He had the opportunity to be an NFL head coach and feared he might never get that opportunity again.
Dan Quinn has worked in so many places for so long, for so many seasons. He coached college football at William & Mary, VMI, Hofstra and Florida. His NFL stops included the 49ers, Dolphins, Jets and Seahawks, and finally he was head coach of the Atlanta Falcons.
In just his second season, the Falcons won the NFC Championship, leading the Patriots 28-3 before losing 34-28 in overtime. Four seasons later, when he was 0-5, he was fired by the Falcons.
Quinn was the Cowboys' defensive coordinator for three seasons at the time. Adam Peters and Josh Harris hired him as the Commanders' head coach.
On Wednesday, Quinn was asked by the media what he was grateful for this year.
“A lot, honestly,” Quinn replied. “And to be here with this group at this point in my life, I'm very grateful because these moments that you can share in a locker room, a meeting room on the field, even in a short period of time, are very meaningful to us. “ “We have developed a really strong bond.”
When Quinn hears various players talking about their “brotherhood” this season, he's sure they're playing for each other. Furthermore, the 7:2 start certainly didn't hurt team cohesion.
For Quinn, coming to a new city, a new team, a new franchise and getting another chance to be an nfl head coach was huge.
“So for me, it's been really cool to have all these new relationships from February to now, and I love seeing them grow and get even stronger as we do it. So I have the chance to be here in this city with this team, a number one team.”
We all have things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. We hope the Commanders players, coaches and staff take time to reflect on their many blessings.
May they enjoy being blessed by God and living in a way that blesses others.
