Monday, the Washington Commanders fell to the San Francisco 49ers 23-17, marking the second week in a row they’ve squandered a late-game opportunity.
The team, quarterback, and coach have received their fair share of backlash for poor time management over the past two weeks, but after Monday, ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith doesn’t see a future for one man in the organization.
“I wanna say this: It’s over for Dan Quinn; this is it,” Smith said during an episode of First Take.
Smith, alongside the First Take crew, addressed the Commanders’ struggles and the growing thought that their head coach could be replaced sooner rather than later.
“You just don’t make those kinds of mistakes; the reality is that clock management mattered. You didn’t know; you thought you had a field goal. We saw it. Then lied about it in the press conference; you know everybody and their grandmother could see he was lying. Which is brutal. When they catch you and they know you’re lying, you know you’re scurrying for cover because your job is on the line. And there’s just no question they’re losing games.”
Smith doesn’t see Quinn’s possible dismissal as solely due to the last two losses, but rather to the lack of growth from their third-year quarterback, Jayden Daniels.
“But most importantly, this speaks to the lack of development when it comes to the quarterback,” Smith added.
“If you can’t be in concert with your quarterback, how are you possibly developing him?… Somebody else evidently is handling those responsibilities instead of you, and if I’m the Commanders franchise, I’m like, ‘Why do I need a head coach that’s doing that?’ I need somebody that ingratiates himself with my star quarterback…I need somebody who’s simpatico with him. This is it; there will be a new head coach in the nation’s capital next season.”
The Commanders sit last in the NFC East at 1-4-1, and First Take analyst Chris Canty seemed to think Quinn’s job could be at risk immediately.
“We could have a new head coach within the next 24 hours, Stephen A. They’re going into their bye week,” Canty added. “This is a natural pivot point for the franchise, and they can make a statement for what is and isn’t acceptable in terms of establishing a standard with this new ownership group.”
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