Commanders coach Dan Quinn is on the verge of returning to the Super Bowl 8 years after Falcons loss

Updated Jan. 24, 2025 12:25 p.m. ET

Associated Press

ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — Brian Robinson Jr. was in a bit of a rut.

He ran for a combined 26 yards over the Washington Commanders' previous two games bridging the end of the regular season and start of the playoffs.

Dan Quinn had just the idea. The experienced coach called the third-year running back in for a film session and showed him video clips of some of his best plays to show him, “This is you. This is who you are.”

“That’s the perfect reassurance that any player would want from their head coach,” Robinson said after rushing for 77 yards and two touchdowns to end a personal five-game scoring drought. "DQ got a lot of respect from me — not even just from that moment. It’s been several moments where I feel like he’s just reassured me in the right ways that’s allowed me to know how much he cares about me and my success. That’s a great feeling.”

Quinn has been a great fit in his first season with Washington and is a win in the NFC championship game at Philadelphia away from returning to the Super Bowl eight years since coaching the Atlanta Falcons there. They infamously lost that game to New England after blowing a 28-3 lead, and then-Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan is happy Quinn is close to getting another chance.

“He has the opportunity to be the head of an organization again: I think he’s built to do that,” Ryan said. “He’s evolved. He’s been open to evolving. I think you look at how aggressive they’ve been with their approach on fourth down, finding a young, dynamic offensive coordinator, bringing in some veteran guys that he knew and to build that culture. And he’s doing it his way. He’s authentically himself, and he’s got a great level of confidence in the way that he does it.”

Quinn, 54, was not the up-and-coming young assistant many — maybe even ownership and general manager Adam Peters — initially envisioned for the job while holding the second pick in the draft.

But it's quite possible the Commanders would not be in this position, even with dynamic rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, without Quinn providing a steady hand at the wheel, hiring Kliff Kingsbury as offensive coordinator and serving as the “incredible leader who brings out the best in his players, coaches and staff” controlling owner Josh Harris proclaimed when announcing the decision to make him coach.

“DQ, first and foremost, he’s a leader of men,” top receiver Terry McLaurin said. “Playing for a coach that allows you to be yourself within the culture is extremely empowering. ... He’s allowed us to drive this car this season in the eyes of how we want this Commanders team to look like.”

The Commanders look like winners ahead of schedule, even if Peters and Quinn refused to describe this as a rebuild. Quinn did talk plenty about his desire to do tough stuff — his description is a little more colorful — with good people, and players consistently laud the north New Jersey native for doing much more than just delivering a message.

“He is what he preaches,” safety and special teams ace Jeremy Reaves said. “He is who he says he is. He is that guy. He’s a guy that’s all about winning, and he’s all about trying to find different ways to win, whether that’s player input, whether that’s other staff input, his ego’s not too big for winning.”

Ryan, who won 46 regular-season and playoff games when Quinn coached the Falcons, thinks his old coach was great in Atlanta and “a better version of himself now given that experience.”

“That’s a great lesson for everybody to see is here’s no cookie-cutter approach to being a great head coach in this league,” said Ryan, who now works for CBS Sports on “The NFL Today” as a panelist. “Knowing yourself is ultimately the most important, and knowing your teammates and your players and the guys that you have to lead. There’s nobody that I’ve been around that is as rock solid at that as Dan Quinn.”

Knowing himself, Quinn this week was unwilling to opine on how far he has come and what he has learned over the years, including the previous three as Dallas' defensive coordinator. He felt as if he owed it to his team to be focused only on the Eagles.

“There’s a prove-it side to us all, and I definitely have part of that just like players do,” Quinn said. "But as far as reflecting back, I’m not there yet.”

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AP Sports Writer John M. Wawrow in Orchard Park, N.Y., contributed.

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