To say it's been a rough go for former Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn might be the understatement of the century. Quinn took the Washington Commanders to the NFC Championship in his first season as head coach, but it's been al downhill from that point.
The Commanders went 5-12 last season, which put Quinn in a position where he needed to deliver results in order to save his job this year. But after Washington's dismal clock management was the reason they failed to beat the Giants after letting the clock run out in a tie game in overtime, he's certainly operating on borrowed time.
Quinn was already on the hot seat, and Washington fans were starting to turn on him, but now his seat is scorching, and the entire NFL world is coming to terms with his fate. But in a weird twist of events, one of the only people who still has his back is former Cowboys star Micah Parsons, who did not hold back during an episode of his podcast, The Edge with Micah Parsons.
"Jayden Daniels probably cost my man Dan Quinn his job, to be honest with you," Parsons said..." And like, I'm a big Jayden Daniels fan. But the reality is, he probably cost a lot of people their jobs this past weekend."
Former Cowboys assistant Dan Quinn's hot seat is starting to sizzle
Instead of blaming Quinn, Parsons noted that as an NFL player -- especially one in your third season -- what to do in clutch situations like this should be ingrained in your brain. That's a fair argument, but pinning this one solely on Daniels isn't fair when not having a timeout left is on the head coach.
I know the two are close from their days in Dallas together, but Parsons' attempt to shift the blame off his former defensive coordinator really doesn't mean that much. The damage has already been done, and now he's trending toward being let go if the 1-3-1 Commanders don't turn their season around.
Clock management has been an issue that has plagued Dan Quinn ever since his time in Atlanta. It's the reason that, at this point, he is a less-than-optimal NFL head coach. He lost the Falcons that Super Bowl to the Patriots, and it feels like he's just never learned how to handle crunch-time situations.
It's a sad story for a guy Cowboys fans grew very fond of, but things change quickly in the NFL. You can go from beloved to scorned at the drop of a hat, and some teams just need a change.
The Commanders are 1-3-1 and in last place in the NFC East, and with Jayden Daniels' injury or not, it's hard to deny a team that spent as much as Washington did this offseason isn't a disappointment.
At some point, you have to look at the head of the snake. Talent can only take you so far in this league, and firing Quinn -- if it comes to that -- would allow Washington to hire an offensive innovator to work with Daniels instead. Micah Parsons can defend him, and while Jayden Daniels deserves his share of the blame, anyone who caught the ending of that game knows that Quinn has more blood on his hands.
It's hard to see this ending well for Quinn, which begs the question: What's next for him in the NFL if the Commanders move on? The Cowboys could be in the market for a new DC (again) if Christian Parker continues on this current trajectory. Maybe Jerry Jones would give him a call and gauge his interest in a return to Dallas.
We'll cross that bridge if and when the time comes.
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