WEBVTT - Building a Winning Culture in Washington | The Gameplan with Dan Quinn | Washington Commanders | NFL 0:00:00.200 --> 0:00:02.520 Welcome in Command his Family to a new season of 0:00:02.560 --> 0:00:04.480 the game Plan. We sit with head coach Dan Quinn 0:00:04.519 --> 0:00:06.440 and talk to him all about his off season and 0:00:06.440 --> 0:00:08.600 how he made that initial the three man roster. Dan 0:00:08.680 --> 0:00:11.320 Quinn talked about his time with Logan Paulson and what 0:00:11.360 --> 0:00:13.960 he's learned from his time as a head coach. All 0:00:13.960 --> 0:00:21.279 that and more starts right now. Welcome into the game 0:00:21.280 --> 0:00:23.440 Plan Command his Family. I am Brian Copy Junior, here 0:00:23.440 --> 0:00:26.480 with the legend Logan Paulson and of course our fearless leader, 0:00:26.680 --> 0:00:29.360 head coach Dan Quinn. Coach, good to have you here. 0:00:29.400 --> 0:00:31.600 Yeah, I'm pumped to be on with you guys. And yeah, 0:00:31.640 --> 0:00:33.240 to be a cool show. Man, I'm really really pumped 0:00:33.240 --> 0:00:33.720 to be here with you. 0:00:33.840 --> 0:00:35.239 We're so excited to have you and this is our 0:00:35.240 --> 0:00:36.919 initial show. No, we got to do some intros, right, 0:00:37.040 --> 0:00:38.640 I mean, people know who you are, but this is 0:00:38.640 --> 0:00:39.560 your return to the DMV. 0:00:39.800 --> 0:00:39.959 Right. 0:00:40.000 --> 0:00:40.519 How has it been. 0:00:40.880 --> 0:00:43.920 It's been awesome, man, Honestly, the whole experience of coming 0:00:43.960 --> 0:00:47.279 back to this area, getting to know the fan base here, 0:00:47.400 --> 0:00:50.400 getting to know the people, the team, and that's been 0:00:50.440 --> 0:00:53.360 one of the coolest experiences man. Like, my favorite part 0:00:53.400 --> 0:00:55.680 of this team is the team. All these guys, what 0:00:56.000 --> 0:00:58.880 they make up the locker room. It's a really cool 0:00:58.880 --> 0:00:59.360 group of guys. 0:00:59.360 --> 0:01:01.560 Man, I'm having a I'm glad you're able to enjoy 0:01:01.600 --> 0:01:03.279 it because there's a lot of toughness right with being 0:01:03.280 --> 0:01:04.560 in a new team. And one of the things we 0:01:04.640 --> 0:01:07.360 last talked about was building that cohesiveness not only with 0:01:07.400 --> 0:01:09.520 Adam Peters, but the rest of your staff. How was 0:01:09.560 --> 0:01:10.240 that process, man? 0:01:10.360 --> 0:01:13.559 You know that part is it's so important because they 0:01:13.560 --> 0:01:16.640 have to know the man before the ballplayer. And so 0:01:16.800 --> 0:01:19.360 you're going through the off season program, new players here, 0:01:19.440 --> 0:01:21.960 current players here. Before we got into the X and o's, 0:01:22.000 --> 0:01:24.040 we wanted to make sure we got to know who, 0:01:24.520 --> 0:01:27.000 you know, behind the ribcage, who was the person. And 0:01:27.280 --> 0:01:28.880 then we did the same thing with the rookies and 0:01:28.920 --> 0:01:32.240 to see the veterans really take on, you know, the 0:01:32.319 --> 0:01:34.760 young guys. We had, you know, twenty rookies that were here, 0:01:34.800 --> 0:01:37.440 and so to see them they were not our pledges, 0:01:37.520 --> 0:01:39.960 their little brothers, and so to make sure they were 0:01:39.959 --> 0:01:42.600 going to help them gain their way into the NFL 0:01:42.640 --> 0:01:45.240 and earn that respect. And so it's a very cool 0:01:45.240 --> 0:01:47.480 place if you are a young player to come in 0:01:47.520 --> 0:01:49.640 because You've got some really cool mentors that are looking 0:01:49.680 --> 0:01:50.520 after you. Coach. 0:01:50.520 --> 0:01:52.080 I always think it's interesting when you build a staff 0:01:52.080 --> 0:01:53.480 because you got people from all over the place. You 0:01:53.520 --> 0:01:55.640 got guys from Philly, from New York, like do you 0:01:55.680 --> 0:01:57.640 have like a rolodex and names You're like, oh, let's 0:01:57.640 --> 0:01:59.919 go call so and Sorrows or people referring you people. 