00:00Now, before we get out to the phones, before we go any further,
00:04Dan Quinn met with the media via teleconference earlier today.
00:08I listened to it twice.
00:10And, you know, among other things, one particular thing, I don't know,
00:17stood out for whatever reason it did.
00:20And I wanted to bring that up, play it, and then get into a discussion about it.
00:27So here's Dan Quinn with Scott Abraham of ABC7,
00:31and I thought what was an interesting exchange that maybe we could have a conversation about.
00:36You know, that word belief, Coach, I mean, what gives you the belief that they can make a run here
00:42and there's still hope in the season of, listen, a couple games here you can make a run at the
00:46division?
00:47Yeah, I think, one, like you have to demonstrate it, you know, but belief is really powerful.
00:52You know that, Scott, you've heard me talk about it.
00:53So I'm more powerful than even knowing, but knowing that you're capable of doing these things.
00:58And so my belief in them as a group is really strong.
01:02I've seen the practice habits, and that's why knowing that we've been in every game
01:07and just haven't loved all four quarters together, that's what we're chasing,
01:11and that's what I'm certain we're going to get after.
01:14And when we do that, beginning this week, Scott, I think that will really show, like, what we're made of
01:22and why we can be an excellent football team.
01:24But it'll take the whole thing.
01:25It'll take the whole time, like, knowing this stretch of two division and conference games, you know,
01:30on a Thursday night, like, it'll test us, but we're ready for it.
01:35We're ready for it.
01:36That's what he says.
01:38You know, that's what we're certain about, that essentially we're going to get the answers
01:44as to why we're dead on arrival in San Francisco after a week of saying how much their screws are
01:54going to be on
01:55and how, you know, serious they are and how good they are and how blah, blah, all this stuff.
02:04And Dan Quinn keeps talking about finding a way to play four quarters, finding a way to be consistent,
02:12finding a way to stop beating themselves, even though they don't turn the ball over,
02:18and costing themselves games.
02:22And, you know, he uses all of these catchphrases and words, like, I'm certain of it.
02:27You know, I see the practice habits.
02:31Well, how many times have we, just on this show, said practice is way different than games?
02:40And practice should not qualify, should not equal games.
02:46I mean, we talk about it nonstop in August and late July.
02:52And yet, coaches, probably because they're afraid of mutiny, they don't run their guys through a wall
03:02and really test them.
03:05And sometimes you get all sorts of different results, right?
03:11Sometimes teams are really good in the first half, really bad in the second half,
03:17really bad in the first half, really good in the second half.
03:20Some teams, like the Jets and Dopey Aaron Glenn, are terrible in the last two minutes of the first half.
03:26But not too bad elsewhere.
03:30My point being is, you never really know where you're going to struggle.
03:38But, when you know where you're struggling, you have to put an emphasis on that.
03:47And you can't sit here and go, I know because of their practice habits that they're going to fix this.
03:54They're going to get this.
03:56And that's essentially, make no mistake about it, that's what Dan Quinn is saying.
04:00With different words, but that's what he's saying.
04:02That's the message he's saying.
04:03I know we're going to get this right.
04:06We've got a tough stretch here in the conference, in the division.
04:11Two out of three in the division.
04:15Coming up, Eagles Sunday night.
04:17By the way, they didn't flex that game for whatever reason.
04:22Then, the Rams conference, and then the Giants on a short week at New Jersey.
04:31The Commanders, as you probably know, have been outscored 26-25 in the first quarter of games so far this
04:40year.
04:41Right there.
04:4348-32 in the second quarter.
04:47So, that's a 16-point difference.
04:49It's 43-31 after halftime in the third quarter, when all of you guys think that they changed the entire
04:57game plan.
04:59So, that's 16 in the second quarter, 12 in the third quarter, and then by 11 in the fourth quarter.
05:0755-44.
05:09So, again, 11 in the fourth quarter, 12 in the third quarter.
05:15That's 23 points cumulatively in the second half, and then 16 points the differential in quarter two.
05:27So, when we look, and they're negative 40-point differential, 172 to 132.
05:33The question that I would have, Dan Quinn seems awfully confident in a team that has given you absolutely no
05:42reason to believe that they can be consistent,
05:46that they can have their screws tightened from minute one until the last gun.
05:56Whether that's a 60-minute game or a 70-minute game.
05:59They have shown you absolutely no ability to do that.
06:04Even the one game they won was not that.
06:09They won that game because, well, there was, I mean, they created some of them, but there was some costly
06:16turnovers by Seattle.
06:19I would say certainly they played their most consistent game that day, but it's not like they were great or
06:29really sharp that day.
06:33I think they were the beneficiaries of some lucky breaks, which a lot of times they're not.
06:40We can argue that's semantics.
06:43It doesn't matter.
06:44We know the first three quarters against Philadelphia, they sucked.
06:48The first half against Dallas, they were good.
06:51Jaden gets hurt.
06:52The second half, they're awful.
06:55Seattle, we just talked about that.
06:58Indianapolis in London, first quarter, they were great.
07:01Last three quarters, they sucked for the most part.
07:06Against the Giants, first half and change, great.
07:11Then, the second half and overtime, they sucked.
07:16Against the San Francisco 49ers, they didn't even get off the bus for the first half.
07:23And then they were pretty darn good in the second half.
07:26So what is he seeing?
07:29What does he know that makes him know that they're going to be much better and much more consistent?
07:41Because, wait a second, he's citing the practice habits and the character of the men.
