The Seahawks can interview Dan Quinn now but really, why would they?

Yes, Dan Quinn has been a favorite name mentioned as the next Seattle Seahawks head coach. I'm not convinced he ever should have been. The loss Sunday was merely one more piece of evidence in the case against him.

After the Cowboys ignominious exit from the playoffs - one I found both gratifying and hilarious in equal measure - their defensive coordinator Dan Quinn is now available for interviews. He's widely been regarded as one of the top candidates for the Seahawks, if not the primary choice. I can see the appeal, but I was never sold on it myself. Now that low appeal has dropped even more after his defense collapsed against the Packers.

To answer the question I initially posed, I get it. The Seahawks almost have to interview Quinn. He made his reputation as the defensive coordinator of the Hawks Legion of Boom. He's been a successful coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys for the past three seasons as well. So what reasons could I have for doubting he's the right man to take over the Seahawks? Trust me, dear 12s, there are many.

The Seattle Seahawks need an architect, not a subcontractor

I would have labeled Dan Quinn a builder, but that would be giving him too much credit. Let's look at the Legion of Boom a bit more closely, and see how much credit Quinn deserves. He took over as the Seahawks defensive coordinator in 2013. Hate to break it to you, but the Hawks weren't exactly awful in 2012.

Gus Bradley's 2012 defense was the top-ranked unit in points allowed, too. Quinn left to take the head coaching job in Atlanta in 2015. Of course, the Hawks D collapsed without him. Oops, my bad, they were still ranked first in points allowed. So Gus Bradley designed the machine before him, and Kris Richard kept it running after him.

Richard must have been awful, right, keeping the Hawks ranked number one in his first year as the DC? In his second season, Seattle fell all the way to third in points allowed. Wow, what a nightmare. Seattle dropped to 13th in Richard's third season as DC, it's true. Any guess how good Quinn's defense would have been if he had missed 14 games between Chancellor and Sherman? Not that great. How good were his Falcons teams when they started dealing with injuries? They were bad, very bad.

As for his time with the Cowboys, I'm not about to dispute the facts. Yes, Dallas rose from the 28th-ranked defense in 2020 to 7th in 2021 under Quinn. It didn't hurt that corner Trevon Diggs was in his second year. It didn't exactly cripple the Dallas defense when they added Micah Parsons in the draft that year. Does it really take a defensive genius to tell Parsons to go get the quarterback? I know one thing; it doesn't take an offensive genius to let Parsons get the QB.

Many supporters of Quinn insist that the Cowboys' defensive collapse against the Packers is an outlier. They insist you can't judge the coach on one game. Believe me, I'm not. The Dallas Cowboys reaped huge benefits from their weak schedule. I had previously detailed how much their mediocre schedule boosted their offense.

The defense looked much better than it truly was as well. Look at those standout performances. The teams they held to 10 points or less: The Giants, Jets, Patriots, Panthers, and Commanders twice. The Commanders were 25th in points scored, while the other teams filled slots 29-32. Listen, when you play seven games against the very worst offenses in the league, your defense better not give up many points.

Against good teams, the Cowboys' defense looked very different. The 49ers rolled for 42 points, the Bills 31. Both the Cardinals and the Eagles scored 28, and the Seahawks as we all know, hung 35 on them Boys. This is a great defense, really? You're kidding, right?

I guarantee you, a lot of the same people who insist Geno Smith was the problem with the Hawks are the same people who claim Dan Quinn is the answer. So let me get this straight. Geno, the guy who can't play worth a damn, put up 35 on your defensive guru. If Geno sucks, Dan must be awful. And if Quinn is a genius, then Smith must be one heck of a quarterback. You don't put a lot of effort into your thoughts, do you?

As for Quinn, he didn't build the Legion of Doom, and they didn't collapse when he left for Atlanta. The Cowboys defense looks good on paper, but padded their stats to a ridiculous degree by feasting on the worst offenses in the league. Now, if you want a defense that can shut down the Giants, you already have that. If you're interested in someone who can stop the 49ers, the Bills, the Dolphins, the Packers - heck, even the Cardinals - keep looking.

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