment on my time with them, but not how they feature the guys and the injuries that could come up. At this time of year, well, every time of year, that’s one of the hard parts of our league, is injuries and dealing with them. And so, it’s the part of the game that sucks and how do you keep developing the next player to be into that space to go. But all teams deal with it, and it is hard.”

That’s the perfect answer from Quinn. He’s not going to reveal too much or say the smallest of things that the Cowboys could use as a slight. That’s not Quinn’s style.

Even though the Commanders are big favorites, Quinn will not allow his team to look past the reeling Cowboys. While he left Dallas on excellent terms with ownership and his former players, you can bet Quinn wants this one badly for multiple reasons.

Cowboys make decision at quarterback ahead of Week 12 at Commanders

Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy names his starting QB vs. Commanders.

After a 3-2 start to the season, the Dallas Cowboys lost their fifth straight game on Monday night, falling 34-10 to the Houston Texans at home. Dallas is 0-5 at home, with opponents averaging over 37 points per game.

The Cowboys’ former defensive coordinator, Dan Quinn, is now the head coach of the 7-4 Washington Commanders. On Sunday, Quinn’s Commanders host the reeling Cowboys.

With quarterback Dak Prescott out for the season, Cooper Rush has started for the Cowboys under center for the last two weeks. Even though Dallas has scored only 16 combined points in Rush’s two starts, he’ll get the call again this weekend at Washington.

While Rush will start, the Cowboys will have specific packages for quarterback Trey Lance.

Rush has appeared in four career games vs. Washington, including last season. He has one start against the Commanders, completing 15 of 27 passes for 223 yards and two touchdowns in a 25-10 Dallas win in 2022.

Lance is a former No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft. The Cowboys traded a fourth-round draft pick to the 49ers for Lance ahead of last season. Lance has appeared in one game this season for Dallas.

Commanders’ Quinn offers encouraging words for two rookies

Dan Quinn praises a pair of rookies outside of Jayden Daniels and Mike Sainristil.

With the Commanders worn down in the final quarter against the Eagles, the media asked Dan Quinn on Monday if some of his rookies were ready to contribute and get more snaps.

He talked of tight end Ben Sinnott and linebacker Jordan Magee.

“He’s (Magee) certainly working hard at it, and he and [TE] Ben Sinnott are two that are absolutely putting it in. And the guys at the position are also performing well, ” Quinn offered.

Zach Ertz and John Bates have indeed looked good in recent games, which means that if Sinnott gets snaps, it will take them away from Ertz and Bates. Do you really want Quinn to do that right now, this season?

Even more true regarding Magee. From whom is he taking snaps, Bobby Wagner or Frankie Luvu?

“I tried to take Wags out in the Carolina game, he gave me a side eye for like two weeks after that. So, I do love the progress that Jordan’s making, and he is developing on special teams.”

Magee has seen the playing field on special teams since coming off of the injured reserve list .”So, I guess it was maybe in his second week, Jordan had a good tackle on a kickoff, and you could see the guys jumping off the sideline to go find them and congratulate him. So, that’s a good sign.”

Quinn chose to reveal Monday that Magee is not on the scout team in practice. No, Magee is getting some good reps in practice.

“He gets reps in practice, he gets reps into that space, not just on the carded scout team, but in the actual reps, as well. So, he’s making progress. And I would say we’re trending up with him and with Ben. I’d love to get them some more reps, and we’ll see by package and how does it work. But he’s definitely, I feel his speed and his tackling ability. I’m excited about Jordan.”

 

Will Commanders CB Marshon Lattimore play vs. Cowboys?

The latest update on Commanders CB Marshon Lattimore.

The Washington Commanders received a much-needed break after Thursday’s 26-18 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. It was the second game in four days for a Washington team that still hasn’t reached its bye week.

The extra time off is particularly beneficial for players dealing with injuries, such as cornerback Marshon Lattimore.

