Commanders Head Coach Dan Quinn (Post-Game Transcript)
Opening statement:
“All right everybody, we’ll begin some things. I told the team for the last seven weeks, we’ve lived in the complementary football and beat the turnover margin, and we didn’t create any opportunities for us, and lost four and 28 points off of those four turnovers. That was big. We knew that was going to be a big part of this game. Both of us were plus six heading into today in the postseason. For us, our season ended one game short. I told the players I really wanted them to savor this time in the locker room with their teammates. The locker room is never the same year to year, and they’ve really created something very unique here and very special. For [Commanders Managing Partner] Josh [Harris] and [General Manager Adam Peters] AP and every person that rolled with us had an amazing time together. I just wanted them to recognize the brotherhood they created together and recognize that we’ll have plenty of time to talk about missed opportunities, and that wasn’t for tonight with them.”
On whether the Eagles touchdown run after Washington’s opening drive challenged them with keeping the momentum:
“For sure. We’ve been living and owning the ball and working. I thought we were aggressive on our fourth down opts to go for it. Then once it got out of whack at the end, I don’t know what the numbers would say at the end, but I thought we had to be bold. We had to be aggressive to take our shots against their offense. So, they weren’t into that space as well. I was pleased after the first long touchdown run, in terms of how the guys performed in the run game. But for sure, playing from behind and catch up is always tougher.”
On what he thought of Commanders QB Jayden Daniel’s performance on a big stage:
“Yeah, it just doesn’t seem like there’s going to be one that’s too big, honestly. He has rare competitiveness that makes him unique in a lot of ways. I love inside how he can stay into this space in the toughest environments. It hurt him to come out at the end. He wanted to stay in. I said that’s my call. But that’s the competitor. Honestly he’s just kind of wired in that way.”
On turnovers:
“Yes and the only way to get into the plus, you have to create some too. And so we’ll give Philadelphia credit. You know, like they caused them. It wasn’t like a fumbled snap or something that was reckless in that way. They [Philadelphia] caused them. And so I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that’s a good job by [Eagles Defensive Coordinator Vic] Fangio and their crew of creating the ball. We knew both teams were at plus six after two games. So it was something we talked about a lot, winning the turnover margin in this game. Over seven weeks we’ve been pretty complementary in that spot. And this was our first time not doing that.”
On how he will balance having a really good season going forward with these players:
“Yeah, probably too early for me yet. I wasn’t there. What I can say is that no locker room is the same year to year, and so I wanted to make sure they spent that time together, because they’ve created something that’s very cool here. It’s going to pay off for years to come. Every person had a role in that.”
On whether he felt everything was turning their way after the defense forced a punt and Washington’s offense responded with a touchdown:
“Yes. We kind of talked at the half. This is going to be grimy. We’re going to fight back into it. But that’s the life that we’ve kind of lived this season. So we were comfortable in those tight spots. So we thought, okay, it’s about to turn. It’s about to turn. Then they got their takeaway during that next one. But we did. I felt the shift happen.”
On whether Commanders LB Frankie Luvu was trying to time the snap on the series of offsides calls:
“Yes, and so you can’t have two consecutive. At that spot where you’re looking, they’re moving the ball and going. When you’re that close, you have to go, what we would say, take a shot. And so that’s what we do.”
On whether the sequence right before halftime when the Eagles score and changes the momentum:
Yeah, because we have talked, they were going to use the timeouts if we can go. I loved our aggressiveness to go get to the field goal. But no, that’s right. So we want to look at it and see even if those happen, we’ve got to allow those to become field goals and not into touchdowns.”
On the team being different next year and how much standards and the culture will be the same:
“A lot, a lot. When you start off something, you don’t tack it on at the end of the season, whether that’s culture or standards or they’re closely related. This team has created that. So, how do you take it from one space and notch it up and level it up again? But there will be a lot of standards of the way we go through things, of practice and, you know, preparing, of all that. So there’s a lot to take away from it. There’s playoff experience. There’s a lot. I am just not there yet to have the reflection time.”
On how valuable of a run this was for the guys that are going to do this again in the future:
“Yes, and there’s a lot, man, it’s like, you’d like to do this at home. They’re hard to get to and so each of the moments, what I want to take from that is this team wasn’t one that looked ahead. They had enough discipline to stay in it for the Wild Card game. In the Divisional week, they weren’t thinking down the road. That was the same thing this week. It was just this game against Philadelphia, and that takes discipline when the outside world is like, hey, you’re two wins away. So, yep, it’s Philadelphia and so this was not a case of that. I want to make sure I’m super clear on that, so that is something to take away. Can you be disciplined enough to stay in the moment of the game? We did a good job on that during the season as well, where we just felt like we were never out of the fight. Those are important things to have.”
On losing Commanders RG Sam Cosmi and DT Daron Payne for this game:
“I’ll have a better assessment for that tomorrow. I had a lot of confidence in what we would do and how we would play, but I’ll have a better assessment for you tomorrow.”
On how special this run was being the youngest team and everything that was said against them:
“It’s amazing because of their connection as teammates, and really [Commanders LB] Bobby Wagner, and he was at the very front of this. We had lost three in a row heading into, I believe it was our Tennessee game. And as we won some of these close games, not only did they get better on the field, but we got better off the field; our mindset and our attitude to go finish. Those were things that, because we went through the difficult battles as a first year team that’s still growing, I couldn’t have been more pleased to see us play in this many close games. That’s a good thing, and that’s where you learn and you grow, and you get your ass kicked some, and you have to learn the lessons that are meant for you in those times. The team has, and so there’ll be some lessons to take from tonight, too.”
On facing and dealing with some pockets of adversity in tonight’s game with players:
“Yeah. We want to find out all of those. And if there’s ones to apply for sure. All there was, was the next series, is kind of what we talked about. All there was, was the next one. If you felt like you’ve been wronged, like a foul goes the other way, the thing should go yours. There is no control over that. You’re not going to change the call with the referee being upset or pissed off about it. The next play isn’t going to be like, hey, you know what? They did make a mistake. Why don’t we use your argument? So it sucks. Sometimes, you end up on the wrong side of it, and you fight your way back. I do love that there’s a lot of guys here, honestly, that are like, just down to get down when those happen, and they really want to fight together. Like I said tonight, it’s hard, it’s a competitor’s life, but not having a chance to play the way that we want to. Like I said, please give Philadelphia the credit. Those didn’t happen just because we laid the ball on the ground. They forced those takeaways. So the lessons will be there for us. It hurts tonight. It stings as it should, and I’m certain we’ll learn some from them.”