0:02:00.240 --> 0:02:02.920 You know what. I was fortunate, Logan, I had some time, 0:02:03.080 --> 0:02:05.600 you know, to prepare for this, and so over the 0:02:05.640 --> 0:02:08.639 last few years, had a chance to visit with some people. 0:02:09.320 --> 0:02:12.680 If an opportunity, you know, that really would light us up, 0:02:12.960 --> 0:02:14.640 that this would be something we'd want to do. So 0:02:15.040 --> 0:02:18.239 guys like Brian Johnson and Anthony Lynn and Jason Simmons, 0:02:18.560 --> 0:02:22.440 Darryl Tapp were ones that it just if that if 0:02:22.480 --> 0:02:24.760 it all lined up, you know, would there be a shot. 0:02:24.919 --> 0:02:27.079 And so what was really cool is see how many 0:02:27.080 --> 0:02:29.360 people wanted to be here. They saw the same vision 0:02:29.400 --> 0:02:32.079 that I had about what it can be here and 0:02:32.360 --> 0:02:35.000 how we would go about doing that. And so that 0:02:35.120 --> 0:02:37.680 was that was like one of the most gratifying feeling, 0:02:37.680 --> 0:02:39.120 you know, like they want in, they want a part 0:02:39.160 --> 0:02:39.360 of it. 0:02:39.600 --> 0:02:41.840 And Coach has been a busy offseason So I got 0:02:41.880 --> 0:02:43.720 a really tough question for you. Sure, what has been 0:02:43.720 --> 0:02:46.760 your favorite part so far of this entire process? 0:02:46.880 --> 0:02:51.919 Man, that's a cool one because like being introduced here 0:02:52.040 --> 0:02:54.480 was a really cool thing, you know, because you reflect 0:02:54.600 --> 0:02:57.639 back about like why this game means so much, why 0:02:57.680 --> 0:03:00.000 you love it so much, and so, uh, you didn't 0:03:00.120 --> 0:03:02.480 get here, you know, into this seat on your own. 0:03:02.560 --> 0:03:05.000 So I think I probably had more gratitude for the 0:03:05.040 --> 0:03:08.400 opportunity of coming into it than I did, you know, 0:03:08.520 --> 0:03:11.320 my first lap in Atlanta. As far as the coolest part, 0:03:12.800 --> 0:03:16.600 I would probably have to say like at practice, like 0:03:16.680 --> 0:03:19.840 first practice, you know, just knowing like this crew is 0:03:19.840 --> 0:03:21.360 going to be the one that you know is going 0:03:21.400 --> 0:03:23.800 to do some things. These ones are my day ones, 0:03:24.280 --> 0:03:26.959 and so being here with those guys like that was 0:03:27.000 --> 0:03:28.960 the coolest part. Like this is where we start. 0:03:29.480 --> 0:03:30.959 I never really thought about that, but it's got to 0:03:31.000 --> 0:03:33.080 feel like like your dad for the first time with 0:03:33.120 --> 0:03:35.280 your kind of little little little chicks running around on 0:03:35.280 --> 0:03:37.120 the field, right, And like I never really thought of 0:03:37.120 --> 0:03:39.480 that emotional kind of impact of that first day. 0:03:39.560 --> 0:03:43.119 And that's what makes you know, the waiver process so difficult, 0:03:43.320 --> 0:03:47.240 because you pour all yourself into everybody to try to 0:03:47.280 --> 0:03:49.880 get everything you can out and it. You know, just 0:03:50.000 --> 0:03:52.080 numbers don't line up where you get to keep everybody. 0:03:52.080 --> 0:03:56.320 But that doesn't prohibit you from like absolutely digging and 0:03:56.360 --> 0:03:59.640 going for it, because there's a lot of belief that 0:03:59.640 --> 0:04:03.520 app has to feel from his coach and knowing that, 0:04:03.600 --> 0:04:05.520 like this guy believes in me, he's going to take 0:04:05.560 --> 0:04:08.320 me to that next spot. And if a player knows 0:04:08.360 --> 0:04:10.440 he has that kind of belief, he can go to 0:04:10.600 --> 0:04:12.440 further heights. And if we can do that on a 0:04:12.480 --> 0:04:16.400 bigger scale with these coaches, then there's no limit to 0:04:16.440 --> 0:04:17.640 what a team can become. 