The 5am Club: Dan Quinn’s big game resume and future prospects as Commanders head coach

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CBS just released a ranking of all 32 active NFL coaches in terms of their playoff success, which they call their “big game resumes.” I was going to write about it today, but Bryan Manning of Commanders Wire beat me to it, so I thought I’d just quote from his article.

CBS Sports recently ranked all NFL head coaches based on their experience in big games. 18 of the 32 coaches didn’t make the cut because they were inexperienced on the big stage. Quinn came in at number 14 — last among the coaches rated — with the following explanation.

“Quinn is revered for his defensive mindset, fresh off a good run with the Dallas Cowboys, but he hasn’t made a playoff appearance as the boss since 2017. His Atlanta Falcons went 14-23 overall from 2018 to 2020, and he blew an infamous lead in his only Super Bowl appearance.”

These are certainly valid criticisms. As a defensive coordinator, Quinn is better than anyone else right now. Can he repeat his early success in Atlanta in Washington? And if so, can he sustain that success?

Quinn has a few advantages. First, he has a general manager (Adam Peters) who hired him. They came together and selected the quarterback (Jayden Daniels) together. They’ll all have time.

If Daniels hits, there’s a good chance Quinn will be around for a long time. One of the biggest questions Quinn faced was what kind of offensive personnel he would hire. He responded by hiring former Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury as offensive coordinator (former Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn as run game coordinator) and former Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Brian Johnson as passing game coordinator.

Everything Quinn has done in a short amount of time in Washington has been smart. But a lot of his success depends on the quarterback. If the quarterback position is filled, you can bet Quinn will win some big games in the future and climb up these lists.

The theme of Dan Quinn’s introductory press conference in Washington was how much he had learned during his first tenure as head coach in Atlanta (and the seasons that followed) and how he had adapted and changed to be more successful when given “another chance,” as was the case with the Commanders.