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Why Is Dan Quinn Considered 'Excellent' Coach For Commanders?

Could new head coach Dan Quinn's attitude be what helps turn around the Commanders' losing culture?

The Washington Commanders hired Dan Quinn as the new head coach in hopes that he'll be the man to turn around the struggling franchise, but one trait of his has already become a talking point.

Rather than focus on the negatives of the team's situation, Quinn seems to radiate a positive energy that some have speculated could uplift the locker room and the overall culture of the franchise.

Dan Quinn and Adam Peters.

Dan Quinn and Adam Peters smiled at their introductory press conference with the Washington Commanders.

"The team has been so bad, and they hired the most positive person in a long time," NFL Insider Ian Rapoport said. "Dan Quinn has never had a bad day. There’s a lot of reasons why we thought this was a really good fit. He’s an excellent coach, hired a really good staff and is a really good leader. There’s a lot to like, but he is so positive…it is so much better than it was."

There are two types of people in the world: those who see a glass as being half empty and those who see it as half full; based on the statements made at the NFL Combine by Rapoport and his colleagues, Quinn sounds like the latter. 

It can become easy to get discouraged by a lack of winning and let that permeate the culture in a locker room with toxic negativity that prevents a franchise from taking steps forward. Luckily, Quinn sounds like a breath of fresh air for a Commanders team that literally had its pipes bursting with waste last season. 

Quinn is highly qualified as a former Super Bowl-caliber NFL head coach and a proven terrific defensive mind, but the power of his positivity could be what helps this team grow in the right direction in 2024. 

First, though, Quinn and the rest of Washington's front office must identify players at the Combine who share his positive mindset so that he can help coach them from being the second-worst team in the league a season ago to a legitimate playoff contender.