0:04:17.760 --> 0:04:19.440 And close Before move to preseason, I have to ask 0:04:19.440 --> 0:04:21.560 you a follow up because you said that this time 0:04:21.600 --> 0:04:23.599 around was a little different than that time around Atlanta. 0:04:23.640 --> 0:04:25.039 Can you expand on that and why was it so 0:04:25.080 --> 0:04:26.880 different for you and why was it important for it 0:04:26.960 --> 0:04:27.960 to feel different this time? 0:04:28.040 --> 0:04:30.240 Yeah, I think you know, you don't get a lot 0:04:30.240 --> 0:04:32.960 of shots at these and so leaving Atlanta, there were 0:04:33.000 --> 0:04:35.040 some things I wanted to do differently, you know, if 0:04:35.040 --> 0:04:37.440 this next opportunity came about, and I was looking for 0:04:37.680 --> 0:04:40.240 something so specific to know where you could just go 0:04:40.320 --> 0:04:42.960 kick ass at the highest level. And so the ownership 0:04:43.000 --> 0:04:46.880 group of Josh general manager with AP what you can 0:04:46.960 --> 0:04:49.880 do you know here, knowing like this is a kick 0:04:49.920 --> 0:04:54.160 ass organization, and like knowing how important the football team 0:04:54.279 --> 0:04:57.160 is to this community. Like, that's the type of environment 0:04:57.200 --> 0:04:59.240 I wanted to be a part of, where you feel 0:04:59.320 --> 0:05:02.200 the team and the city connect. And so those were 0:05:02.200 --> 0:05:03.920 some of the markers that I wanted. And I wasn't 0:05:04.000 --> 0:05:06.480 going to miss it, you know, when the opportunity came about, 0:05:06.520 --> 0:05:07.160 I just wasn't. 0:05:07.520 --> 0:05:09.440 I've always wondered coach, like, and this is something I'll 0:05:09.440 --> 0:05:10.800 never have the opportunity to So it's cool to be 0:05:10.839 --> 0:05:12.640 able to ask you about it. Is how do you 0:05:12.720 --> 0:05:14.400 know when you sit down with an honor these are 0:05:14.400 --> 0:05:16.320 some of the most smartest and most powerful people in 0:05:16.360 --> 0:05:18.520 the world, and you know you like football and I 0:05:18.560 --> 0:05:20.320 like football, But how do you kind of enter that 0:05:20.360 --> 0:05:23.240 group and say, hey, like this is the right opportunity 0:05:23.279 --> 0:05:23.520 for me. 0:05:23.680 --> 0:05:25.840 Yeah, and I think most people can probably relate to it. 0:05:25.880 --> 0:05:27.960 When you're on an interview, you're also interviewing them. 0:05:28.120 --> 0:05:28.920 Yeah, that's a good point. 0:05:29.200 --> 0:05:31.960 You want to find out, you know, what are some 0:05:32.040 --> 0:05:34.280 of their values, how do they like to communicate, what's 0:05:34.320 --> 0:05:36.839 the things that are important to them in the team, 0:05:37.360 --> 0:05:40.000 and so when you're there, that's how you can find 0:05:40.040 --> 0:05:44.200 out some of the information. Although our professional paths might 0:05:44.240 --> 0:05:46.760 be different, that doesn't mean you can't be connected in 0:05:46.839 --> 0:05:50.840 similar value, similar philosophies of winning and building a team 0:05:50.960 --> 0:05:53.960 and things that are important to me. So for me, 0:05:54.160 --> 0:05:56.960 I wanted somebody that believed in culture and believed in 0:05:57.000 --> 0:05:59.840 communication and believed in team. Those were the things that 0:06:00.279 --> 0:06:03.560 make me as a coach, you know, fill me up. 0:06:03.920 --> 0:06:07.479 And so when all that was aligned here, that was 0:06:07.560 --> 0:06:09.640 why I was like, this is the spot. This is 0:06:09.680 --> 0:06:12.200 the one that I'm going forward with all I got. 0:06:12.360 --> 0:06:14.599 And after you make these decisions, you go through that process, 0:06:14.640 --> 0:06:17.120 get your coaching staff together. Yeah, that's time to play ball. Now, 0:06:17.200 --> 0:06:20.200 what's into the preseason? First things First, first time being 0:06:20.240 --> 0:06:22.280 back in the preseason as a head coach, what' stood 0:06:22.279 --> 0:06:23.440 out to you most during that time? 0:06:24.800 --> 0:06:26.920 It was cool, Like we had two road trips together. 