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Some Panthers fans see another missed opportunity with Dan Quinn

Dan Quinn interviewed for the Carolina Panthers' head coach job last year. Now he's in the NFC Championship.
Tim Weaver|
ATLANTA, GA - DECEMBER 08: Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn shakes hands with Carolina Panthers head coach Perry Fewell after an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2019, in Atlanta.
ATLANTA, GA - DECEMBER 08: Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn shakes hands with Carolina Panthers head coach Perry Fewell after an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2019, in Atlanta. | (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)

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Carolina Panthers

One year ago the Carolina Panthers were searching for their next head coach to replace Frank Reich, who had been fired after just 11 games on the job. Among the candidates they brought in for an interview was Dan Quinn, who's been around the league for a long-time as a defensive coordinator and former head coach with the Atlanta Falcons.

Quinn's Falcons were most famous for their epic Super Bowl collapse against the New England Patriots to end the 2016 season. However, Quinn has since moved on to do more great things in the NFL, including a superb three-year run as the Dallas Cowboys' defensive coordinator.

Instead of hiring Quinn the Panthers went with Dave Canales, a long-time Seattle Seahawks assistant who had just spent one year callin plays for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Now some Carolina fans are suffering from buyer's remorse as Quinn has led the Washington Commanders to the NFC Title game in his first year as their head coach. Observe.

Panthers fans on Dan Quinn

Then again, it's always easy to see missed opportunities in hind sight. Quinn was far from the most popular head coach candidate in the last hiring cycle, and a great deal of his success this year has come as a result of his team picking the right quarterback in the draft. Had they gone a different direction and taken someone other than Jayden Daniels this season might have played out very differently for them.

That said, it does sting just a little bit to see Quinn finding so much success in just one season after the Panthers have gone through half a dozen coaches in the post-Ron Rivera era, none of whom have been able to stick around for very long.

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Tim Weaver
TIM WEAVER

Tim Weaver has been writing about the NFL since the 2013 season for multiple teams and outlets, including USA Today and The Sporting News. He currently covers the Seattle Seahawks and Carolina Panthers for On SI.