A good leader is challenged to communicate well, and it’s no different for Dan Quinn.
The Washington Commanders head coach knows this is an important season for himself and the franchise. One Washington press member noticed something right away when watching the Commanders‘ Organized Team Activity (OTAs) this week. He sees that Quinn has conveyed his vision and the objectives that must be accomplished, given Washington’s brutal opening-month schedule.
“It was great to see how uptempo this OTA session was,” expressed WJLA TV 7 sports anchor Scott Abraham to the “Sports Junkies” (106.7 The Fan) on Friday. You know, usually you go to these OTAs, and it’s like a glorified walk-through, where they are going through the motions, easing in the players.”
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Abraham senses that Quinn has gotten through, that the coaching staff and players have received and accepted the message, and have bought into the 2026 Commanders program. “I was very impressed with the pacing of the drills, the pacing of everything. It seemed like everybody was really engaged, and there’s more of an urgency to know what lies ahead, guys. They know they got to start fast with the schedule.”
“I think there’s an extra emphasis on setting that standard. Hey, (Laremy) Tunsil’s here. It was a big surprise to see Tunsil out on the field for the OTA. He usually only attends what is mandatory. Everybody’s in the building, everybody’s on the field. It’s all business. It did not seem like an OTA to me. From a broad aspect, that stood out to me.”
That would jump out to an experienced viewer, given the previous OTAs Abraham has witnessed. Expecting a “glorified walkthrough” (his description) and to observe more energy (much more), I can see why it impressed Abraham.
Abraham also mentioned how it was very visible that Bobby Wagner was no longer out there on the field. He rightly expressed that Wagner had been a great veteran who did his thing for two seasons (leadership). “But the speed and the youthfulness in that linebacker room now, I think, is going to be very jarring to fans in a good way, where it’s going to pop off the screen. Like, ‘Yes, we’re much younger, we’re much faster on that side of the ball.'”
What Abraham says he observed was an urgency, not a pressure, and that’s good.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: Insider had key takeaway from 1st week of OTAs