Cowboys 'More Disciplined' Without Commanders Head Coach Dan Quinn?

The Dallas Cowboys are going to look different this year without Washington Commanders coach Dan Quinn.

Aug 4, 2022; Oxnard, CA, USA; Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn talks to players during training camp at River Ridge Playing Fields in Oxnard, California. Mandatory Credit: Jason Parkhurst-USA TODAY Sports / Jason Parkhurst-USA TODAY Sports

The Washington Commanders needed leadership more than anything entering the next era of football in the nation's capital.

To get it, Commanders managing partner Josh Harris tapped into several successful organizations including the San Francisco 49ers and even the Dallas Cowboys, much to his own fan base's dismay initially.

Since bringing several Cowboys, including new head coach Dan Quinn - commonly referred to as 'DQ' by his players - into the fold Washington has only seen excitement grow with tales of reinvigorated players and an all-star coaching staff at the controls.

In Dallas, however, safety Malik Hooker is speaking positively about some of the changes his own defense is going through without Quinn, under new defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer.

READ MORE: Coach Quinn's Message is to 'Protect the Team'

Aug 4, 2022; Oxnard, CA, USA; Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn talks to players during training camp at River Ridge Playing Fields in Oxnard, California. Mandatory Credit: Jason Parkhurst-USA TODAY Sports / Jason Parkhurst-USA TODAY Sports

"DQ was more player-oriented and if something couldn't get done or we kept messing up on something he would just try to I guess level down to make it easier for everybody to be able to still go out there and do what they (were) going to do."

- Malik Hooker, Dallas Cowboys DB

"(Coach Zimmer) and DQ are different. (Zimmer's) more like he's going give you a couple of chances to mess up but if you keep messing up you can't get it right, 'I'm going to get somebody else in there to', whereas DQ was more player-oriented and if something couldn't get done or we kept messing up on something he would just try to I guess level down to make it easier for everybody to be able to still go out there and do what they (were) going to do. But it just wouldn't be what he was asking for in that moment," Cowboys safety Malik Hooker said on All Facts No Brakes with Keyshawn Johnson, "So I think that's the difference for him and I feel like even these past couple weeks of having this new system and going out there OTAs and doing everything we've been doing, you can tell the difference of I would say discipline that we're going to be this year. If you watched a lot of our games, a lot of the big games we lost. I mean yeah, there were plays made but a lot of the time we (were) shooting ourselves in the foot jumping offsides, and giving (the other team) another fresh set of first downs."

Hooker was clear to express his affinity for coach Quinn, so his comments shouldn't be taken as a slight toward the new Commanders coach, but as an example of how two men will do the same job differently.

Zimmer, for example, is taking over a highly successful defense for the first time in his career after being trusted to rebuild broken units in previous stops around the NFL.

How different he'll do things in Dallas compared to Quinn is a question that not only relates to their man-to-man connections, but style of play as well. Something Hooker doesn't expect will change too much.

"We are who we are," Hooker said. "We were successful in the defense we played in, you know what I'm saying? We had great success and we had some downfalls in the defense. So them as coaches, I feel like especially with the team we got, their job ain't to go and bring a whole new X, Y, Z or whole new system. He pretty much just made it easier to the point of he's nothing less than demanding of what he wants done on the field."

From the sounds of it coach Quinn is more of a 'do it together' type while Zimmer is 'do it or get replaced' type. Either can be successful, but Washington is banking on the guy they stole from Dallas to do it at least a little better than his replacement.

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READ MORE: Commanders 'Connecting' Thanks to Coaches

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