0:06:27.080 --> 0:06:29.839 We went to New Jersey for four days and we 0:06:29.920 --> 0:06:32.200 went to Miami for four days, had a practice and 0:06:32.240 --> 0:06:36.240 a game. A practice and a game. So in those moments, 0:06:36.560 --> 0:06:39.640 you know, you want to see the team connect, you know, 0:06:39.880 --> 0:06:42.160 to see how they're going to respond to another going 0:06:42.200 --> 0:06:44.800 against you. Know, playing against other people and to see 0:06:44.800 --> 0:06:48.440 how strong their bond is. And they've been competing against 0:06:48.640 --> 0:06:50.599 one another for so long, so let's see how it 0:06:50.640 --> 0:06:53.120 goes when we go up to New Jersey or down 0:06:53.160 --> 0:06:55.960 to Miami. And so they just they wouldn't back off. 0:06:56.000 --> 0:06:59.720 They were competing, and having those four days together away 0:06:59.760 --> 0:07:03.719 from here, I thought was really valuable for us. I 0:07:03.839 --> 0:07:06.680 trust these guys, you know, and I trust them on 0:07:06.800 --> 0:07:09.280 and off the field. And so not every team can 0:07:09.360 --> 0:07:10.840 say that, you know, you take a trip down to 0:07:10.840 --> 0:07:13.679 Miami for four days or in New York for four days, 0:07:13.720 --> 0:07:15.960 you know, I mean on the team, maybe we shouldn't 0:07:15.960 --> 0:07:20.440 do that, but I would say you could tell how 0:07:20.440 --> 0:07:22.920 important it is to this crew and their standards they 0:07:22.920 --> 0:07:25.880 have for one another. And those are the things that 0:07:25.880 --> 0:07:26.720 that stand out to me. 0:07:27.040 --> 0:07:29.240 You talked about connection, like that's something that as a 0:07:29.240 --> 0:07:31.239 player you can feel, but it's like as a coach, 0:07:31.400 --> 0:07:33.640 like how do you identify You mentioned the competition, You 0:07:33.680 --> 0:07:35.800 mentioned stuff like that, is it the guy's cutting up 0:07:35.800 --> 0:07:37.600 in the locker room? Is it the sideline? Like what 0:07:37.680 --> 0:07:39.480 are the things or is it all of the above. 0:07:39.480 --> 0:07:41.200 They kind of say, this team's really hit it on 0:07:41.240 --> 0:07:42.320 the way the way you want to hit it. 0:07:42.360 --> 0:07:45.600 I think the biggest marker logan is player to player, 0:07:46.200 --> 0:07:49.040 you know, and you know, how does the team act 0:07:49.120 --> 0:07:53.160 and respond when we're not with the coaches and what 0:07:53.200 --> 0:07:57.160 does that look like? And so to see their time together, 0:07:58.160 --> 0:08:00.200 I think I probably noticed it, you know, for first 0:08:00.240 --> 0:08:01.880 in a maybe it was an O TA or a 0:08:01.880 --> 0:08:04.480 mini camp and okay, the day ends at this time 0:08:04.520 --> 0:08:08.160 at one o'clock and they're just hanging out, still doing 0:08:08.200 --> 0:08:10.280 stuff together at you know, three thirty or four in 0:08:10.280 --> 0:08:12.160 the afternoon, the one A coaches there, they were just 0:08:12.280 --> 0:08:15.520 doing their thing together. So what excited me probably about 0:08:15.560 --> 0:08:19.560 the Miami game and the New England game was the 0:08:19.680 --> 0:08:23.000 energy on the sideline for player to player, you know, 0:08:23.080 --> 0:08:25.520 to see the plays that happened. I saw John Allen 0:08:25.720 --> 0:08:28.160 running down the field on a big hit you know 0:08:28.240 --> 0:08:30.800 from Tyler Owens that you know, slap them in the 