The Commanders acquired Lattimore via trade from the New Orleans Saints three weeks ago, but he has yet to suit up with Washington. Lattimore has been dealing with a hamstring injury since before the trade. So, the Commanders knew Lattimore wasn’t an immediate plug-and-play.

“We knew there was going to be some time where it wasn’t plug and play after the trade,” head coach Dan Quinn said Monday about Lattimore. “And so, what I look for from the player to see, is he working as hard as he can to do that and learning as quick as he can? And good news for us is that Marshon’s like absolutely savage worker, wants to go be as ready as you can and digging in, but we’re just not going to take the chance.”

So, what are the chances that Lattimore will practice for the first time with Washington this week?

“I’m hopeful that he’s able to see the field some; he’s trending in the right space,” Quinn said. “He’s still working really hard from the rehab spot to see where he can go. But with a soft tissue injury, we’re not going to miss one step of this, you know that. Just like no different than with the other guys, but we’re encouraged that he’s definitely pointing in the right direction. So yeah, we’re hopeful that we see him out on the practice field some towards the end of the week.”

That’s encouraging news for Washington. The pass defense has played surprisingly well despite some depth concerns at cornerback. Part of that is due to the emergence of rookie Mike Sainristil, who has been phenomenal.

The Commanders host the reeling Dallas Cowboys in Week 12. After Dallas, the Tennessee Titans come to town before Washington’s Week 14 bye.

 

Commanders’ Dan Quinn insists Jayden Daniels is not injured now

Quinn did offer a reason why Washington’s offense has taken a step back recently.

Washington Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels has started four games since injuring his rib area in a Week 7 win over the Carolina Panthers. Washington is 2-2 in those four games, with both losses coming in a four-day span last week.

In those four games, Daniels completed 59.5% of his passes — down from 75% through the first seven games. You can’t deny there’s been a difference, whether it’s due to better opponents or injury.

Daniels insists he’s fine, even saying the team wouldn’t let him play if he wasn’t. Head coach Dan Quinn said after Thursday’s loss that the injury was no longer affecting Daniels.

After a weekend off, Quinn met with the media on Monday and reiterated that Daniels wasn’t injured. He did give insight into why his numbers have gone down.

“I want to first start off by saying clearly and honestly, Jayden is not injured right now,” Quinn said. “But we did lose valuable practice time with him and his teammates when he was injured. And that’s hard on all the guys. It’s a really, really important part of what we do. And we don’t have banked reps in here, so we’re very much looking forward to getting back onto a full week and regular practice sessions with the guys. So, over the last few weeks, we’ve had to put that together in small bits.”

Quinn’s explanation does make sense. Daniels only missed two full days of practice, but he could’ve been hindered in the following weeks.

Here’s a counterpoint to Quinn’s statement that the ribs are no longer impacting Daniels: Why are trainers working on Daniels’ ribs?

Quinn can only go by what the doctors and Daniels are saying. Of course, Daniels will say he’s fine, and the doctors see no reason why he can’t play, as rib injuries are often more about pain tolerance than what you see on an X-ray.

The Commanders hope the long weekend after 11 straight games provided them a mini-break as they head into Week 12 against Dallas.

Terry McLaurin challenges Commanders after second straight loss

Terry McLaurin doing what great leaders do.

This is a different Washington Commanders team. Don’t let a recent two-game losing streak fool you. Wide receiver Terry McLaurin has seen it all in six years and knows things are different.

That’s why, after Thursday’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, McLaurin wanted to see the team’s “brotherhood” respond to adversity the way it has to success.

“I think it’s easy to preach brotherhood when everything’s going good, when you’re winning and having a good time and things like that,” McLaurin said after Thursday’s game.

“So, this is when kind of those…..what your program is built on, this is when it needs to stand out. So, you know, we hang our hat on our brotherhood and this is definitely the time that we need to stand up for that.”

Truer words have never been spoken.

Since taking over, head coach Dan Quinn has preached brotherhood. It’s not a motto for Quinn; he believes in it, he teaches it, and players love and respect him for it. The Commanders began the season with lots of smiles and little adversity.

