“Coach killer” isn’t a moniker any pro athlete wants attached to him. But that’s what Micah Parsons thinks Commanders QB Jayden Daniels just did to his old coach.
On his podcast, The Edge with Micah Parsons, the former Cowboy and current Packers edge rusher took Daniels to task for the clock-management debacle at the end of the Commanders-Giants game that left Washington with no time left to attempt a very makeable game-winning field goal.
“Jayden Daniels probably cost my man Dan Quinn his job,” Parsons said Tuesday.
“I’m a big Jayden Daniels fan, but the reality is he probably cost a lot of people their jobs this past weekend.”
As Mediaite reports, “The Commanders were on the verge of attempting a mid-range field goal to put away the Giants in a game that was knotted at 27-27 — as they had the ball on the Giants’ 24-yard line with 13 seconds remaining in overtime. But stunningly, Commanders coach Dan Quinn sent his team out to run a play despite having no timeouts. Running a play in that situation made no sense — as there was just about no upside, and all downside. A running play or completed pass short of the end zone would cause the clock to run out. The only thing that would help the Commanders was a pass out of bounds or a touchdown — a senseless risk, given that a makable field goal attempt was already guaranteed.
“Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels compounded Quinn’s massive coaching error by simply falling to the ground when he saw no one open, rather than throwing the ball away. That blunder kept the clock rolling, and the Commanders were, indeed, unable to snap the ball again — with time running out and the game ending in a 27-27 tie.”
Quinn coached Parsons in Dallas from 2021-2023.
Parsons continued, “All respectfully, we get coached so much on these situations that I’m a defensive player, and this sh*t is programmed to me,” Parsons, the injured All-Pro, said. “I know what to do in those situations. There’s no way I’m taking a sack with 14 seconds left [and] no timeouts. It would be different if Jayden Daniels was a rookie. This is your third year.
“You’ve been to the NFC Championship Game; you’ve been in big moments before. And to me, even after you got sacked, you’re casually getting up.”
Both Quinn and Daniels took responsibility for the debacle. However, debate has raged on air and online over who ultimately had responsibility for averting the disaster. While Quinn is “ultimately” responsible, as he himself said, it’s more than concerning that Daniels didn’t have the presence of mind to see what was happening and stop it.
One thing is for sure: nothing but a miraculous turnaround and a playoff win or two will save Dan Quinn’s job in DC.