“One of the only coaches I want to go to war for,” says Wake Up Washington.
In the NFL, Dan Quinn is regarded as a master at building relationships with his players. His former players have expressed great praise for him and his caring nature, which is one of the reasons Managing Partner Josh Harris wanted him to be the head coach of the Washington Commanders.
Before Quinn was ever entertained as a possibility for the Washington job, Efe Obada—one of the few players Washington retained from its own class of free agents—got first-hand experience in those months, and it taught him all he needed to know about Quinn’s methodology.
“He’s the only coach that I would want to play for right now,” Obada stated.
Obada, who signed a one-year contract to stay with Washington after setting a career best with 24 tackles to go along with four sacks in 2022, had a challenging season in 2023. Before injuring his leg in Week 11 against the New York Giants, he only appeared in five games this season after beginning it on injured reserve.
After being sent back on injured reserve, Obada naturally fell into a melancholy condition and finished the season with just two tackles. Though he was going to fully recover, he was unaware of the potential consequences the setback would have on his career. Obada referred to it as “my lowest point” at his late-March news appearance because he was concerned about how he would support his family.
Several supportive texts were sent to Obada following his operation. Among them was a Quinn resident.
“He messaged me that I was a warrior and that I would get back,” said Obada. “And that meant so much to me.”
For Obada, Quinn’s message was unexpected. They had already crossed paths; Obada had been In 2016, Quinn, who was the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons at the time, invited him to a training camp and he spent around a month with the squad.
Though Obada didn’t give it much thought at the time, receiving a message from Quinn over ten years later made him realize how much the head coach still valued him.
“It’s a testament to the kind of guy that he is because he cares about someone eight years later,” Obada stated. “He didn’t need to text me, and he did.”
Leave a Reply