Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn was fired on Sunday after the team dropped to an 0-5 start in an ugly loss to the Carolina Panthers.
Quinn wrote a farewell letter to not only the players, but the City of Atlanta which was posted on the team’s website Wednesday.
While many people seem to bash Quinn and his atrocious losses through the years, you have to understand that he’s human too, and indeed a really good human.
One of Quinn’s closest friends Lenny Annetta said it best in a tweet: “All the social media coaches who never coached and likely hardly played often miss the human element of leadership. Wins and losses are the economic metric used for decisions to keep/fire a coach, but Q is undefeated as a great person.”
Quinn became the second coach to lead to Atlanta to the Super Bowl, but his teams just weren’t consistent enough for another and failed to match the paper. At the end of his era in Atlanta, Quinn finished with a 43-42 regular-season record and 46-44 overall record.
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Quinn’s Letter to Atlanta
“Thank you, Atlanta
‘I hope I represented your team with the grace and character you deserve’
By Dan Quinn
To the city of Atlanta,
How fortunate am I that I close this chapter the very same way I opened it – with gratitude.
Being the Head Coach of your Atlanta Falcons has been the privilege of a lifetime. I can’t express my appreciation enough to Arthur Blank for the opportunity to represent this organization for the past six seasons. It truly has been my family. My wife Stacey and I will forever be grateful for every single person in this organization who made our lives better and fuller.
I will miss so many things, but none more than the men in the locker room. From pro bowlers to practice squad players, it was an honor to fight shoulder-to-shoulder with you and be a part of your lives on and off the field.
Finally, to the people of Atlanta and Falcons fans everywhere. I can’t thank you enough for making this Jersey boy feel right at home. I know there are great things ahead for this team and I’ll continue to root like hell for them, and for you. I hope I represented your team with the grace and character you deserve.
In Brotherhood,
DQ
His Team Has His Back
While they may not have shown it on the field, Quinn’s players had his back and they weren’t afraid to show it.
Starting in Week 4’s loss to the Packers on Monday Night Football, several players began to stick up for Quinn in the post-game conferences including Matt Ryan, Calvin Ridley, Alex Mack, Ricardo Allen, and Todd Gurley.
When the loss to Carolina happened, they continued to blame themselves.
Todd Gurley’s message stuck out the most.
“Yeah, stop talking about my coach, man,” Gurley interrupted the media after Sunday’s loss. “I’m sick of it. But obviously, I’ve got his back. When I was a free agent (this past offseason), he was one of the only guys personally to give me a call and reach out to me. When everybody thought I lost it he believed in me. I can’t do anything but rock with a guy like that. He’s been solid to me these last couple of months.”
Sometimes the story is a lot bigger than wins and losses.
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Dan Quinn Writes Heartfelt Farewell Letter to Atlanta Falcons Fans