The HC Dan Quinn Discussion Thread

[Faithful Fan]

No one was thinking this even 6 months ago. My biggest peeve here is the revisionist history. The Commanders had an easy schedule, by a lot of metrics--I've seen rankings in the high teens/low 20s

According to DVOA, the Pats have had the easiest schedule ever recorded: https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/nfl-dvoa-dumps-historic-cold-172840635.html

I think you’re right about staying the course with DQ based on last year, the best we’ve had since 1991, and you’re certainly right about the Pats ridiculously easy schedule.

However, I don’t think the difficult schedule excuse flies very well after losing 31-0 to a 4-8 team.

 

[Neophyte]

I just don't see DQ going anywhere this off season.

This is not the English Premier League where you change coaches almost as fast you change underwear when you talent under performs. And we don't have as much talent as most think, anyway.

I would argue that the main reason teams change coaches is because in the salary cap era it is damn hard to change the core of the roster. We don't have a huge issue with that because so few guys are signed long term for big money.

It took a record setting rookie year from Daniels working on a last place schedule to create last year's magic. It fooled a lot of people, including me, into thinking this team was further down the road.

You can't fix 30 years of mismanagement in 18 months and changing coaching staffs every 2 years won't shorten the distance the club has to travel to be truly competitive.

I can see us changing a couple of position coaches in the off season. Maybe a coordinator.

Head coach though? No.

 

[skinzplay]

Posted this in another thread, and will add it here, since it's relevant to the topic. No, I wouldn't fire DQ after this season, but there are reasons for concern. Jerry loves to keep things in-house and hire from within, but didn't put up any resistance to DQ leaving. None. And there was zero interest in elevating him and jettisoning McCarthy.

____________________________

Next season will tell us a lot about whether that 28-3 debacle in the SB was symptomatic of something more serious. All the Stephen Covey-like psychobabble about "space" aside, I do wonder how patient AP will be with DQ. Pete Carroll is a damn good coach, a complete coach, the type who makes his coordinators look really good. Same with ol' Jimmy Johnson. We might have our own version of Dave Wannstedt, guys. Let's hope not.

 

[DazedSkinsFan]

Let's start by sending Kliff and Whitt up the road. If no signs of improvement next season then DQ can follow them

 

[commva2]

Let's start by sending Kliff and Whitt up the road. If no signs of improvement next season then DQ can follow them

I agree on Whitt. We need a new defensive coach. Both years on D side have seen down years with trend down as opposed to trend up. First year of Kliff was a good so I may be willing to give him another year like DQ, but that's it. At the same time Peters needs to make sure he continues to get the overall roster young via draft and free agency.

 

[SkinsNumberOne]

I say this all the time, and will continue to say it while people continue to do it: They complained year-in, and year-out about Snyder's impatience. Yet, they act the exact same way one year after an amazing season, pining over this QB or that coach.

Kliff wasn't an all-star NFL candidate. He was in DQ's book on "guys I call if I get a chance" and DQ didn't have a ton of time to assemble and interview across a wide swath. So KK became the man.

KK had been in the NFL before.

KK was a hot name from the college ranks at the time DQ called him.

KK and DQ have disagreed quite a few times now in pressers on the direction of the offense, including last year and this year.

Offensive stats last year were positive, but there were also signs that sustaining it would be problematic; the amount they depended on JD to pull a rabbit out of a hat (which he did when he was fresh and new) was too high.

I agree, impatience is a mistake, but not recognizing mistakes is also a mistake. If you have a coach who is just going to watch assistants make mistakes - it's not "impatience" to look at that as a problem. It's diligence. That needs to be addressed. Continuous improvement doesn't have to take years of watching - you need to have a time limit on when you step in and have a more active hand. RR in the past watched Scott Turner make mistakes. I actually think (like DQ mind you) he recognized some of Scott's mistakes (again, they had pressers that disagreed with each other, just like DQ and KK, a sign of dysfunction) - and he was asked about it. He said something to the effect that his style was as a teacher to let his coordinators learn how to coach and coordinate - basically he didn't want to step on their toes.

I agree on Whitt. We need a new defensive coach. Both years on D side have seen down years with trend down as opposed to trend up. First year of Kliff was a good so I may be willing to give him another year like DQ, but that's it. At the same time Peters needs to make sure he continues to get the overall roster young via draft and free agency.

I don’t know, I can’t get behind some of Kliff’s situational decision making. Too many times he seems really stubborn that he just knows what is going to work instead of doing what is likely best based on what you know (poor rushing D, CRod running strong… then he passes). This has happened multiple times this year.

He seems like a guy who won’t win against a well coached defense. Too many predictable tendencies. When he breaks them we get big, huge gains! However, he just keeps falling back into them.

 

[The Brotherhood]

Maybe Kliff will just move on anyway. Wasn't there something said about the short term, when he agreed to this year?

 

[DWinzit]

Maybe Kliff will just move on anyway. Wasn't there something said about the short term, when he agreed to this year?

