Commanders OTAs: Dan Quinn points out two factors that can help the team start fast in 2024
There's a very positive buzz, from both those around the team and on a national level, surrounding the Washington Commanders heading into 2024 and it's easy to see why.Out is the controversial (to put it lightly) former owner, Dan Snyder, and in is owner/managing partner Josh Harris. Adam Peters is the new general manager, Dan […]
There's a very positive buzz, from both those around the team and on a national level, surrounding the Washington Commanders heading into 2024 and it's easy to see why.
Out is the controversial (to put it lightly) former owner, Dan Snyder, and in is owner/managing partner Josh Harris. Adam Peters is the new general manager, Dan Quinn is the new head coach, and rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels is the new face of the franchise.
All of that, on top of a solid free agency and draft haul, have placed the team in a spot in hasn't been in, for a while, now. But, while everything looks good on paper, we all know what matters most, now, is what happens on the field. That will ultimately decide if the current feel-good story ends up turning into one of the franchise's best chapters or yet another setback.
There is something to note about Quinn's staff that can really help the team succeed like it's hoping: The are multiple former head coaches on the staff and it's a very experienced staff, in general.
Obviously, and first and foremost, this isn't Quinn's first go as head coach. He famously guided the Atlanta Falcons to Super Bowl LI before losing the famous 28-3 lead to the New England Patriots. Assistant head coach/running backs coach Anthony Lynn and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury have both guided NFL teams to playoff berths as head coaches. Special teams coordinator, Larry Izzo, won three Super Bowls with the New England Patriots and is entering his 14th year as a coach and more specifically, fourth as ST coordinator.
After them, it's a good mix of coaching experience, playing experience, and background from top to bottom. As in, several coaches come from different systems, philosophies, ways of going about business, etc. than what Quinn is used to. In his, and the other coaches' minds, that's something they think will really come in handy, because it allows everyone to be more open-minded and hopefully find more viable solutions to problems.
"That part's been fun," Quinn said when asked about the process of the coaching staff coming together. "That's one of the great parts about our game, is, it's always evolving and changing. What has been good -it started probably, I recognized it during free agency- where people had different backgrounds that [had] even been around different players. That carried into the draft and now we're able to share ideas on things.
"[For instance], planning for minicamp or planning for training camp, it's very easy now to ask A-Lynn [Anothny Lynn] or Kliff [Kingsbury], 'Let's compare. What was good, what'd you like, or what could we do differently?' So, those are questions [where it's] nice to have somebody, right there, to discuss with."
Sure, the Commanders aren't the only NFL team with a head coach on a second-plus go-around fielding a staff of one or more former head coaches. There's so much turnover in the NFL that it's impossible for one team to have that. Still, there's something to be said about how everyone can put their heads together, when it comes to both successes and failures. That should, in theory, help the Commanders avoid some of the typical mistakes, or even pitfalls, that come with a rebuild.
"The defensive staff, I don't think, I've seen enough written about those guys," defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. said Wednesday. "[Defensive pass game coordinator] Jason Simmons, [defensive backs coach] Tommy Donatell, I already talked about [linebackers coach] Ken Norton and [defensive line coach] [Darryl] Tapp. Man, we come to work every day and we compete, we have fun. And then we get the opportunity to coach a group of young men that are willing and wanting to show that that we can play high-level defense.
"And so, when you have that, with the people that you work alongside and with the people that you coach, I mean it's fun to come to work every day. Where else would you want to be?"
The best part, too, is that's not the only OTAs development that can help the team get off to a fast start in 2024. It's been pretty much full participation, across the board, the whole way through, thus far. That's given Quinn and co. a whole lot more to work with than they what they could potentially receive at this time of year.
"It's been this way the whole session and it's been exciting, because now you can try different people at different spots, maybe some matchups that you want to see. Okay, so man coverage versus zone. How's that look?" said Quinn.
There's obviously a long way to go, still, but it's hard to dislike what is going on in the DMV, right now. Even if the Commanders start slow or struggle in 2024, there should be enough proper infrastructure to where the team will find its footing under this staff, sooner, rather than later.
