Dan Quinn hired as HC of Commanders

[Boone]

I don’t hate it but my immediate reaction was that in an ice cream shop filled with 31 flavors…they decided on vanilla.

Now there is nothing inherently bad about vanilla. It’s a safe and reliable choice. But, it’s never going to make one’s toes tingle.

Depends on who you’re eating it with and how

 

[Primus Porcus]

 

[burgold]

Parson's for Davis trade works for me. Both were first rounders. Maybe Dallas has to throw in something because Parsons would rather not be a Cowboy.

 

[tshile]

Wrt the last Dallas game - it’s cute and fun and all but realistically one game does not a career make.

I don’t really know much about Quinn. It just wasn’t a name that made me feel great. I’m inclined to give the benefit of the doubt to the new people, after so long of being cynical it feels good - but I can’t help but wonder to what level chasing Johnson and coming up empty led to a significant reduction in options … and for the life of me I can’t figure out why it feels like I’m the only one that though Vrable is a great coach worth interviewing …

I’m also concerned that while acquiring a brilliant OC is hard enough, keeping them when they can’t be HC is impossible. And then there’s EB - I’ve never at any point in his career thought he was as good as what some say. Not trying to argue it - it’s where I am.

Not a move that makes me feel warm and fuzzy. Oh well hope they’re right.

 

[Miles Monroe]

Lookin forward to seeing how they spin this at a presser....

 

[Chris]

Lookin forward to seeing how they spin this at a presser....

We were committed to under-going a comprehensive process to identify and then hire the very best candidate for this position in our organization and I think we have done that.

Dan was our #1 choice from the very beginning. He encapsulates every thing we wanted in a Head Coach going forward to be a steward for our franchise into the future. He is the very definition of a leader and we are damned happy to have him join us in building a collaborative, aligned vision going forward.

 

[burgold]

Lookin forward to seeing how they spin this at a presser....

On a personal level, I agree. However, looking back, it's not hard to see that they really did like him. They invited him back for multiple interviews. Weirdly, it almost reminds me of the Jim Fassel hire/non hire situation. My guess is that Ben Johnson was their number one but they secretly loved or at least felt extremely comfortable with Quinn.

Sort of fits with Harris' style, too. Doesn't he favor gray beards with his other franchises?

 

[Neophyte]

I've been thinking the same thing, burgold. If I'm not mistaken, Quinn interviewed with the team more than any other candidate. At some point, that stops being about what you can learn about your own roster from a guy who coached against the team for the last 2 years and becomes interest in the guy himself.

 

[Bulldog]

It's just a bit awkward that right after the phone call to the plane we announce Quinn the next morning.

Doesn't make it appear he was the #1 choice even if he was the favorite all along inside the building.

 

[Primus Porcus]

It's just a bit awkward that right after the phone call to the plane we announce Quinn the next morning.

Doesn't make it appear he was the #1 choice even if he was the favorite all along inside the building.

Not to sound terrible, but why does it matter if he was our first choice? If every team only ever hired their first choice, half the teams in the league would be coachless. On the opposite, not every coach gets their first choice of teams either. There are only 32 teams in the NFL, and we've all seen what happens if you start getting too far ahead of your own skis. If coaches were to hold out only for teams that made them their 'first' choice, very few would actually get jobs.

All of that said, there's nothing to truly say that Quinn wasn't always on their radar.. First choice? maybe not, but he's clearly been on their radar throughout the process.

 

[Boone]

Here’s how I see it. We’ve been on the biggest roll in 25 years…

Evil incarnate owner sells team.
Dynamic and capable ownership group replaces said evil.
We get the most coveted GM candidate available with no competition.
And we were rumored to be a shoe-in to get the most promising HC candidate this cycle.

He gets cold feet, our backup plan decides Seattle is a better fit, and we have to pivot.

That happens every offseason since there are multiple vacancies and only so many *supposed* hot candidates.

It’s the norm. They like Quinn. He’s had his moments. And we just have to hope he hits on some key staff and go from there.

 

[Bulldog]

Agreed.

Two weeks from now it won't matter - but it will be a topic for the first press conferences both Peters and Quinn face because of the abruptness of the process.

