Todd Archer, ESPN Staff Writer 2y

Dan Quinn's defense has more to fix, but he's remade himself with Cowboys

FRISCO, Texas -- Dan Quinn was ready for the question. He knew it was coming. His answer might as well have been written on his call sheet this week.

For parts of six seasons, Quinn was the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. He had them on the brink of a Super Bowl LI title -- until then-New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady led a comeback from a 25-point deficit. But Quinn was winless through five games in 2020 and was relieved of his job.

He is eight games into his job as the Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator and faces Atlanta for the first time Sunday since his firing (1 p.m. ET, Fox).

He mentioned all of the perfunctory notes when asked about seeing the Falcons. The “great memories” he has, how “grateful” he is that owner Arthur Blank gave him the chance and the “privilege” of coaching all of the players he had on his rosters.

But there was something more important at the top of his mind.

“You guys saw the performance [Sunday against the Denver Broncos], so there is no time to take a stroll down memory lane,” Quinn said. “We got some s--- to fix. So I’ll be right where my feet are, right where I’m supposed to be going after it as hard as we can. Worry about the jerseys I coach now all throughout the week.”

The Cowboys are coming off their worst game of the season defensively in the 30-16 loss to Denver. Not in terms of points or yards but in style.

The Cowboys allowed a season high in rushing yards (190) and they failed to record a takeaway for the second straight week. The Broncos had six plays of 20 yards or more and converted 8 of 15 third-down opportunities, the highest percentage allowed by the Cowboys this season. Quinn said the Cowboys missed a season-high 14 tackles against Denver.

In balance, however, Quinn’s first eight games with the Cowboys have been a success, although some of that is measured against how historically bad they were on defense in 2020.

“We lost the game but we’re certainly not lost,” Quinn said. “There’s a big difference in that. We missed the target as a defense in this game for sure. That’s what [Monday] was about, getting to the truth of that and why. It stings to watch when those moments happen, but we’re looking forward to recapturing all the unique things about our defense that makes it so much fun to coach and play.

"You’ve got to own it. Talk about the stuff you want to hit on and after today you move past. It’s OK to sit in it for a minute, be pissed about it but you have to process it and move forward. That’s what we plan on doing.”

Quinn had to sit in how it ended for him in Atlanta for more than a minute.

After the Super Bowl loss in the 2016 playoffs, he posted a 24-29 record.

He had 92 days to analyze what went wrong before Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy named him Mike Nolan’s successor. Quinn called the analysis an “after-action,” speaking with friends, coaches and personnel executives to get feedback on what he did in Atlanta about his style and his scheme.

“There was about almost a seven-year cutup that I went through to find what was good, what needed changing and what needed tweaking,” Quinn said.

The Cowboys’ defense is remarkably dissimilar to what he ran as the Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator and head coach of the Falcons.

From 2017 to 2020 under Quinn, the Falcons played Cover 3, a staple of the Seattle defense for years, at the second-highest rate in the league, according to ESPN coverage metrics powered by NFL Next Gen Stats. The Cowboys have the second-lowest Cover 3 rate (11.5%) in the league this year.

Only the New Orleans Saints play more man coverage (63.3%) than the Cowboys (61.9%)

A year ago, the Cowboys were 19th in percentage of man coverage. While in man coverage, they were 20th in QBR and 17th in interceptions. This year in man coverage, they are seventh in QBR and second in interceptions, thanks to Trevon Diggs’ seven picks.

“I think he took time off to reevaluate and go do some self-scouting, see what he can do better with and everything,” said linebacker Keanu Neal, who played for Quinn in Atlanta and joined the Cowboys in part to reunite with him this season. “And, yeah, he made some changes and it’s worked out.”

Nothing about Quinn the person has changed, according to Neal. Quinn’s personal touch has endeared him to the players who did not know him before his hiring in Dallas.

“He brings the best out of you, I don’t know how else to put it,” pass-rusher Randy Gregory said. “He’s real intense but he’s very direct in the way he handles things. He’s never a guy that’s going to harp too much on anything and get mad at you if you mess up. That’s the kind of guy you want.”

Said Diggs, “He’s just a player’s coach, makes everyone feel comfortable. He [doesn't] put anyone down. He just wants you to be in the best position to make the plays you can.”

The per-game statistics show marked improvement in just about every category, except pass defense. Some of that can be attributed to the leads the Cowboys have had that have forced teams to throw more, but the Cowboys have allowed 34 pass plays of 20 yards or more. Some of it can be attributed to how bad the run defense was in 2020 so opponents did not need to pass as much.

Through eight games last season, the Cowboys allowed teams to convert on 49.5% of third-down tries. This year, it is 34.7%. The run defense is almost 70 yards per game better this season.

The Denver performance, however, has raised questions, especially the lack of physicality.

“Certainly, for us, that’s the thing that has to be our calling card, so every time you go, you watch us, our family and friends watch us, they say, ‘Man, you guys really bring it,’" Quinn said. "You’ve got to call on that nature. ... You’ve got to always be ready to get it on. Having that mindset is a challenge, for sure, but that’s the style of defense we play. I’m quite certain we’ll recapture that.”

He would like it to come Sunday whether the Cowboys were playing the Falcons or not.

“With Q, he’s focusing on the present,” Neal said. “He’s never been a guy to focus too much on the future. He’s big on the now, winning the now, winning today and going into meetings after this and just attacking that, stacking those and ultimately that’ll end up where we want to be.”

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