Dan Quinn wasn't shy in letting his feelings be known after the Washington Commanders capitulated in their final preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens. The head coach said a lot, but he didn't have any real answers for his side's performance.
The Commanders were pathetic in all phases. Nobody really stood out, aside from maybe defensive back Tyler Owens, giving Quinn and general manager Adam Peters a lot to consider as they trim their roster from 90 to 53.
Quinn knew the standard wasn't where it needed to be. He thought the Commanders were prepared enough to be more competitive, despite resting 41 players for the warm-up contest. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case, and the Commanders will now turn every stone to ensure the same doesn't happen when results matter most.
Dan Quinn couldn't figure out why the Commanders played so terribly in Baltimore
Otherwise, Quinn will have a big problem on his hands.
“I don't know. I wish I had a better sense for it. Going into it, you want to put your best foot forward and get to there, and obviously have a plan to go there. We got right behind and didn't get any momentum going, but I don't have a good reason. You don't want to wait till the next day to make a change. I just didn't like it. It just wasn't good enough. It just simply wasn't up to our standard that we played.”
Most of the players who took to the field in this one won't be on the 53-man roster. And based on this performance, their inevitable omissions will be more than justified.
Even so, Quinn should know just how quickly this mood can spread if left unattended.
The Commanders got way ahead of themselves last summer. They reveled in their sensational run to the NFC Championship game, and they quickly found out why the NFL is a year-to-year league.
Pressure is now building to turn the tide. And there are growing signs that another long season could be in the offing for Washington.
It wasn't just the second- and third-string players who struggled over the last two weeks. The starters couldn't get anything going against the Detroit Lions, and they were overwhelmed during a torrid joint practice with Baltimore. The cracks are showing, and the onus is on Quinn to get things back on track.
Nobody needs to tell Quinn how high the stakes are this season.
Any more failures will put the respected leader in the hot seat, and he knows it. This wasn't exactly the most promising sign, but there is time to raise standards with a couple of weeks until Washington's regular-season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles.
And in all honesty, things will probably get better once the deadwood is removed.
Momentum is important at this time of year. The fine margins matter, and there is no doubt Washington's positivity is starting to go the other way. Quinn looked out of ideas after the contest, but he should get to the bottom of what went wrong and what is needed to improve.
Commanders fans are counting on it.
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