ASHBURN, Va. — One game ball Dorance Armstrong received from Dan Quinn stood out the most.
Such recognition occurred at various moments during the defensive end’s six seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. Recording 23 1/2 sacks — 16 over his final two campaigns — warrants praise for a player. However, this ball wasn’t given to Armstrong for his on-field exploits, nor was he the intended target.
The ball had the name “Serenity” written on it and was delivered to the baby girl’s proud papa in front of all his teammates and coaches. The handoff wasn’t from a non-football executive or team employee. Armstrong took possession from his defensive coordinator of three seasons, Quinn, a coach who consistently demonstrates sincere care for the person inside the uniform.
“It was pretty cool,” Armstrong said of the game ball ceremony with Quinn. “He’s just a good dude. He cares about you. He asks about your day and how you are feeling mentally. He is 100 percent interested in the human being.”
Recent chatter about the 7-4 Commanders centers on what, if anything, is problematic during the current two-game losing streak. That conversation typically overlooks Washington’s talent deficiency compared to other contenders. That and the Commanders have already exceeded expectations for reasons beyond rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels.
Responses from several players about the 2024 team show the group hasn’t lost sight of Quinn’s personal touch.
Third-year running back Brian Robinson Jr. has already set a career best with seven touchdowns. Other personal marks may fall despite missing three games with injuries. Quinn and the training staff pushed the power back during his rehabilitation stints but didn’t press Robinson to play when his knee and hamstring weren’t ready for optimal action. That’s how trust between a player and coach forms.
“He’s meant a lot to me,” Robinson said. “He’s showing me (how) this (job) is supposed to be done. Great leader and a players’ coach. He cares about players’ health and our safety.”
Wide receiver Noah Brown signed with Washington shortly before the season opener after overlapping with the highly optimistic Quinn for two seasons in Dallas.
“(Quinn) understands how this game goes,” said Brown, Washington’s de facto No. 2 receiver. “He cares about his players. That shows with how he runs the program.”
Washington’s record looked shinier before two consecutive losses. Vegas oddsmakers suggest the slide snaps on Sunday as the 10 1/2-point favorites host reeling Dallas (3-7) at Northwest Stadium.
Preseason projections put the Commanders closer to the league basement than their current spot as an NFC wild-card team with seven weeks remaining. The defensive-minded head coach’s fingerprints are all over the surprising development for reasons beyond X’s and O’s. General manager Adam Peters helmed Washington’s offseason plans. Still, Quinn’s influence was evident based on the specific players signed and holdovers immediately buying into the new Commanders standard.
Quinn sought high-caliber people across the roster and forceful players on both sides of the line of scrimmage. Signing center Tyler Biadasz, Armstrong and edge rusher Dante Fowler Jr. from Dallas meant having familiar faces capable of explaining Quinn’s immediate and future goals.
Future Hall of Fame linebacker Bobby Wagner played under Quinn with the 2013 Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks. Wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus crossed paths with Quinn in Atlanta.
The improved vibes can make normally quiet players become team leaders after losses. Bonds created under this staff turned an organization coming off a 20-year cold spell into a group where “nobody flinches.”
Noah Igbinoghene, an in-season pickup by the Cowboys last season, has become Washington’s primary nickleback. He credits the coaching received from Quinn and Cowboys defensive backs coach Joe Whitt Jr., now Washington’s defensive coordinator, for helping to steady his career trajectory. He is also awed by Quinn’s ability to think about the “whole team” while resetting Washington’s program.
“How he did it, I don’t really know,” Igbinoghene said, “but it’s worked out. I think it’s a lot about the guys he picked and the people (remaining) on the team.”
Helping choose the groceries is one thing, but knowing a great recipe is another. Quinn would balk at declaring himself the secret ingredient, but the players enjoy the taste of community the head coach has provided.
Some coaches can pull off a facsimile of genuine kindness. Quinn’s sincerity stands out. Brown highlighted the coach making “eye contact” in one-on-one talks as part of his appeal. Armstrong had options in free agency, but the pull of staying with a coach who “believed in me as a player and a person” was powerful.
Biadasz’s five-year career includes Quinn in some capacity. Their “great relationship” involved the former Cowboys defensive coordinator sharing blocking and technique insight beyond a cursory discussion. Football tips alone didn’t have Biadasz looking to follow Quinn.
“What he stands for, who he is as a coach and a person, and what he is all about,” Biadasz said. “It was easy for me to come here with him as head coach. It’s been a blast.”
Players often only see the coach doing his job at practice or game days. Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury is behind the scenes and has the perspective of someone who served as a head coach for 10 years with stops at his alma mater, Texas Tech, and the Arizona Cardinals.
“I definitely have a new perspective being around DQ. The way he carries himself, the consistency in his approach, his attitude, the way he treats players. He puts the players first in everything he does,” Kingsbury said. “You come in on Monday, win, lose or draw, and it’s the same guy.”
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Quinn’s influence will be a factor if another team tries to entice Kingsbury with a head-coaching offer — a distinct possibility based on his play-calling prowess and work with Daniels.
“Being able to step back and see from the 10,000-foot overview after being in that seat for 10 straight years has helped me kinda see what I would want to be and who I’d want to be if I ever chose to do that again,” Kingsbury said.
Quinn took lessons from three years with Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy. He kept a notebook at his desk at the Cowboys’ facility to jot down specific details, like how McCarthy, a Super Bowl winner at Green Bay, installed practice schedules or broadly ran the entire show, or how the front office tackled player evaluations.
The 54-year-old New Jersey native has deployed some of those processes with his staff in Washington, where he imagines staying for several years. He and Peters will acquire more players this offseason to continue the talent upgrade around Daniels and replace those on expiring deals who will not return.
Igbinoghene is on that 2025 free-agent list. Like his teammates, Igbinoghene isn’t thinking beyond the Cowboys game and where this fun season might go. But ask how the underdog Commanders reached this level or if they can turn this losing streak into a blip. The top-of-mind answer is something he and his teammates have considered.
“(Quinn) has done a good job of putting the right people around us, while remaking this team and making decisions. That’s why I feel we’re doing what we’re doing,” Igbinoghene said. “Not everyone is like us. That’s why we’re different. That’s what makes this so cool.”
(Top photo: Greg Fiume / Getty Images)