0:08:30.800 --> 0:08:32.280 head and say you did a hell of a job. 0:08:32.320 --> 0:08:35.440 And then you know, on the sideline the other night, 0:08:36.440 --> 0:08:38.320 on a touchdown play at the end of the game, 0:08:38.440 --> 0:08:40.040 just you know, we would have got a penalty. There's 0:08:40.120 --> 0:08:43.440 like fifty players like you know, T shirts and shorts 0:08:43.480 --> 0:08:47.079 like in the end zone. But I would say, that's 0:08:47.080 --> 0:08:49.000 what I'd hoped I'd see, you know, that type of 0:08:49.000 --> 0:08:52.719 connection where their brothers were making plays and they were 0:08:52.720 --> 0:08:56.160 excited about it. Because if you don't have that all 0:08:56.160 --> 0:08:58.719 your scheme and the other stuff it's it makes it 0:08:58.760 --> 0:09:01.240 a lot harder. So the first thing you have to do, man, 0:09:01.280 --> 0:09:03.640 you have to play hard for one another. And so 0:09:03.720 --> 0:09:06.439 seeing those guys do that was cool because they were 0:09:06.480 --> 0:09:09.679 expressing to their teammates how hard they're willing to go 0:09:10.120 --> 0:09:11.160 to be a part of this. 0:09:11.520 --> 0:09:13.640 And Coach, you hit on some of those beautiful things 0:09:13.679 --> 0:09:16.000 about preseason and why we love it so much. Yes, 0:09:16.120 --> 0:09:17.880 but there's a lot of tough decisions that go into 0:09:17.920 --> 0:09:20.080 that preseason as it comes to an end, and you 0:09:20.160 --> 0:09:22.439 had to set on a fifty three man roster. Talk 0:09:22.440 --> 0:09:24.360 to us about that evaluation process and what you were 0:09:24.400 --> 0:09:26.600 looking for in the preseason to make that final decision. 0:09:26.679 --> 0:09:28.840 Yeah, I think as you're going through some things, you 0:09:28.880 --> 0:09:31.880 want to make sure that you have an identity, you know, 0:09:32.000 --> 0:09:34.840 so people know who you are, how you get down 0:09:34.840 --> 0:09:37.560 when you play, and you have to have a certain 0:09:38.040 --> 0:09:40.959 attitude and play style to do that. And so before 0:09:41.000 --> 0:09:44.320 any scheme comes in, we had said, you know, being 0:09:44.360 --> 0:09:46.679 a commander ain't gonna be for everybody. You know, it's 0:09:46.720 --> 0:09:49.199 gonna be hard. We're gonna be tough, and that doesn't 0:09:49.240 --> 0:09:51.320 mean you can't play in the league, but like, we 0:09:51.360 --> 0:09:53.680 are going to be about that life and be tough 0:09:53.720 --> 0:09:56.640 and physical and play fast. And so the guys that 0:09:56.720 --> 0:09:59.360 wanted to demonstrate that and show that over and over, 0:10:00.120 --> 0:10:02.360 that's that was really at the top of the pile. 0:10:02.960 --> 0:10:06.120 The skill sets. You're always developing that, Brian, You're always 0:10:06.120 --> 0:10:09.000 you're always continuing to work on that, and that kind 0:10:09.000 --> 0:10:11.240 of shows up in the tape where a player is, 0:10:11.480 --> 0:10:14.600 you know, in their development. But if you have the 0:10:14.720 --> 0:10:17.040 dog in you to go fight for it and battle 0:10:17.080 --> 0:10:18.959 for it, you can develop a hell of a lot 0:10:19.000 --> 0:10:21.800 faster because you're not gonna You're not going to stop. 0:10:21.960 --> 0:10:23.839 And so those were the traits that we were looking 0:10:23.840 --> 0:10:26.760 for going into the end of the preseason. Adam and 0:10:26.840 --> 0:10:29.720 I like it never really stopped. So it's not like 0:10:30.320 --> 0:10:32.280 two nights ago we had to come up with a 0:10:32.360 --> 0:10:35.360 list what are we gonna do now? So it's been 0:10:35.480 --> 0:10:38.560 moving that way of who we would like to you know, 0:10:38.679 --> 0:10:41.800 have represent us in the city and what we're about. 0:10:41.920 --> 0:10:45.920 And so that was a long ongoing conversation. 