07:47Well, same guys.
07:49It's the same practice habits that we've seen.
07:53They haven't translated to anything.
07:55As a matter of fact, they've shed more light on the fact, quite honestly,
08:01which is what I kind of believe, that there's a loosey-goosey soft culture there.
08:06It's too comfortable.
08:09It's not that they don't take football seriously.
08:12They don't take it seriously enough, in my opinion.
08:20It's that.
08:22It's too, eh, bro, eh, you know, brotherhood, eh, all this.
08:26It's great.
08:29That's great.
08:30But you've got to put, like, some work in.
08:33You've got to grind the knuckles a little bit.
08:36You've got to play with your hair on fire.
08:38When was the last time the commanders played with their hair on fire for anything more than,
08:45I don't know, a five or seven or eight-minute stretch?
08:49And play with your hair on fire is different than playing fine or competing.
08:57Every team competes for a stretch.
09:00Which, it's what you do over 60, or in their case, 70 sometimes.
09:08That's what I'm looking for.
09:10That's what Dan Quinn says we've got to see.
09:13That's what he believes is absolutely coming.
09:18And I just ask, why?
09:21What signs have they shown you?
09:24He says, well, I know how they practice.
09:27Well, they've been practicing the same way.
09:30Every week we hear they had a great week of practice.
09:33Really impressed by the guys and how mentally tough and resilient they are.
09:39Are they?
09:40I mean, I guess they are to some degree.
09:44They could have packed up shop last Monday night in San Francisco
09:48after getting dominated in the first half.
09:51They did not.
09:52But to me, resilience, mental toughness, guys that want it bad,
09:59don't show up and get freight trained in the first half.
10:06Now, you could say that's sports.
10:09Yes, I understand that.
10:12Sometimes that's going to be sports.
10:15All the time?
10:17Whether it's the first half, the second half, and overtime,
10:20like it was the week before that,
10:23or the last three quarters, like it was against Indianapolis,
10:26or the last half against Dallas,
10:28or the first three quarters.
10:30It's been a little bit from column A and a little bit from column B,
10:33and all it's equaled is C.
10:36Crap!
10:39That's what it's equaled.
10:41You can cut that up, Anthony.
10:45My point being is, right, like they're not terrible for 60 minutes.
10:51They haven't played a terrible game for 60 minutes.
10:55They haven't played a good game for 60 minutes.
10:58Again, Seattle would be the closest thing,
11:01and I think, quite honestly, there was some good fortune there.
11:05There was some situations there.
11:08Remember, they won that game without the Messiah.
11:15The point being is, why would anybody believe
11:19what Dan Quinn just said in that long soundbite?
11:23Why would anybody, when Scott Abraham says,
11:27hey, man, you know, belief is a strong word,
11:29or whatever Scott asked.
11:31And Dan Quinn goes, you know, I know.
11:34I, man, I know.
11:36These guys are tough.
11:37These guys are resilient.
11:39These guys, you know, they don't back down.
11:42Great!
11:43They don't back down.
11:44Except for, I guess, in the Giants game,
11:46and maybe the Dallas game.
11:50But great!
11:51They don't back down.
11:52I need them to show up!
11:55I can't have road games in Philadelphia and the Bay Area
11:58where they don't show up for multiple quarters.
12:02That's the problem.
12:04So I don't believe any of it.
12:06I gotta be honest with you.
12:08I think it's just words to say.
12:10Because Dan Quinn knows that if he just talks,
12:14people will go, oh, that's great.
12:16They're trying really hard.
12:17We're trying really hard.
12:19Just like Aaron Glenn is trying really hard.
12:21I get it that you're trying hard.
12:23Are you trying hard enough?
12:26Do you know how to fix it?
12:28Do you know how to get the message across
12:31without killing anybody?
12:36Do you know how to permanently ingrain it
12:38so that they don't go out and do the same thing
12:42or a similar thing the next week?
12:45Oh, wait a second.
12:46That didn't happen either.
12:48So why would anybody believe any of this stuff?
12:51Is my question.
12:53I don't.
12:54What about you?
12:56Do you believe that the commanders
13:00are this resilient, tough,
13:04steely-minded,
13:09galvanized group
13:10that Dan Quinn seems to think they are
13:12and that they're going to come out
13:15and stomp a mud hole
13:16on Philadelphia's ass Sunday night?
13:20And maybe they do.
13:22And for one week, all will be great.
13:25Now, we should also remember
13:27Philadelphia does not have Jalen Hurts.
13:29And at least for tonight,
13:31they don't have Devontae Smith
13:33and Dontavian Wicks
13:34and they might not have Saquon Barkley
13:36and their offensive line is still in shambles.
13:39But maybe they will
13:40for one night.
13:42Doesn't mean
13:43you're going to get anything close to that
13:45the next week against the Rams
13:47or on a short week
13:48the next game
13:49against the Giants.
13:51And nobody's asking for 100% consistency
13:55as we talked about
13:56at the end of
13:57the first hour
13:58with refereeing.
14:00Nobody's asking for 100% consistency.
14:02Everyone understands
14:04this game is coached
14:05and played by human beings.
14:07But can we get
14:09better than
14:10DOA?
14:13Or
14:14can we get better than
14:17folding like a cheap suit
14:19in the second half
14:21to Jameis Winston?
14:24Who's benched, by the way,
14:26the next week.
14:27Benched.
14:29Can we get better than that?
14:30Is that too much to ask?
14:33I don't think so.
