FRISCO, Texas – Inside the Ford Center, Cowboys’ defensive coordinator Dan Quinn took his “hands-on” approach to the next level. During practice on Wednesday, Quinn donned a helmet to give the defensive line an accurate look at cut blocks during this week’s preparation for the Patriots.
Many coaches share a similar philosophy to Quinn but few sport a helmet during practice to demonstrate an opponent’s physical method.
“He usually wears the mitts or the arm sleeves, but today he wore the helmet to do a cut block,” linebacker Micah Parsons said. “There’s more cut blocks this week, so that’s just the type of hands-on coach he is. He’s like, ‘I want to give you the best look possible no matter what.’ My man came out with a helmet on and started diving at knees today. It just tells you what type of person and coach he is.”
A cut block is a maneuver in which an offensive lineman tackles a defensive player below his waist in an attempt to knock him down. The move is common on blitz pick-ups and is generally considered a dirty move as a cut block strikes the defensive player’s knees (injury prone area). Hence, Quinn putting on additional protective gear to physically instruct.
“He’s a warrior,” defensive end Randy Gregory remarked. “If you saw, he was kind of cutting us a little bit harder, a little bit faster than I was expecting him to. So, you really had to go out there and protect yourself also. But that’s good. He’s giving us a good look.”
Players have responded well to Quinn’s coaching style and feed off his energy. He equips his players and puts them in the best position to succeed on Sundays. The physicality that was lacking in last year’s squad has materialized under Quinn’s tutelage. He preaches relentless pursuit of the ball and week-in and week-out, his influence is showing up in the unit’s production. The influx of talent/speed on defense, combined with Quinn’s leadership, have transformed the Cowboys’ defense from a liability in Mike Nolan’s 2020 experiment to becoming legitimate contenders through five games.
Previously, Quinn led the formidable “Legion of Boom” Seattle defense and then spent six seasons as the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. He led the team to a Super Bowl and was fired midway through the 2020 season after an 0-5 start. Quinn spent the sabbatical away from football evaluating his scheme. He looked at the evolution of offenses and asked himself, “does what I do still work?”
Quinn made some changes, and the result is coming to fruition on the gridiron. Instead of his prototypical 4-3 front and Cover 3 on the back end, fans are viewing multiple fronts and more man coverage in the secondary to combat offenses. Whether it is lining up rookie Micah Parsons as a defensive end to collapse the pocket or rotating Randy Gregory inside to generate pressure in certain packages, Quinn is maximizing the versatility of the players he has on the roster. Players have bought in and despite a limited sample size in 2021, this defense has garnered well-deserved recognition around the league. More impressively, the defense has only scratched the surface.
