Mentality monster Dan Quinn fires brutal warning shot at playoff rivals

The Washington Commanders won't be a surprise that teams don't see coming in 2025. They are back in the limelight after turning things around much quicker than expected in Year 1 of this ambitious project. Maintaining and increasing these newfound standards is the next, and more testing, task.

And head coach Dan Quinn stoked the fire with a brutal warning shot at their playoff rivals next time around.

The NFL is expecting the Commanders to build on their sensational run to the NFC Championship game. They have eight standalone games in 2025, five of which are on prime time. It's an unusual feeling for fans with almost no stable routine from week to week for the players. It's the price of success, and it's more profitable than the typical scenario Washington's faced over the last two decades.

Commanders' mentality stays the same entering Year 2 under Dan Quinn

Most perceive the Commanders as the hunted rather than the hunters entering the new campaign. That's not an opinion shared by Quinn, who stated that the mindset remains the same in pursuit of similar or even greater accomplishments when competitive action begins again.

We are always the hunters. We’ve got a lot to prove. We’re going after it. The hunter is a mindset. That doesn’t change.Dan Quinn via Yardbarker

This is what Washington's passionate fan base wanted to hear. Nobody is getting complacent in the building. Nobody is reveling in their achievements from the previous season. That's firmly in the rearview mirror. The focus is firmly on the next chapter and nothing more.

The Commanders are among the Super Bowl favorites. It's been a long time since anyone associated with the organization could say that, but nothing is being taken for granted.

The work ethic stays the same, as does the locker room culture, which quickly became the catalyst behind their phenomenal early success. If the new additions manage to hit the ground running and the young players all develop accordingly, Washington won't be too far away.

While the schedule is more difficult, the Commanders proved they can match anybody when firing on all cylinders. They have nothing to fear next season. Quinn's relentless energy will make sure of that.

Instant prosperity can sometimes be a poisoned chalice. NFL history is littered with one-season wonders whose fleeting promise cannot be sustained. There's always a risk that the Commanders end up with a similar fate, but there's also a chance they can kick on under Quinn's expert guidance.

And make no mistake, the Commanders will not be going down without a fight so long as Quinn is leading them.

More Commanders news and analysis