Dan Quinn Vows to Shake Up Commanders’ Mindset After Heartbreaking Falcons Loss – A Bold Move to Reignite Their Season!
Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn has mixed emotions on how things are with his team through the first four weeks of the season.
Quinn isn't upset or frustrated with the team's performance, but he knows the Commanders can perform better. That's why he's tweaking his mindset for the team going into Week 5 against the Los Angeles Chargers.
“We want to talk through all the things to in terms of like the energy to have it sustained. I think it's important to not shy away from one or the other. Our process is the same, but we want to make sure, like in that boxing analogy, you're not waiting it out. See where we are, all of a sudden, you're behind 10 nothing. And so, man, let's play bold, let's play aggressive right from Jump Street. And when we do that, it can carry over into it," Quinn said.
"But you don't want to say you can only start fast if you have punt, that doesn't mean you're going to lose the game or if you give up a field goal. But it does mean you're, you're entering into the arena into the contest in the right mindset to go throw the first punch and be aggressive and we'll work hard to continue to do that. It's really a mindset, it's a way, and if you go into it in that way, you have a way better chance of going forward. I love the fight for the team, but fighting to stay in it is different than fighting to finish the play. And so I want to make sure like our attitude, our mindset is absolutely bold and aggressive.”
READ MORE: Commanders could lose starter due to season ending injury
Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn looks on from the sidelines against Cincinnati Bengals. / Amber Searls-Imagn Images
The loss against the Falcons isn't one that should trigger the panic button, but it's clear that some changes need to be made. The Commanders won't win many games playing the way they did against the Falcons.
It will take the whole team to figure out how to fix these issues, but if the Commanders can pinpoint where they need to make improvements, it could result in a breakthrough.
The Commanders will visit the Chargers on Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET inside SoFi Stadium.
Sturm’s Third-Line Experiment Fizzles in Preseason Shake-Up
The Boston Bruins' third line on Monday night against the Philadelphia Flyers made a ton of sense on paper. It featured Fraser Minten, who projects as the team's two-way center of the future, who brings defensive reliability and is still searching for his offensive upside. Minten's wingers should've been able to bring out that offensive upside, as Matej Blumel funnels shots at the net at a high volume, and Matt Poitras is the prototypical playmaker.
The line's experience should give fans and the coaching staff some caution about expecting the trio to be a line in the regular season. It'd be hard for them to comfortably play 82 games at the NHL level without expectations of some regression and nights where they struggle. However, in a season where there are few expectations for the Bruins, it could be the perfect year to feature this line and build it up as a potential third, and eventually second, line of the future.
Well, the line lasted only two periods. Poitras moved up to the second line with Casey Mittelstadt and Pavel Zacha, while Viktor Arvidsson moved down with Minten and Blumel. I don't disagree with that move either, as the concept of Arvidsson automatically getting a second-line spot didn't seem right. He brings a speed and tenacity that could fit alongside Minten and Blumel while also lending some veteran leadership.
Head coach Marco Sturm's comments post-game make me think that he really wants Monday night's third line to work. It's too late in the preseason for him to be throwing lines together just for the sake of doing it, and it feels like the coaching staff feels that this line could work on paper as well. The challenge will be for the trio to actually show it on the ice.
"“They practice so hard and so well the whole time, and I feel like in games, they think too much. So, I gotta get them out of that.”"Marco Sturm
It raises an interesting question. While everyone thinks that those three are vying for the final spots in camp, is there a chance that the trio will be Providence's first line to start the season? Considering the lack of expectations, an idea for the front office is to gel them as a line in the AHL and then recall them all to Boston at the same time at a later date. They wouldn't be the first team to implement that strategy.
