He had his opportunity to be an NFL head coach, and feared he may never get the opportunity again.
Dan Quinn worked for so long, for so many seasons, in so many locations. He coached college football at William & Mary, VMI, Hofstra, and Florida. His NFL stops were the 49ers, Dolphins, Jets, and Seahawks, and finally, he was the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons.
In only his second season, the Falcons won the NFC championship and led the Patriots 28-3 before losing in overtime 34-28. Four seasons later, he was fired from the Falcons at 0-5.
Quinn was then the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator for three seasons. Adam Peters and Josh Harris hired him as the Commanders’ head coach.
Wednesday with the media, Quinn was asked what he is thankful for this year.
“A lot, honestly,” replied Quinn. “And being here with this group at this time in my life is, I have a lot of gratitude for because those moments that you get to share in a locker room, a meeting room on the field, already in a short time, we’ve built a really strong bond.”
Hearing various players this season refer to their “brotherhood,” Quinn certainly has them playing for one another. Even more, racing off to a 7-2 start certainly didn’t hurt team bonding either.
Coming to a new city, a new team, a new franchise, for one more opportunity to be an NFL head coach was huge for Quinn.
“And so, for me to have all these new relationships from February to now has been really cool and I love seeing those grow and get even stronger as we’re hitting it. So, having this chance to be here in this city with this team, A number one.”
We all have things for which we can be thankful this Thanksgiving. Here’s hoping the Commanders’ players, coaches, and staff will take time to reflect on their many blessings.
May they find joy in counting their blessings from God and living to be a blessing to others.