NFL's Dan Quinn reveals how strong military connections shaped him as a coach

By Ross Kelly July 3, 2018 at 8:33am

The connections between the Atlanta Falcons and head coach Dan Quinn to the military go way back.

Prior to their 2016 Super Bowl season, Quinn actually had Falcons players train with former Navy SEALs to not only physically prepare for the season, but to also gain mental toughness.

This offseason, Quinn was among a group of Falcons who went on a USO tour in Iraq to visit with active members at their military bases.

.@AtlantaFalcons coach Dan Quinn, kicker @Matt_Bryant3, guard @BenGarland63 and center @alexmack51 are on a USO tour in support of the 52nd anniversary of our partnership with the @NFL — thanks for being a Force Behind the Forces! #BeTheForce #SaluteToService pic.twitter.com/nRMYd7ueLd

— USO (@The_USO) June 18, 2018

Now Quinn is opening up about his connection to a soldier and how the mental makeup of the military is something that his team can draw parallels to in order to help them on the football field.

Quinn shared a story with SI.com about a soldier he met through his Quinn’s Corps program while he was an assistant coach with the Seahawks. The soldier sought to avenge the death of his buddy by going after his assailants in enemy territory.

But the soldier’s emotions got the best of him as he ignored all of his training and relied on emotion. The soldier ended up entering enemy territory and getting injured by an IED.

“He didn’t go through all his training, he didn’t go through the checks for explosive devices,” Quinn said. “He wanted retribution, so he abandoned his training. He was away from his guys. The story was, no matter what, I was trained to do this. But because I wanted to make it right, I forgot to do everything I was trained to do.”

Quinn knew that the story of the soldier would resonate with his team as emotion is a big part of football and you can’t let it overtake everything you’ve been taught and practiced.

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“I knew there could be this natural connection, going for something at the highest level, and the accountability to the person right next to you, through the years they have nailed that in every way,” Quinn said. “So if we could learn from them, then I thought, ‘How can we apply it to our team?’”

It was then that Quinn, general manager Thomas Dimitroff and trainer Marty Lauzon sought to utilize Acumen Performance Group, which is run by the ex-SEALs.

They brought in the group two years ago to train with the players and teach them about being accountable to the person next to you.

The group then helped out the Falcons again in the summer of 2017 and helped them mentally overcome the team’s devastating Super Bowl loss.

“The most powerful one, it helped develop our mental toughness,” Quinn said. “For us, we had to show some resiliency, getting your ass kicked at the end of the Super Bowl isn’t a highlight. But it gives you the platform to show resiliency. This is the life we live, as competitors. So we’ve got to come back, let’s make sure we fight and compete. You’ve seen the closeness of this team take on what I hoped it could be.”

Quinn isn’t the only one who got something out of the experience with the SEALs. Former Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan also bought in to the program, even if he wasn’t thrilled with the idea at first.

“When I was a coordinator (with Atlanta in 2016), that stressed me out,” Shanahan said. “I couldn’t believe the coach was taking a week away from teaching to do Navy SEALs stuff. At the time, I was like ‘That has nothing to do with football.’”

Two years later, and now the 49ers head coach, Shanahan is singing a different tune as he actually had his team train with the SEALs just as the Falcons did.

Shanahan wasn’t just a spectator either, as he and 46-year-old general manager John Lynch, joined in on the action.

“The coaches did it with us,” LB Eli Harold said. “The general manager [John Lynch] was out there! He [Lynch] was out there doing everything. Kyle Shanahan, every coach, every member, everyone who works with John. Everyone was out there!”

There’s a good chance that someone on Shanahan’s staff will become a head coach one day and continue the tradition that Dan Quinn started with the Falcons.

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