Washington Commanders Aimed to 'Go Get Better' Against Miami Dolphins

Head coach Dan Quinn came away happy with his team's efforts in joint practices between the Washington Commanders and Miami Dolphins.

Aug 17, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn along the sideline during the third quarter against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports / Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports

MIAMI GARDENS, Fl. -- In football, you'd think the objective every week is to win, and while the Washington Commanders certainly want to do that every chance they get the priority is development.

From that perspective, the Commanders came down to Florida to get better as players, coaches, as a team, and in how much they understand just what they have in their 2024 roster.

Leaving Miami and heading back to Washington head coach Dan Quinn feels his team did just that, depsite losing 13-6 on Saturday night.

READ MORE: Washington Commanders Safety Living Up to Aggressive Directive in Return to Practice

Aug 17, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn along the sideline during the third quarter against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports / Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports

"We came down here to say ‘Go get better.’," Quinn said following the game Saturday. We had two opportunities to come do that at the practice and at the game, and I think we absolutely did that. It's not going to show that in the win column today but you do learn and you get better in these moments. And knowing that as the games come down to the end, there's value in that. So I love the guys, how tough they are, how hard they played for one another. ...So it was just a really good four days for us to find out a lot about our team. Hats off to (Dolphins head coach) Mike (McDaniel) and their team for being great hosts in the practice and in the game -- we knew it would be a good fight and it
was."

In their efforts to figure out the best configuration of their roster on the field coach Quinn and his staff have been giving guys looks in positions they haven't necessarily gotten them before.

During the joint practice, for example, nickel corner Mike Sainristil got some reps on the perimeter. In the game, we saw rookie receiver Luke McCaffrey fielding punts, receiver Kazmeir Allen running the ball, and undrafted free agent cornerback Chigozie Anusiem inside defending the slot.

It's all about figuring out who they are as a team and giving individuals the opportunity to find new ways to contribute to a winning roster.

And even though Washington is taking a preseason loss back with them, when the regular season starts and that loss disappears the lessons learned on this successful business trip will remain, and potential grow into regular season wins that become much more permanent.

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READ MORE: Washington Commanders Defense Has 'Come a Long Way' Learning and Executing New Scheme

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