0:10:46.320 --> 0:10:46.960 Is that hard to do? 0:10:47.080 --> 0:10:47.320 Coach? 0:10:47.440 --> 0:10:48.960 Is that hard to kind of say, like we want 0:10:48.960 --> 0:10:53.240 to prioritize like toughness and competitiveness over maybe physical skill. 0:10:53.280 --> 0:10:54.600 You know, I have been on some teams where it 0:10:54.640 --> 0:10:57.160 hasn't been it's been more physical skill and the culture 0:10:57.200 --> 0:10:58.960 kind of wanes. Is that hard for you or is 0:10:58.960 --> 0:11:00.000 that is that the right way to do it? 0:11:00.120 --> 0:11:01.960 I think you have to go through the lessons to 0:11:02.080 --> 0:11:04.120 know that. And I don't know about you, Logan, but 0:11:04.120 --> 0:11:06.480 the best teams I've been a part of were really 0:11:06.559 --> 0:11:10.520 tough and really good in the locker room first. And 0:11:10.559 --> 0:11:13.079 so when you had those two things and they're really tough, 0:11:13.120 --> 0:11:15.000 really good in the locker room, you'd be surprised what 0:11:15.080 --> 0:11:17.240 a team can accomplish, you know, because they're just not 0:11:17.280 --> 0:11:19.440 going to stop, they're not going to beat themselves, and 0:11:19.480 --> 0:11:22.120 so that connection happens. They really don't want to let 0:11:22.160 --> 0:11:24.600 the other guy down if there's not a connection, like 0:11:24.760 --> 0:11:27.280 not my fault, I did my job, but you'll you know, 0:11:27.360 --> 0:11:29.120 So we don't want that part, you know, we want 0:11:29.160 --> 0:11:30.760 to make sure guys are all about it. And so 0:11:30.840 --> 0:11:31.439 it's cool to see. 0:11:31.480 --> 0:11:33.000 I think you see that around league too, like San 0:11:33.040 --> 0:11:35.800 fran Detroit. All these teams that are good football teams 0:11:35.840 --> 0:11:37.920 are tough as nails, and like that seems like the 0:11:37.960 --> 0:11:38.440 model together. 0:11:38.960 --> 0:11:42.160 It's way deeper than collecting talent, you know, way deeper 0:11:42.160 --> 0:11:45.640 than that. It's about putting an entire team together, and 0:11:46.960 --> 0:11:49.720 at times some people have to go to make sure 0:11:49.840 --> 0:11:52.920 the whole team is right. And those are the hard decisions, 0:11:52.920 --> 0:11:55.600 but ones that we're always going to make, like we're 0:11:55.600 --> 0:11:58.280 always going to choose the team, like that's that's our obligation, 0:11:58.760 --> 0:12:01.280 you know, to the organization, to the fans and everybody else. 0:12:01.600 --> 0:12:03.200 And a big part of building that team, of course 0:12:03.320 --> 0:12:05.840 is the rookies. Got a rookie quarterback in Jaden and Daniels. 0:12:05.960 --> 0:12:08.360 A little easier for a quarterback to stand out into preseason, right, 0:12:08.440 --> 0:12:10.400 but for these other rookies, what are things you're looking 0:12:10.400 --> 0:12:12.920 for that makes a rookie standout trying to make this roster. 0:12:13.360 --> 0:12:17.160 I think there's an element that you need confidence for sure, 0:12:17.440 --> 0:12:21.440 and that comes from reps and from playing. And when 0:12:21.440 --> 0:12:23.840 you see that play happen'd like to see more of that? 0:12:23.880 --> 0:12:26.400 Can we get some more? And when you show that again, 0:12:26.480 --> 0:12:30.079 now you're demonstrating what you're capable of becoming what you're 0:12:30.120 --> 0:12:34.760 capable of doing. And sometimes coming out of college, sometimes 0:12:34.800 --> 0:12:36.400 most of the time a player doesn't even have a 0:12:36.480 --> 0:12:39.320 vision of what they can be and they think the 0:12:39.400 --> 0:12:41.200 NFL is supposed to be one thing or what it is. 0:12:41.240 --> 0:12:44.040 But like, you can do this one thing better than anybody. 