Bobby Wagner said what Commanders fans already thought about Dan Quinn

When Dan Quinn took a massive hit from quarterback Marcus Mariota when he was pushed off the field in Week 3, there was grave concern. The head coach looked to hit his head on the sideline, but he popped right back up to the surprise of almost everyone at Northwest Stadium.

Surprising to some, but not to linebacker Bobby Wagner. He's been around the inspirational leader long enough to know his fighting spirit and never-say-die qualities. This was just another prime example.

It's also why every Commanders player is ready to run through a brick wall for Quinn every week.

Commanders know the leader they have in Dan Quinn, whose actions speak louder than words

Quinn is a supreme motivator who cares deeply about his players. He also practices what he preaches, which is something Wagner and everyone else in the locker room saw first-hand against the Las Vegas Raiders when he got back down to business soon after the hit.

Whenever you see somebody that leads the ship go down like that, and then bounce back up, everything that he preaches to us, we felt like we saw that in that moment. He got knocked down, got hit pretty hard and he didn’t have any pads on or nothing. He came back up and it was kind of like a movie. While he was getting treatment, we weren’t sure if he was going to be able to come out. And so, we’re gathering everybody, I’m getting ready to speak, and then he comes out of nowhere and [he’s] like ‘I got it’. And it was just a cool moment, I’ll remember that forever for sure.Bobby Wagner

For fans, it was a viral moment with blood across his face as Quinn remained focused on the task at hand. But for the players, it meant so much more.

It was proof, as if any were needed, that Quinn was the right man to spearhead this ambitious project. He's going to keep plowing forward no matter what. The resolve he demands from his players is precisely what he expects from himself. This might not seem like much, but it's a lightbulb moment that resonated significantly with the players.

They are the ones playing through pain. They are the ones giving their all on the field to Washington's cause. They are the ones pushing themselves to the limit. When they see their coach operating with the same mentality, it will only spur them on further.

That's the sort of thing that cannot be taught on the practice field or through motivation in the locker room. In this instance, Quinn's actions spoke far louder than words.