Commanders' identity will be formed during 'tough' times

Dan Quinn reminded me Monday of a Kirk Cousins moment.

Quinn was asked Monday if he thought the Commanders could win the division. He believes they can, but he does not emphasize that with his team.

“So honestly, we don’t really talk much about expectations and then we don’t put a lot of stress on that,” Quinn said. “What we do put a lot of stress on, it’s how much better we can get and it’s just, can you get better? Can your unit get better? Can we do that again this week? And going through the process for that.”

This is not a surprise. In tennis, for example, coaches and players are always talking about being process-oriented. That is, working on improving parts of your game and playing matches not merely to win the match but to improve your development.

This is what transpired years ago when Cousins was quarterback for the Washington Redskins. Reporters are naturally more concerned with the individual game, but players must consider what is best for their careers and development.

So Cousins responded, “I’m a little more process-oriented.” In other words, the most important thing for Cousins was not the game back in 2015 or whenever that moment occurred. What was more important was development, working the process, developing skills, and becoming a better player.

“It’s like a lifestyle we live here, man,” Quinn continued. “Can you get better? Can you dig in further? Can you get to that spot? And so that’s kind of the stressor that we go and not on outside expectations.”

So, for now, Quinn spoke on Monday about his team needing to be in a fight and going through that process.

“You need to be in these hard matches that suck, and you’re pissed at the end because you didn’t make the play that you needed to make. But that’s what an identity is all about. They’re not formed when you’re rolling, they’re formed in these tough close games and we’re going to be in a lot of close games this season. And I want us to feel like, ‘Hey man, we’re down for that fight and when it gets close that’s where we’re in our element.’ And we got to be in those ones, and we took an L yesterday in a close environment and we got to learn from it.”