Washington Commanders told all about flaw in new head coach Dan Quinn
Former Dallas Cowboys head coach, Dave Campo, has raised a few questions about the coaching methods of Washington Commanders' new head coach, Dan Quinn.
Quinn, aged 53, is back in charge four years after being fired from his first job as head coach by the Atlanta Falcons. He had a memorable six seasons there, taking them to Super Bowl LI, but they lost a record lead (28-3 in the third quarter) to the New England Patriots.
After that, he was taken on by the Cowboys as their defensive coordinator where he really shone under head coach Mike McCarthy. He led the team's defence to improve so quickly that he won Assistant Coach of the Year accolades.
But Campo, observing from a distance, aired some concerns about Quinn. "From a culture standpoint... I'll just say one thing this way. I know Dan Quinn very well," he shared with 94.1 San Antonio's Sports Star "The Blitz."
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"I was not in the office (or) in the building; I'm here in Jacksonville. I saw a bunch of the games. I saw that game (the 48-32 wild-card round defeat to the Green Bay Packers.)
"I'm going a little bit on some hearsay, but I think the one thing about Dan is he's a fine gentleman, and he's smart, and his scheme was okay, but he was a little bit too buddy-buddy, I think, with the players, and that's part of it. You can't have a lot of accountability if you don't stand a little bit above it of the people that you're trying to get to be accountable."
Notably, Campo also knows Quinn's replacement, Mike Zimmer, well. They collaborated at Weber State for two seasons in 1981 before reconnecting in Dallas a decade later, where Campo promoted Zimmer to become his defensive coordinator.
Due to his personal experience, Campo is keenly aware of the stark differences between these two coaches for the Dallas players. There is little chance that pass rusher Micah Parsons will form the same close bond with Zimmer as he had with Quinn.
However, despite Quinn's departure, Parsons, a three-time Pro Bowler, remains his die-hard fan and speaks highly of his former defensive coordinator. In fact, when Quinn secured the job with the Commanders, Parsons didn't shy away from heaping praise on his mentor during an interview with NFL Network.
"They're getting a real upstanding, outstanding guy, man," Parsons raved. "I hope those players buy-in and play exceptionally hard for him and recognize that no one will love and care for them more than Dan Quinn."So man, please appreciate his presence, appreciate his greatness, and take care of my guy." He continued: "Super happy for him, not because he went to a rival, just because, like I said, Q is a big uncle for me.
"I know how much this means for him - and I know the stuff he wanted to take. He stayed with me as long as he could, but I know any team out there is lucky to have him."