Despite the loss to the New England Patriots last Friday, head coach Dan Quinn's post-game press conference stood out to Command Center podcast analysts Logan Paulsen, Santana Moss and Fred Smoot.
"If you get your ass kicked and you were in the fight the whole time, I could live with that," Quinn said, "Ones that I can't are when we didn't play to the style, the attitude, the penalties. Those are the ones. I can live with almost any result when you do it all right. When it's sloppy and not to the standards, that burns."
The response to the loss was notable to Paulsen, a former Washington tight end who also played for Quinn during his time as head coach in Atlanta. He cited the solution-oriented approach, noting the effort and consistency.
"There's problems, but you hear Dan talking about solutions," Paulsen said. "I think it's process driven by the coach, meaning I don't really care about the result as long as the process and effort is there. If the effort's out there, we've got to make that better. We've got to make sure everybody shows up."
The elements of consistency and effort were part of Quinn's philosophy in Atlanta, too, according to Paulsen. After Paulsen retired from the NFL in 2018 after a nearly 10-year career, he was brought in to speak with the rookies about what it took to stay in the NFL.
"All you've got to do is show up on time and study your playbook," Paulsen said. "You're in the door. Now you've got to do those little things the right way to make sure you're on the roster and make sure that they can't cut you. What I like about this quote from Dan is the first thing he said. It bothers me that we didn't hit the standard."
After Washington's successful 2025 season with rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels at the helm, there are expectations for the team to be consistent and meet that same standard. Washington reached 12 wins for the first time since the 1991, making Quinn the second coach in franchise to accomplish the feat since Joe Gibbs.
"That's one of the things I've always told myself," Moss said. "It's crazy how it's translated through every level. Be mindful of every play. Win this down. Win this play. Win your rep."
The approach worked for Moss, who had a successful career in Washington. He was one of four players with 500 or more receptions with the Burgundy & Gold and set the single season franchise record for receiving yards in 2005.
"If I win this down, that's one I'm stacking," Moss said. "If I do it the next time, that's two. The more you stack up- think about it you're not going to win every down- but if you stack up more than the next guy, then you're standing out. That's what makes you consistent. A top tier player. That's what makes you a guy that they're going to lean on."
Adding to what Moss said, Paulsen emphasized that it was essentially a free psychology lesson of what it takes to play in the NFL.
"It's like climbing Mount Everest," he said. "You don't do it by jumping to the top. You do it one step at a time. When you break down a game that way, when you breakdown a practice that way, that's extremely important."
