Dan Quinn has coached two Commanders’ regular-season games and is already on his fifth kicker.
Appearing on the “Rich Eisen Show” Wednesday morning, Eisen asked Quinn, “When you signed your kicker last Tuesday, did you think you would be giving him a game ball five days later?”
“Hell no!” Fired back Quinn, laughing in amazement.
“I wanted to make sure that we were just constantly supporting him. We have a fantastic snapper and holder that work with him in Tyler Ott and Tress Way. They gave him a great chance to come in and do well.”
“We’re really pumped. He came through in the biggest of ways, including a game-winner. So, a remarkable first game as a Commander.”
One week ago, Austin Seibert was watching NFL games on TV.
Today, he kicks SEVEN field goals, including the game-winner, before getting carried off the field by his new #Commanders teammates. Football! pic.twitter.com/6Xyid6e7Xe
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 15, 2024
“Is that your first game coaching ever with seven field goals?’, asked Eisen.
“Absolutely. It was actually a franchise record with six. But we joked maybe Austin wanted to put a little distance between himself and somebody else, so he nailed seven.”
Oh, the kickers who have been Commanders in such a short time for Dan Quinn. The Commanders opened the regular season with Cade York, whom they had acquired from the Browns for a conditional draft pick. He didn’t meet the conditions, so he was released after the opening week loss to Tampa Bay.
Having played the Jets in the preseason opener, Austin Seibert did a fine job kicking, so when he was released, GM Adam Peters quickly grabbed him before anyone else could, preparing for their Week 2 games.
Riley Patterson wasn’t performing up to expectations, so he was released on August 22. Before York and Patterson, the Commanders had signed and given some preseason experience to Ramiz Ahmed before releasing him on August 13.
Of course, all of this came about because veteran Brandon McManus, the guy Washington expected to be its kicker in 2024, had been signed, participated in workouts, and never informed the Commanders of his impending legal charges. So, they released him on June 2.