0:12:44.120 --> 0:12:47.440 We can build your whole game around that. And finding 0:12:47.480 --> 0:12:50.760 what you're exceptional at is important because you can't bs 0:12:50.880 --> 0:12:54.200 yourself and you know, try things that you're not capable 0:12:54.240 --> 0:12:56.560 of becoming. But if you can find some things that 0:12:56.679 --> 0:12:59.240 like you're as good or better than anybody at, like 0:12:59.280 --> 0:13:01.120 we're going to find and how to build around that. 0:13:01.400 --> 0:13:03.240 And so there's a number of these guys that have 0:13:03.240 --> 0:13:05.640 stood out in that way. And then the second thing, 0:13:05.640 --> 0:13:08.160 I were just looking for guys who won't stop competing. 0:13:08.320 --> 0:13:10.920 You know, we're going to find an edge, go finish plays. 0:13:10.960 --> 0:13:14.560 And when you do that over and over, that's when 0:13:14.559 --> 0:13:18.160 we demonstrate it to their teammates and to everybody here. 0:13:18.600 --> 0:13:20.760 Like they're putting their chips on the table, like I 0:13:20.960 --> 0:13:23.760 want in and you have to recognize that. 0:13:24.240 --> 0:13:26.120 And that coach, like, that's something I think, like you 0:13:26.160 --> 0:13:28.439 talk about the kids kind of coming in, but like 0:13:28.480 --> 0:13:30.560 I think you've done over your career, done a good 0:13:30.600 --> 0:13:33.760 job of identifying that superpower, you know, that ability that 0:13:33.840 --> 0:13:35.960 like what the kid does well and seeing growth potential 0:13:36.080 --> 0:13:38.920 like is that just experience like life experience or did 0:13:38.920 --> 0:13:40.960 you have a guy mentor that touch of that or I. 0:13:41.000 --> 0:13:44.480 Think I was really fortunate, Like my entry way into 0:13:44.559 --> 0:13:48.400 the NFL, I was around like some remarkable people. And 0:13:48.480 --> 0:13:52.440 so my first year was like Bill wals should still 0:13:52.440 --> 0:13:55.680 been a consultant in a GM and San Francisco and 0:13:55.720 --> 0:13:59.120 so like spending time in his office and finding out 0:13:59.120 --> 0:14:00.640 about a you know, and what would you do on 0:14:00.679 --> 0:14:04.079 short yards and a designated pass rusher and the smallest 0:14:04.120 --> 0:14:07.000 of details. And coming from college you just looked at 0:14:07.000 --> 0:14:09.439 a player and you evaluated, oh, he's a good player, 0:14:09.480 --> 0:14:12.000 and you signed him. It was so much more specific, 0:14:12.200 --> 0:14:16.480 and it just changed my whole vision of there's certain 0:14:16.520 --> 0:14:18.720 things that players can do, and then how do you 0:14:18.800 --> 0:14:21.920 build around that, and when you're coming up in college, 0:14:22.000 --> 0:14:24.760 just look for the good athlete or the good player. 0:14:24.800 --> 0:14:27.080 And so it was so much more specific than that, 0:14:27.560 --> 0:14:31.080 and that was probably the first thing that enhanced that 0:14:31.200 --> 0:14:35.040 ability to look for what a player can do as 0:14:35.040 --> 0:14:37.680 opposed to what they can't. And when you can find 0:14:37.720 --> 0:14:39.520 it and you do it over and over, then you 0:14:39.600 --> 0:14:41.280 have something really cool and culch. 0:14:41.280 --> 0:14:43.800 You're super chill right now. But everybody you talk to 0:14:43.880 --> 0:14:46.320 around the league, whether it's Josh Harris, whether it's people 0:14:46.360 --> 0:14:48.280 on other teams, they talk about your energy. Why was 0:14:48.280 --> 0:14:49.760 it so important for you to come in and bring 0:14:49.800 --> 0:14:50.920 this energy and still that illness. 0:14:50.920 --> 0:14:52.760 I think it's a pretty chill studio. So I feel 0:14:52.840 --> 0:14:59.960 like hanging out with you. Yeah, it's so nice. Why 0:15:00.240 --> 0:15:01.680 was the culture part so important? 