Merril Hoge told the Junkies he would take Jayden Daniels at No. 2, but whatever quarterback ends up in DC, Hoge does think he will have the best possible coaching around him.
“I've got tremendous respect for Dan Quinn. I think he's a great leader of men and that's what you need at that position – you need a leader of men who understands pro football and can lead pro football players. That’s where it all starts,” Hoge said. “I played for Chuck Noll and Bill Cowher, two Hall of Famers back to back, and I know the difference between guys that can lead guys that can't. And I just think that's a pivotal aspect of that position.”
The ability to put together a staff was one of the things that sold the Commanders on Quinn, and to Hoge, what he's done is remarkable - quite reminiscent, actually, of what he saw when he played in Pittsburgh.
“It comes down to the kind of staff that you, you bring in. I was at ESPN for a long time and every time people would be hired, everybody goes, well, what do you think they're gonna do? And I'm like, well, tell me who their staff is and I'll give you a better idea,” Hoge said. “When Bill Cowher was hired in Pittsburgh, his defensive staff was Dom Capers, Dick LeBeau and Marvin Lewis. Pretty good, right? That's the defensive staff, but when you go to his offensive staff you guys may not know Dick Hoke, but he was probably the most respected position coach, one of the greatest of all-time who could have been a head coach or coordinator but didn't want to do that, and then Ron Earhart, who was the coordinator for Bill Parcells when they won the Super Bowl against Buffalo. So you look at the great minds he put around him, and that's what is so important is that you get all of these people that just can bring you thoughts and ideas you may not think of. That's what it's all about, is trying to challenge your learning scope; at the end of the day, you're the decision maker, but to have people that can challenge you and bring things to you and to the team to help you all grow, I just think that’s critical in being a successful team.”