I like how the Falcons talked with all of these big names including Harbaugh and Belichick and then pressed the button cleanly and confidently for Raheem Morris. No chance to question their process.

 

[SkinsNumberOne]

Agreed.

Two weeks from now it won't matter - but it will be a topic for the first press conferences both Peters and Quinn face because of the abruptness of the process.

I like how the Falcons talked with all of these big names including Harbaugh and Belichick and then pressed the button cleanly and confidently for Raheem Morris. No chance to question their process.

Fontenot and under him, Kyle - are both pros at this, and are importantly given leeway.
I heard that Keim kind of hinted that there were a lot of voices in the room for the HC discussions, and they had problems making decisions because of that. I heard that from a good friend who is pretty careful telling me things that are true, so I am assuming Keim said something to that effect. It's pretty easy to believe also; there were just a LOT of names and very little to suggest that Peters had a free hand here. That's bad, and that is simply a bad sign.

I am really ready to hope for the best, and I am definitely happy Snyder is gone, and in the long-term view, they have a group of people who aren't total jerks - it means they can learn from mistakes. I am disappointed that I see indications of early mistakes. I see one decision that from my viewpoint is good - hiring Peters. I see multiple bad things following:
- (apparently) not giving Peters a free enough hand in the HC selection
- the actual HC selection. I am not in the interview room, yes; and I have said that before, and I am not saying anything definitive because my window is narrow just like every other fan, but there is a LOT of data to suggest noone should be excited to see Quinn as HC here. I get that he may have wowed the interview process, but if so, I think he would have been hired earlier and not as the candidate pool shrunk.

Right now, it looks like they have things to learn. Too bad. My opinion can change with good staffing decisions and it will definitely be rosy if they look like they have a good draft. Calling it like I see it though, and just being honest - eh on the DQ hiring, bad on what I can see (and tidbits I hear) in the process.

 

[Canadian Hog]

At the end of the day, I don't think we as a fanbase really understood the importance of experience for this job.

The Washington job was never going to be an easy project to take on and experience may have been a larger priority for the people on the inside.

We are trying to unpack 30 years of complete and utter suckage. That may have been too overwhelming for a 30 something year old, first year NFL head coach to take on.

Honestly, I am okay with Dan Quinn. We are not a one or two year turnaround project.

In some ways, I equate the Quinn hire to the Rivera hire. He's a guy that can get this organization back on its feet and headed in the right direction. The good news is that Quinn won't have the added responsibility of running the entire organization from top to bottom like Ron.

Do I see him as winning a championship with this organization? No, I do not.

Can Quinn potentially get the needle headed in the right direction with a top notch front office at his disposal? I think he absolutely can and at this point, that is all we can ask for.

Let's let it play out and see where it goes. If it fails, I have no doubts that Harris will pull the plug relatively early with him and we can pivot accordingly.

 

[Bulldog]

If I am the principal owner I would have said goodbye to Bob Myers, Spielman, Magic and the other minority owners when it comes to decision-making on coaches and personnel.

You have to set boundaries and I am shocked there was no delineation of authority in the partnership group when it was formed.

Magic probably put in $50-100M in a $6B transaction but that shouldn't give him a seat at the table for these decisions.

It was nice to have Myers and Spielman navigate the first hire for Peters, but now that the 'knowledgeable' person is in the building it is time to say goodbye to these guys too.

The Oakland Raiders, LA Dodgers and Boston Red Sox are owned or have been owned by partnership groups and found a way to make it work to win championships.

Each nominated ONE MEMBER to act as the principal voice.

 

[SkinsNumberOne]

If I am the principal owner I would have said goodbye to Bob Myers, Spielman, Magic and the other minority owners when it comes to decision-making on coaches and personnel.

You have to set boundaries and I am shocked there was no delineation of authority in the partnership group when it was formed.

Magic probably put in $50-100M in a $6B transaction but that shouldn't give him a seat at the table for these decisions.

It was nice to have Myers and Spielman navigate the first hire for Peters, but now that the 'knowledgeable' person is in the building it is time to say goodbye to these guys too.

