Defensive Coordinator Dan Quinn Leaving for Seattle Seahawks

[Escambia94]

Gator defensive coordinator and defensive line coach, Dan Quinn, will be accepting a new job as the Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator. Good luck, Coach Quinn!

I do not anticipate this affecting recruiting, since Coach Quinn is not as heavily involved in defensive recruiting as Coach Muschamp. No word yet on who will replace Coach Quinn. Note: Coach Muschamp has always insisted that he supports his coaches' decisions in taking positions elsewhere. I have to assume he keeps a short list in his hip pocket.

According to GatorZone, here is a short synopsis of his coaching career:

• 2011-12 Florida (Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Line)

• • Coached an NCAA top-five defense with future NFL stars Shariff Floyd and Matt Elam.

• 2009-10 Seattle Seahawks (Defensive Line)

• • Coached Chris Clemons to a career-high 11 sacks in 2010 in Clemons’ first season as a full-time starter, including four multi-sack games, while Raheem Brock tallied nine sacks.
  • In 2010, the Seattle Seahawks finished third in the NFC in red zone touchdown defense, allowing just 46.2 percent.
  • Helped the Seahawks to the 2010 NFC West crown and knocked off the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints in the opening round of the playoffs.
  • DE CHRIS CLEMONS – Recorded a career-high 11.0 sacks in 2010 which tied him for 10th in the NFL, along with 49 tackles (33 solo) and one forced fumble in the most productive season of his career.
  • DE PATRICK KERNEY – Coached the two-time Pro Bowler in the last season of his 11-year career, as Kerney played 15 games and picked up five sacks.

• 2007-08 New York Jets (Defensive Line)

• • Quinn’s 2008 Jets defense ranked fifth in the NFL in yards per carry (3.7), seventh in sacks (41) and ninth in rushing yards per game (94.9). The Jets were also sixth in the AFC in yards per play (5.2) and third-down efficiency (.386).
  • DE SHAUN ELLIS – Collected 60 tackles in 2008—the 10th most by a defensive lineman in the NFL—and was tied for 17th in sacks with 8.0. In his career, he has totaled 499 tackles, 72.5 sacks and has forced 12 fumbles.
  • DT KRIS JENKINS – Earned 2008 Pro Bowl honors, the fourth time in his career he received the recognition and second-team AP All-Pro accolades after posting 53 tackles and 3.5 sacks. Also won his first career AFC Defensive Player of the Week award with 1.5 sacks, three hurries and three tackles in the Nov. 2 win over Buffalo.

• 2005-06 Miami Dolphins (Defensive Line)

• • The 2006 Dolphins totaled 47 sacks, third in the NFL. That season, Jason Taylor finished fourth in the NFL with 13.5 sacks under Quinn’s guidance.
  • Quinn’s 2006 Miami team also ranked third in the NFL in yards per play (4.6), fourth in total defense (289.1) and fifth in rushing yards per attempt (3.5).
  • In 2005, Quinn helped the Dolphins rank first in the AFC and second in the NFL with 49 sacks. Miami also finished third in the AFC in yards per play (4.7) and fourth in yards per carry (3.7).
  • DE KEVIN CARTER – Played both of his seasons with Miami under Quinn, starting all 32 games and tallying 99 tackles, 11.5 sacks, four passes defensed, three fumble recoveries and a forced fumble during that time.
  • DE JASON TAYLOR – During Quinn’s two-year tenure with Miami, Taylor ranked third in the NFL with 25.5 sacks, led the league in forced fumbles with 13, and scored three defensive touchdowns (two interception returns, one fumble return) en route to earning Pro Bowl berths in 2005 and 2006 and the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year award in 2006.

• 2003-04 San Francisco 49ers (Defensive Line)

• • The 49ers ranked fifth in the NFC in 2004 with 4.0 yards per carry allowed.
  • As a defensive assistant with San Francisco in 2002, linebacker Andre Carter tied for fourth in the NFL with 12.5 sacks.
  • DT BRYANT YOUNG – Made the final two Pro Bowls of his career under the tutelage of Quinn in the 2001 and 2002 seasons.

• 2001-02 San Francisco 49ers (Defensive Quality Control)

• 2000 Hofstra (Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Line)

• 1996-99 Hofstra (Defensive Line)

• 1995 Virginia Military Institute (Defensive Line)

• 1994 William & Mary (Defensive Line)

 

[DRU2012]

Now THIS really sucks--and it will almost certainly have repercussions for our recruiting class as well. Damn! I expected a couple of let downs as far as prospects were concerned, but I thought Quinn would stick to his claims that he wasn't "going anywhere for now".
This is a major blow on several levels--and couldn't be any worse timed for an exciting-but-nonetheless-challenging time of transition, as we lost several talented and experienced stars on defense, but were in-the-process-of-adding at least twice as many who together had the potential to make us that much stronger. Now who will do that AND help us shore up the suddenly thin ice a number of prospects may now be on?
Word has just come that Linebackers Coach DJ Durkin will step up to DC. The main concerns center NOT on his competence OR the necessary working-relationship the DC must have with our defense-minded Head Coach preparing a game-plan OR making it all work in-game; Even the practical realities of recruiting seem well-protected, since (as E- notes) Quinn was NOT so deeply involved in the actual nuts-and-bolts, day-to-day communications or details of the recruiting trail, or relations with the prospects themselves and their families--BUT, unfortunately, in terms of image, Quinn's presence here, both in terms of his reputation and the implied PROMISE of access-to-the-pros , however unspoken and/or tenuous, WAS an important attraction to a lot of prospective recruits. While we shouldn't under-value his very real skills as a talented, tough and innovative DC who did a fine job as our DC AND worked well with Muschamp himself, who in-turn could delicate a good deal of the required defensive load to him with confidence that they were "on the same page", the more IMMEDIATE loss has more to do with the IMAGE of what we've lost--Fair or not, moving Durkin in there does NOTHING to reassure that portion of the prospective recruits for whom this remains high on their list of considerations.
Having been forced by its late and sudden occurrence to fill his place in this no doubt practical, but from-outside seemingly less-impressive, damagingly less-exciting "step-down", we would do well to find some way of reinvigorating our "jump-on-the-bandwagon", still-growing/going-for-it rolling-downhill-success in SOME way, bringing in SOMEone or SOMEthing unexpected--coach, player or WHATEVER to somehow recapture the POSITIVE feeling we had managed to retain despite the dud we laid in the Sugar Bowl, but is now maybe on the line for real and for GOOD unless we turn things around PRONTO. Otherwise, this could turn out to be one of those "domino disasters" that keeps getting worse, where all bets are off and our once -golden-future is suddenly in grave jeopardy.

 

[Escambia94]

Note: Coach Quinn's salary has been quadrupled from his peak $510K at Florida to $2.1M at Seattle. I might take an NFL job for a 4X bump in pay. Maybe.