Or AP and DQ will agree it is time to cut Kliff. The tendencies are that he is really good and then really sucks a few plays later and yeah can be super predictable for defenses at times.

Look, I have an itch to chop heads after yesterday. Someone needs to be chopped whether Kliff, Whitt who should have already been chopped or DQ if that's what I'm left with

 

[Hogwallop]

Yesterdays 1st drive to the 2 as the broadcast proclaiming we were "#2 offense in the league in the redzone" to my surprise....seriously?

Then to not run the ball down their throats for the next 3 plays is why kliff sucks. His pants are too fancy

 

[Riggo44]

Or AP and DQ will agree it is time to cut Kliff. The tendencies are that he is really good and then really sucks a few plays later and yeah can be super predictable for defenses at times.

Look, I have an itch to chop heads after yesterday. Someone needs to be chopped whether Kliff, Whitt who should have already been chopped or DQ if that's what I'm left with

Who do they replace him with? Just kick everyone up a notch? Or get rid of everyone and whole new coaching staffs under Quinn?

Are we sure we're not jumping the gun with Kingsbury? The offense was fantastic last year, and has shown flashes this year--unlike the defensive side of the ball. I made a point about Shanahan on another thread about him having losing seasons 3 of first 4 seasons--would we be patient with him? Probably not. Are we cutting bait too quickly on the offensive side of the ball? I believe the Eagles cut Brian Johnson'l too quickly, given how much Hurts and the offense has regressed. Is Daniels going to have that type of struggle going from coordinator to coordinator?

These are legitimate questions I'd need some answer to this offseason.

 

[skinzplay]

But this is the bag on Kliff. Everything fizzles out., he too easily becomes one-dimensional. From what I gather, it's one of the reasons GMs passed on DQ. They wanted no parts of KK leading the team's O, and didn't believe Whitt was ready to coordinate a D. Keim is extraordinarily connected, and one of the reasons he asked Whitt that pointed question at his intro presser (what makes you feel you're qualified to be a DC, or something like that) was because the whispers around the league were pretty consistent that he wouldn't be a good DC.

 

[DWinzit]

It would be AP and DQ's decision on who to replace Kliff with if he was let go or decided not to return. I do not see him receiving HC offers but maybe an OC someplace I guess.
They could easily give Johnson a shot or bring in a new OC..who might very well wish to bring his own staff with him.

It does seem there have been instances where DQ is distinctly not happy with the way the offensive play calling went in the previous game. I could lead to him being ready for a change, who knows for sure.
EDIT added info - there are many avenues they can look into for OC's

 

[skinzplay]

One of the ways to kinda protect the O from the inevitable Kliffizzle was getting Lynn and Johnson. The former to help keep the O NFL-consistent with running the damn ball. It hasn't mattered. Cliff won't get any HC interest or offers, a GM or AD would have to be stupid or Mark Davis.

 

[Riggo44]

From what I gather, it's one of the reasons GMs passed on DQ. They wanted no parts of KK leading the team's O

Kingsbury was set to become the Raiders OC and we stepped in when they had a contract issue, so what is your source on this?

 

[skinzplay]

It was oretty

Kingsbury was set to become the Raiders OC and we stepped in when they had a contract issue, so what is your source on this?

It was pretty simple. Antonio Pierce didn't want to give Kliff any more than a 2-year deal to see if the fizzle was real. That was the substance of the general "contract issue" that was reported at the time. GMs generally don't trust his approach as being a sustainable one. We were the only team in the league who genuinely wanted him.

 

[Bulldog]

If I am the owner I am bringing back the GM and HC for Year 3.

The blame seems to be balanced on both sides, but both guys have had success elsewhere in the very areas they have let us down here.

Quinn is a defensive specialist and was the coordinator on a defense that delivered one of the most devastating performances in a Super Bowl against the Broncos and Peyton Manning in a year where Manning was setting season records at the quarterback position.

But Quinn's defenses here so far have not been able to execute the fundamentals. Stop the run and cover well enough not to allow 30-40 yard passes over the top.

He brought in Whitt, who had a great press conference acting like Clint Eastwood, but proved to be in over his head in strategizing how to neutralize the other teams' best players game by game, it's almost as if they ran the same things regardless of the opponent and their strengths.

Adam Peters on the other hand came from teams in New England, Denver and San Francisco that drafted wisely and brought on board through the draft cornerstone players that helped win or take teams to the Super Bowl.

Here Peters has been caught up in the 'quick fix' and trading a bevy of draft choices - we have traded the equivalent of an ENTIRE draft class to bring in veterans at 30.

A team coming off 3-14 and taking a qb at #2 overall, this is one of the most glaring examples since the cap was instituted in the 1990's that I have seen this kind of rush from Day 1 to avoid the patience and day by day progress that is necessary to build a consistent winner and try and cheat the process.

Belichick never traded picks like this. In fact he did just the opposite, trading players on HIS team, that were either in their final contract year and asking for a fortune (see Daron Payne and Terry McLaurin here) or guys that were 30/31 and had reached their peak and were likely to start their decline, etc.