The Oakland Raiders, LA Dodgers and Boston Red Sox are owned or have been owned by partnership groups and found a way to make it work to win championships.

Each nominated ONE MEMBER to act as the principal voice.

EXACTLY.
I am seeing some Keim reports on minor dischord; some liked Ben Johnson, some did not. Some liked Macdonald, some did not. Macdonald didn't prefer WAS apparently. All of this is here: https://www.espn.in/nfl/story/_/id/...s-hire-dan-quinn-head-coach-biggest-questions

This isn't a huge deal on its own, but with too many voices in the process, you find it very hard to settle on someone. From a naive outsider's perspective, that is how it looked. I am not at all saying I think they should have rushed or even moved faster, not at all. However, I would have felt more comfortable even having a feeling that this was Peters' call ultimately. I definitely did NOT get that feeling. Maybe it was the case? Hard to say/know. Definitely hope so! At least in my opinion, that would hint more strongly at a healthy org, which ultimately is the humble hope I have. Immediate winner? No, unrealistic. Great team? No, unrealistic. Healthy organization? Yes. That is actually doable, and pretty basic. Higher-ups hire their underlings, and underlings hire THEIR underlings. No meddling, but responsibility and accountability up and down the chain. This didn't smell that way. To me, that's bad.

I hope the DQ hire works out. Another suggestion of problems there; some are pointing to having Kyle before as a hint that DQ has a good eye for coordinators, but I have read (and remember) that DQ got Kyle handed to him by the ATL Execs at that time. So, I don't think that was a DQ choice. As always, time will tell, but I am just tired of hoping without evidence. The strongest justification for my hopes right now are: No Snyder, and Peters. I thought I'd have more by now.

 

[Bulldog]

I am surprised that Peters did not delineate coming in that the HC and draft were his decisions to make or he wouldn't be coming.

 

[Boone]

I think you’re reading into Keim’s words quite a bit there.

 

[Boone]

I am surprised that Peters did not delineate coming in that the HC and draft were his decisions to make or he wouldn't be coming.

How do you know Quinn wasn’t Peter’s top choice?

I do think there were probably too many people in the room, but as to whether that prevented us in any way from getting who they wanted, whether it kept them from finding a consensus pick, and whether there was discord - that’s all conjecture.

 

[DixieFlatline]

EXACTLY.
I am seeing some Keim reports on minor dischord; some liked Ben Johnson, some did not. Some liked Macdonald, some did not. Macdonald didn't prefer WAS apparently. All of this is here: https://www.espn.in/nfl/story/_/id/...s-hire-dan-quinn-head-coach-biggest-questions

This isn't a huge deal on its own, but with too many voices in the process, you find it very hard to settle on someone. From a naive outsider's perspective, that is how it looked. I am not at all saying I think they should have rushed or even moved faster, not at all. However, I would have felt more comfortable even having a feeling that this was Peters' call ultimately. I definitely did NOT get that feeling. Maybe it was the case? Hard to say/know. Definitely hope so! At least in my opinion, that would hint more strongly at a healthy org, which ultimately is the humble hope I have. Immediate winner? No, unrealistic. Great team? No, unrealistic. Healthy organization? Yes. That is actually doable, and pretty basic. Higher-ups hire their underlings, and underlings hire THEIR underlings. No meddling, but responsibility and accountability up and down the chain. This didn't smell that way. To me, that's bad.

I hope the DQ hire works out. Another suggestion of problems there; some are pointing to having Kyle before as a hint that DQ has a good eye for coordinators, but I have read (and remember) that DQ got Kyle handed to him by the ATL Execs at that time. So, I don't think that was a DQ choice. As always, time will tell, but I am just tired of hoping without evidence. The strongest justification for my hopes right now are: No Snyder, and Peters. I thought I'd have more by now.

Is this the line where you think points to too many voices in the process? Or was it something else? I would suspect Peters is getting opinions from others in the organization, but I don't think that necessarily means he's trying to get consensus or not have the power to make the decision himself.

Although he was a favored target of at least some in the Commanders' search, that wasn't a unanimous opinion, one source said.