Commanders Coach Dan Quinn 'A Better Version' Now After Falcons Firing, Cowboys Stint

Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn reflected on times of sorrow after being fired by the Atlanta Falcons, but he believes he's an improved coach from where he was in Oct. 2020.

Dan Quinn's tenure as Atlanta Falcons head coach feels ages ago, but in reality, his five and a half seasons at the helm ended just over three years ago.

Now, Quinn's back in the same role with the Washington Commanders, riding a wave of momentum after three strong seasons as the Dallas Cowboys' defensive coordinator.

But it's easy to see why some may have hesitation with Quinn after Washington just fired Ron Rivera, another recycled head coach, following a dismal 4-13 season.

So, what's different for Quinn?

Feb 5, 2024; Ashburn, VA, USA; Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn speaks at his introductory press conference at Commanders Park / Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

For starters, a fresh perspective on how to balance himself across all three units.

"That's one of the lessons to take on, to say man, I've got to make sure after doing the 360 of leaving Atlanta, of spreading myself too thin," Quinn said. "And so, where I need to be is right there with the offense, right there with the defense and the special teams and not allow outside things in the organization, just more things to do."

Quinn, who started 2019 as the Falcons' defensive play-caller before delegating duties elsewhere, enjoyed success early in his tenure in Atlanta.

The Falcons went 8-8 in Quinn's first campaign, lost in the Super Bowl in his second and fell short in the NFC Divisional round in his third.

But Atlanta went 7-9 in the two years that followed and was 0-5 when Quinn was fired in 2020, ultimately finishing the year 4-12.

Quinn spearheaded three consecutive top-seven scoring defenses in Dallas, making the playoffs each year while refreshing his defensive philosophies.

Now, Quinn feels he's ready for another shot, and he intends on building a strong, collaborative relationship with general manager Adam Peters.

"The main thing, keep the main thing the main thing," Quinn said. "And that's the players and the team. And that's why I'll lean on Adam so hard. I didn't want anything other than that, to be right there doing it."

When Quinn was fired by the Falcons, he was left watching the final three months of the season from home. It was a valuable time to reflect - but also "lonely, disappointing (and) depressing," he said.

Still, he had a chance to look back at what went wrong and how to get back to the dominant defensive coordinator he was from 2013 to 2014 with the Seattle Seahawks.

Quinn, as he said many times during his Commanders' introductory press conference, found the need to keep his focus on the right things.

New Coach Quinn Looking to 'Make the Pain Worth It'

Quinn knew he couldn't turn the clock back on his time in Atlanta, but he made sure he learned the lesson from his downfall - and believes he's a new coach this time around.

"You don't want to just rinse and repeat," Quinn said. "You want to make sure how do I take this, change it and then make sure you get to prove it again. And so that was the silver lining in this.

"I'm a better version of me today than I was three and four or five years ago, and so that's why I get to prove that."