The Denver Broncos seem poised to want to hire Dan Quinn to be the team’s next head coach, and Broncos Country needs to give him a chance.
As it stands right now, the Denver Broncos seem to be on a path to hire Dan Quinn to be the team’s next head coach.
If this holds true, the Broncos will then have hired three consecutive defensive-minded head coaches. While it’s obvious that the first two did not work out, that does not mean Quinn won’t.
If and maybe when Quinn is hired, Broncos Country needs to give the man a fair shot, and here’s why.
Dan Quinn is beloved as a coordinator and head coach. Quinn has been able to build meaningful relationships during his last two coaching stints as the Falcons head coach and Cowboys defensive coordinator.
In fact, rookie sensation Micah Parsons has great things to say about his coordinator. Quinn is seen as a true leader of men, which is a phrase that was thrown around when Vance Joseph was first hired before the 2017 season.
Here’s the problem: Joseph was a bad defensive coordinator with the Dolphins and didn’t have nearly the coaching experience that Quinn currently has.
That was Joseph’s first head coaching job, and he’s likely to land another one down the road.
Dan Quinn’s first head coaching stop was largely a great success. He led the Falcons to the Super Bowl in his second season and finished his tenure with a winning record.
Furthermore, most head coach “retreads” often do better their second time around than their first.
Dan Quinn has been unfairly criticized by many in Broncos Country as being “another defensive guy,” and while I do hope we hire an offensive coach, to pretend Quinn isn’t a good coach, or just another defensive guy, is ridiculous.
I thought of an analogy on my drive to work this morning to further describe Quinn
I have seen a few people call Quinn “Fangio 2.0.” I don’t really understand what these people are trying to do, as it makes absolutely zero sense.
Fangio’s first head coaching job was with the Denver Broncos. It was also clear that while Fangio was an excellent defensive mind who squeezed all of the talent out of the defense, his leadership skills and accountability were lacking quite a bit.
While Dan Quinn isn’t as defensively sharp as Fangio, his leadership and accountability traits are much, much better.
Here’s the analogy for you:
Vic Fangio was that one student in high school who always earned a 4.0 GPA. He aced every test and never missed a day of school. However, that was it. He wasn’t involved in any extracurricular activities or any sports. All he did was schoolwork, and he didn’t get out much.
We’ve all seen these people throughout our lives.
Dan Quinn was that one student in high school who wasn’t the smartest. Maybe he earned a 3.2 GPA, ranked right in the middle of his class, but was heavily involved in clubs, activities, and had a great social life. People loved Quinn. He had a ton of friends and did things the right way. No one really had anything bad to say about him.
This is the key difference between Fangio and Quinn. While the defensive might suffer a drop-off since Fangio is no longer in the house, Quinn’s excellent leadership qualities will make him a much better head coach than Vic Fangio.
Another key piece to mention is that many across the NFL see good head coaches as being more of a CEO type, instead of having a specific acumen on one side of the ball. This is why Jim Caldwell is so respected around the league.
Denver Broncos 6 offensive coordinators that could come with Dan Quinn
If the Denver Broncos wind up hiring odds-on favorite Dan Quinn as the team's new head coach, who will they hire as offensive coordinator?
The Denver Broncos will be fine. While Dan Quinn isn’t a grand slam hire, he’s still a home run.