'Stay in Dallas': Commanders fans appear lukewarm on new head coach Dan Quinn
WASHINGTON - Fans of the Washington Commanders have mixed feelings over the selection of Dan Quinn for the team’s new head coach.
Commanders and Quinn, who is currently the Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator, reached a verbal agreement Thursday.
"He has a good track record. Good couch, you know? Step up from where they’ve been with [Ron] Rivera," one fan said. "Work on the offensive line."
Leon Fisher, a Dallas Cowboys fan, said he thinks this is a good move for the Commanders.
"That’s my defensive coordinator. Dan Quinn should be good because they got the defense. Defensive personnel here in Washington, it fits his style better than it does with the Cowboys," Fisher said. "Don’t listen to the outside. Listen to the fans. They have been wanting for the last 30 years trying to win the formula. Listen to the fans, go produce something."
Some fans, however, said they’re disappointed with the pick.
"His defense fell apart. We already went through Norv Turner. I don’t want another Norv Turner," fan Jonathan Beiser. "Advice for Dan Quinn? Stay in Dallas."
Beiser said he would have preferred the team to hire a younger and newer coach, a sentiment shared by fan Jayden Tran.
FOX 5 DC INSTAPOLL: How do you feel about Dan Quinn as the new Commanders Head Coach?
"I think a lot of people don’t like him because of what happened with the Falcons in the Super Bowl. I think that’s why a lot of people don’t see him as a good head coach. I think he’s a good coordinator — what he did with Dallas. But I’m not sure about head coach," Tran said.
Skyler Nordstrom said while he would have liked to see Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson take on the job, he does not believe Quinn is the worst selection.
"He’s the most experienced head coach candidate we interviewed and he’s the only one that’s taken a team to the Super Bowl, so that’s the positive but I was kind of hoping for one of the young guys," Nordstrom said. "Honestly, I think more of it is going to be on the general manager and building him a team. I always think that way, and it’s the first time we’ve had a general manager in the building and a real one that’s going to have the power to do what he wants. So, I think that’s going to be the biggest positive."
Claire Linville said her hope is for better seasons ahead.
"What I have seen on the whole is that we usually are okay in the first half and then in the second half, we either bring it or completely lose it. I think the times that we just let go in the second half or don’t have energy is the biggest problem," Linville said. "The only thing I’ve really seen is that the second half determines if we’re going to win or lose and as a half, we generally lose the energy for that part of the game."
Going forward, she said she would like to see Quinn be able to improve the team’s endurance for the entire game.