But Quinn and the Commanders believe that a change of pace will help the players execute their responsibilities. It was a tough decision, Quinn said, to take the play-calling roles for himself, but he hopes that it will help the unit be more consistent.
"We've been digging for it; we haven't had it; we haven't found it," Quinn said. "And so, that type of consistency and execution, that's what I'm after and that's the only reason behind the move."
Even if Wagner wants to put the blame on himself and his teammates for failing to execute, he can agree that the defense needs a spark. They're in the bottom third of the league or worse in nearly every defensive category, including third-down percentage and points allowed per game. What's more, in order for the Commanders to keep their slim hopes at a postseason berth alive, they'll need to show meaningful improvement against the Denver Broncos, Minnesota Vikings, Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys on top of beating the Miami Dolphins in Madrid.
To use Wagner's simplistic terms, the Commanders just need to play better and win.
"Winning solves a lot of this stuff, and we haven't done that in a minute," Wagner said. "Regardless of what you wanna call it…we gotta win."
And Wagner can vouch for Quinn' ability to get that done as a play-caller.
"I think he's gonna bring his fire, his passion, his energy," Wagner said. "I think as a head coach, whether you're an offensive mind or defensive mind, you still have that in you. You can always activate that at any time.