0:15:01.800 --> 0:15:02.000 Yeah? 0:15:02.520 --> 0:15:06.080 I think you know, when you've coached for a while 0:15:06.080 --> 0:15:07.480 and been on a lot of teams. I think I've 0:15:07.480 --> 0:15:09.880 been over like seventy or eighty of them in my life. 0:15:11.320 --> 0:15:13.360 I love being a part of a team, and it's 0:15:13.400 --> 0:15:16.920 why I coach that connection with the players, the coaches, 0:15:17.000 --> 0:15:20.360 everybody who's part of the team, knowing that the wins 0:15:20.360 --> 0:15:23.440 are produced by everybody. And so when you have that 0:15:23.760 --> 0:15:26.520 appreciation to know how hard it is and how much 0:15:26.600 --> 0:15:28.280 you have to put in to go get it, and 0:15:28.360 --> 0:15:30.560 all these people are pulling forward in the same direction 0:15:30.680 --> 0:15:32.720 to go get the wins, like, it's such a cool 0:15:32.760 --> 0:15:35.800 feeling and that doesn't happen just you know, rolling the 0:15:35.840 --> 0:15:37.840 ball out or having a practice like you have to 0:15:37.880 --> 0:15:41.360 be intentional about you know what you're looking for, and 0:15:41.880 --> 0:15:44.200 what we're looking for is guys that play with energy, 0:15:44.240 --> 0:15:47.040 play with toughness, but have we have really high standards 0:15:47.040 --> 0:15:50.280 about how we want to do things and so it's hard, 0:15:50.720 --> 0:15:52.800 but we also have a lot of fun doing it. 0:15:53.000 --> 0:15:55.040 And so I think through my life I've worked you 0:15:55.080 --> 0:15:58.520 can work really really hard, but you can also like 0:15:58.680 --> 0:16:01.160 enjoy it and have a good time finding the balance 0:16:01.200 --> 0:16:04.080 of both of those. Those are some of the best times. 0:16:04.400 --> 0:16:06.760 Coach excited for this so and excited to see you 0:16:06.800 --> 0:16:09.400 guys get in the film room after this break Thanks Coach. 0:16:09.200 --> 0:16:10.800 All right, awesome man, glad to be with you guys, 0:16:10.840 --> 0:16:12.000 and we'll throw a hell of a here. 0:16:13.480 --> 0:16:16.680 Command his Family. We know you are enjoying the game plan. However, 0:16:16.760 --> 0:16:19.160 if you want to see Coach and logan Paul said 0:16:19.280 --> 0:16:21.320 break down plays in the film room, you could check 0:16:21.360 --> 0:16:27.400 that out on the Commander's YouTube page. Welcome back to 0:16:27.440 --> 0:16:29.840 game Plan, Command his Family, Logan, it was so cool 0:16:29.840 --> 0:16:32.880 seeing you and DQ have that same chemistry that you 0:16:32.920 --> 0:16:35.160 guys had out in Atlanta and those two don't know 0:16:35.640 --> 0:16:37.080 you played under Dan Quinn. 0:16:37.160 --> 0:16:38.720 Yeah, I did plan or Daniel. It's great to see 0:16:38.760 --> 0:16:40.240 him here, you know, like great to see him kind 0:16:40.240 --> 0:16:42.960 of revitalize this opportunity. I remember talking to him after 0:16:43.040 --> 0:16:45.520 he was fired in Atlanta and kind of him asking 0:16:45.520 --> 0:16:47.640 for feedback and him I know other people that I 0:16:47.680 --> 0:16:49.800 know talking and looking for feedback about how he could grow, 0:16:49.840 --> 0:16:52.760 and then seeing him implement all of that feedback. And 0:16:53.080 --> 0:16:54.880 he's just got such a growth mindset and he's just 0:16:54.880 --> 0:16:56.680 such a good person, you know. And I think that's 0:16:56.720 --> 0:16:58.320 the thing, Like I tell people this all the time, 0:16:58.360 --> 0:16:59.840 I never had more fun than when I was playing 0:16:59.840 --> 0:17:02.360 it Atlanta because of him, Because he makes it fun 0:17:02.400 --> 0:17:04.560 to come to work every day. He makes you passionate 0:17:04.600 --> 0:17:06.399 about your teammates and the connection he talked about a 0:17:06.440 --> 0:17:08.520 lot on the interview, and it's just and it's cool 0:17:08.520 --> 0:17:10.520 to see it kind of ramped up and revitalized and 0:17:10.520 --> 0:17:12.680 retooled the way he's done it here. And I'm just 0:17:12.720 --> 0:17:14.119