Instead of ending up with 5 or 6 picks like we have now for 2026, Belichick ended up going into the draft with 10-12 picks, and much greater opportunities to bring in cheap talent that represented 3-4 years of real value under the cap.

You don't want to do what we did to get players like Lattimore or Deebo. Neither player is going to reprise the talent and on field performances they put up 3-4 years ago before injuries derailed their careers.

It was time and resources ill spent.

Then you look at the fact that of the 2024 draft class we have only netted two starters so far in Daniels and Sainsristil and Peters has a lot to answer for.

The picks of Sinnott and McCaffrey went against the grain of what the 'draftniks' thought of their relative value and if you are Bobby Beathard or Brett Veatch or Roseman perhaps you have developed enough of a moat around your career to get away with being a contrarian.

But Peters is in his FIRST GM gig where HE is the one in total charge.

In that regard, I would not have reached for players like Sinnott that were rated #4 round picks by others or McCaffrey in Round 3, a guy that still had not at that point played wide receiver long enough to evaluate whether he could transition to being an effective pro.

There were more 'pro' ready players when the Commanders were on the clock in that 2024 draft and we didn't select those players for some reason.

It makes one scratch your head.

So, if I am in charge, I bring BOTH guys back in 2026 AFTER I speak with them both privately to set goals for them, what I want to see out of the football team to know we are headed in the right direction.

And no, I am not talking about making the playoffs and winning the Super Bowl in 2026.

The issues here and now are getting MAXIMUM value out of the draft and free agent dollars, not drafting or trading for players with long injury histories and focusing on identifying and developing younger core players to grow with Daniels.

 

[Riggo44]

It was oretty

It was pretty simple. Antonio Pierce didn't want to give Kliff any more than a 2-year deal to see if the fizzle was real. That was the substance of the general "contract issue" that was reported at the time. GMs generally don't trust his approach as being a sustainable one. We were the only team in the league who genuinely wanted him.

That's not what you said though. You said other GMs were not interested in Quinn because of his attachment to Kingsbury. When they hired Quinn, Kingsbury was set to become the Raiders OC. So how were they attached? By the way, good move by the Raiders who hired and fired Luke Getsy, Scott Turner, and Chip Kelly in less than two years.

Likewise, if Kingsbury was so questionable, why were so many teams after him to be a HC?

 

[Bulldog]

The deficiencies on this offense are not due to the coordinator, except to the degree he has not been able to convince Daniels to take better care of himself and stay on the field instead of trying to buy an extra yard with his body against a 290 pound defensive end.

I doubt there is ANY coordinator that is going to consistently get production out of this set of skill players.

Again, there is no franchise back, no one that has the ability to consistently take on the attention of the defense.

There is no down the field threat from the tight end position.

At wide receiver we basically have ONE outside proven starter in McLaurin and then a #2 in Deebo that is miscast in that role as he is more of a short and intermediate gadget guy in that 5-15 yard range and not a player that challenges down the field. His per catch average is 9.9 or something ridiculous for a wide receiver and exceeded by the better tight ends in the league.

Noah Brown is always hurt. McCaffrey and Lane are raw players that once in a blue moon can get open for a 30 yard gainer but that invariably ends up being their only catch of the game

How is Washington and Daniels supposed to consistently produce drives for scores with these players?

You could make the observation this team could keep McLaurin and get rid of all the other skill players on this offense and start over.

And that's acknowledging that McLaurin is 30 years old and started to show the first cracks in durability in 2025, perhaps in part due to his less than regular preparation for the season.

 

[skinzplay]

That's not what you said though. You said other GMs were not interested in Quinn because of his attachment to Kingsbury. When they hired Quinn, Kingsbury was set to become the Raiders OC. So how were they attached? By the way, good move by the Raiders who hired and fired Luke Getsy, Scott Turner, and Chip Kelly in less than two years.

Likewise, if Kingsbury was so questionable, why were so many teams after him to be a HC?

Kliff was 1st on his list of OCs. You have to outline who your preferred coordinators are gonna be in those interviews. Lynn was on that list too, along with Dirk Koetter, who was a non-starter for a lot of GMs for what he did to Lovie in Tampa. He'll never coach in the NFL again. Interesting that their offensive philosophies are markedly different, so what was a DQ-coached team's offensive identity gonna be?

Agents promote their clients, as they should. And they have friends in the media who do their bidding for them. Kliff needed press push, he got it. Journalism ain't what it used to be. That doesn't affect competent GMs, though, just as the draft projections/rankings of the alphabet networks/sites don't affect competent GM decision-making.

 

[Bulldog]

what player on the offense outside of Daniels and Tunsil and perhaps Biadasz would be targets for other teams?

The running backs, wide receivers after McLaurin and tight ends are all backup or replacement quality.

Arguing about the plays or the coordinator begs the question of WHO out there is going to win consistently with this group as is?

The team got away with it for ONE season but in 2025 teams caught on to some tendencies and then the older players either got hurt or started to see their numbers decline as age finally caught up with them.