Dan Quinn Stresses Truth and Ownership as Commanders Prepare for Titans

Dan Quinn’s truth-telling approach and collective accountability philosophy could be the spark the Commanders need as they face the Titans in Week 13.

Nov 14, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn has never been one to shy away from tough truths. His approach is to keep it real, even when the reality stings, as the team prepares for a pivotal Week 13 matchup against the Tennessee Titans.

"Yeah, you want to make sure that you are always telling the truth on things to say," the Commanders head coach said when asked about delivering a positive message during a losing streak. "Because if you BS around it, then people will say, ‘Well, they're not really getting to the point at hand.’"

Quinn’s philosophy is rooted in collective responsibility, a mindset Washington must embrace to overcome the Titans. He believes success happens when everyone—players and coaches alike—takes ownership of their roles in both victories and defeats.

Nov 14, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

"You may have heard me say execution is coaching and players," Quinn explained. "Everybody has seen spots where you said, ‘This is what happened,’ and it didn’t take. One of the things I like about here is that it’s a collective and owning that together. When there’s something to own, the coach needs to as well. And when that happens, you’ll find the players also start doing that a little bit more too, knowing that they’re in that together."

Quinn knows the Commanders will need more than honesty to compete with Tennessee. Accountability is crucial, but so is channeling the passion and urgency required to fix problems quickly. "I’m not as Pollyanna all the time. Sometimes underneath, it’s very much fire," Quinn admitted. "I don’t always show that to you, but I definitely have that side. But I tend to think, how do you solve the problem? What’s next?"

That problem-solving mindset will be critical against a Titans team that will thrive off of errors. "Sometimes I do yell, but more importantly in the moment, what’s next? What do we need to do to fix this?" Quinn said. "And sometimes you have hardly any time to make those decisions. Other times you have a lot of time. ‘Let’s go back and look at this again. What’s the best plan?’"

As the Commanders prepare for this must-win game, Quinn’s focus on honesty and ownership could be the key to turning the rest of the season around. "If you’re honest as a group, people will own it more than just, ‘You didn’t do this.’ Because we’re a part of it too. And so, you better take ownership of that," he said.

With their playoff hopes slowly fading, the Commanders need to embrace Quinn’s truth-telling philosophy. Against the Titans, it won’t just be about identifying mistakes—it’ll be about how they fix them, together.

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