Most NFL coaches have been fired or will be fired. Dan Quinn was fired (by the Falcons) and he will no doubt be fired again (by the Commanders).
So far, the commanders have not fired him.
Some have suggested that Sunday’s colossal mistake seals Quinn’s fate at the end of the year. However, well-functioning organizations will implement the decision as soon as it is made, if only to begin the process of finding the next coach. In fact, what’s the point of prolonging the situation?
In this case, any effort by Quinn to turn a 1-3-1 season into a playoff berth will be complicated by the task of getting the locker room to do anything other than roll their eyes when it comes time to listen to Quinn. The sooner the organization moves on from being responsible for the worst finish to a game since Joe Pisarcik’s moment in 1978, the sooner the team can move on.
There’s a dotted line going back to Super Bowl XLIX, Quinn’s last game with the Seahawks. Even though he wasn’t there the day after the fateful decision to throw the ball over the goal line, Pete Carroll had to deal with the fumes that cost the Legion of Boom their “dynasty” tag for years. Quinn, who only has a few weeks to work with him, will have a hard time burying this one.
The problem will not go away quickly. This will be the topic of the week in DC Quinn who will be asked about it again. Quarterback Jayden Daniels will be asked about it again. Offensive coordinator David Blough – who has yet to receive as much flak as he should – will be asked about it. Other players will be asked about this.
Next Monday, when the Commanders take on the 49ers in Santa Clara, it will be the focus of ESPN’s pregame show. It will be mentioned once or twice (or more often) throughout the play calling.
Can Quinn turn things around? The 2017 Falcons reached the playoffs, following the 28-3 debacle in Super Bowl LI. But Quinn and the Falcons had quite an offseason to deal with their collapse. For Commanders, the next train is already on the tracks.
The bye is approaching after next Monday evening. Could ownership decide to give Quinn a chance to right the ship in San Francisco? Could an embarrassment next week be the final straw?
The problem is that the ultimate embarrassment has already occurred. Although strange things have happened, it’s hard to imagine Quinn and the commanders putting this behind them quickly. The process can’t even begin until Quinn finds a way to bring the locker room together again.
How can he do this? Players will be complaining about this in the coming work week. Or maybe throughout Monday and during the bye week. What can he say to them to make them understand how and why this happened?
He can continue to take responsibility, but there is no honor in recognizing the obvious. He will have to find a way to make them accept the fact that he made a mistake that should never have been made and persuade them to believe that the team is in good hands, despite Sunday’s events.
Perhaps an “us against the world” approach will emerge. The problem is that, in this case, the world is right. And the only way to make things right in the world of Washington will be for the team to deliver the clearest and strongest message of accountability by removing the person responsible for the situation from his position.
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