Dan Quinn calls out the Commanders defense during practice for a reason no head coach ever wants to see from his team
Quinn is one of the NFL’s most fiery and energetic coaches and that’s exactly what he wants to see from his players. So it makes sense why he had a slight issue with the defense during the final week of Commanders OTAs.
This is a big year for Dan Quinn and the Washington Commanders, so he’s ensuring every single day is maximized on a consistent basis.
And that was on full display when he called out the Commanders defense for being flat during the final week of OTAs. He literally sent the unit back to the stretch line, essentially restarting practice after a slow start.
“I feel like the energy was kind of flat, and it was just a sense of, you know, “pick it up”,” Commanders linebacker Frankie Luvu told reporters after OTAs. ” … We’re all jogging, we’re all running. If you know you’re walking, you’re wrong. [It’s] that type of thing.
“And it’s the first day back out where we’re running. It’s not like it’s the back (end) of the week, where you know it’s dog days and we’re tired. It’s the first day, so that was it, just to keep the energy up. It’s the first period of practice and you want to set the tone early, you know what I mean?”
Luvu’s point about OTAs being in May and not during the regular season is both compelling and valid. He’s right – everyone’s battery is currently at 100%, therefore, they need to practice that way.
No head coach wants to see low energy at any given point. Whether it’s the practice field or especially during a game.
Immediately correcting course not only sets the tone, but it sets the overall standard. That’s absolutely crucial when considering how much the Commanders’ roster has changed over the couple of years. Sure, there are core guys who are still on the team like Luvu, Jayden Daniels, Terry McLaurin, etc. that can help set the standard, but it also has to trickle down from the top.
Quinn knows that and that’s why he’s had a lot of success as an NFL head coach. Now, it’s up to the players to hold themselves accountable.