That changed after two consecutive losses, moving Washington into second place in the NFC East. How will the Commanders and rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels respond?

In moments like this, we learn more about a team than when they are succeeding. The Commanders face the Dallas Cowboys in Week 12 and are heavy favorites.

It’s clear what the Commanders think of cornerback Emmanuel Forbes

The last four weeks are further proof of what the Commanders think of Emmanuel Forbes.

There was hope for second-year cornerback Emmanuel Forbes this offseason. It was a fresh start for the Washington Commanders 2023 first-round pick under new general manager Adam Peters and head coach Dan Quinn.

As a rookie, Forbes’ position coach had no business being an NFL position coach and was fired after Thanksgiving. However, Quinn, known for getting the most out of defense backs, hired an excellent staff, including defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr., secondary coach Tommy Donatell, assistant defensive backs coach William Gay and defensive pass game coordinator Jason Simmons. Gay and Simmons both played defensive back in the NFL.

Forbes was excited about the changes, and the new staff seemed eager to work with Forbes.

When the Commanders had a joint practice with the Jets this summer, Forbes struggled. But it was practice. Forbes played 55% of the defensive snaps in the season opener against Tampa Bay. He missed the next two weeks with an injury.

Forbes returned in Week 4 in a blowout win over the Cardinals, participating in 56% of the defensive snaps. The following week, against Cleveland, Forbes played only four snaps and was a healthy scratch against Baltimore.

In a Week victory over Carolina, Forbes played 29 snaps, but in the four games since, he has played a total of eight defensive snaps. Despite being active, Forbes did not play a single snap in two of those games. Forbes was active for Washington’s Thursday night loss to the Eagles, but veteran Michael Davis, who had played 32 total snaps all season, played 20 snaps against Philly.

While the Commanders wait for Marshon Lattimore’s debut, it’s clear where they see Forbes. The 16th overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft is clearly at the bottom of the cornerback depth chart and is likely not long for Washington once the season ends.

Forbes’s best-case scenario is that he makes some plays when he gets a chance. Otherwise, some of the knocks against him coming out, such as his size and inability to defend the run, will keep him off the field. Washington’s coaches aren’t biased against Forbes. He had the same opportunity as everyone else, even more so being a recent first-round pick, but has failed to capitalize.

Making matters worse, Peters had to trade future assets to the Saints to acquire Lattimore because Forbes hasn’t developed, and coaches don’t feel like he will.

 

Is Commanders QB Jayden Daniels still injured?

Is Commanders QB Jayden Daniels still bothered by the rib injury?

Washington Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels was setting the NFL world on fire in Week 7 when he suffered a rib injury. He left that game and returned the following week against the Chicago Bears.

You could tell Daniels was limited against Chicago, but you wouldn’t know it after seeing the “Hail Mary.” Since that time, Daniels hasn’t been quite the same. He struggled some against Pittsburgh last week, but he didn’t receive much help from his teammates and still almost won the game.

However, in Thursday’s 26-18 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, Daniels had his worst game as a pro, completing 22 of 32 passes for 191 yards, with an interception and touchdown. Daniels made no impact with his legs, rushing for 18 yards on seven attempts.

The numbers don’t tell the full story. Daniels was inaccurate, with many of his completions checkdowns to running back Austin Ekeler and tight end Zach Ertz.

Earlier this week, former Washington coach Jay Gruden, as a guest on “Grant and Danny” of 106.7 The Fan in Washington, said he believed Daniels was still feeling the effects of the rib injury.

Gruden made that observation after watching Daniels’ film.

After Thursday’ game, Daniels insisted he was fine.

“I feel good,” Daniels said. “I mean, it’s football at the end of the day. Physicality is required in this game, so feel good; just a tough loss.”

Head coach Dan Quinn said the rib is a non-issue now for Daniels.

Something isn’t the same for Daniels. It could be several things, but he doesn’t even look as explosive as a runner as he was a few weeks ago.

The Commanders have a few extra days of rest before returning home to face the Dallas Cowboys in Week 12.