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Detroit Lions: Gil Brandt compares Bob Quinn to Tom Landry

By Steven Mullenax

1988: Head coach Tom Landry of the Dallas Cowboys watches from the sideline during a game in the 1988 season. Tom Landry coached the Cowboys from 1960 to 1988, leading them to two Super Bowl victories. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr./Getty Images)
1988: Head coach Tom Landry of the Dallas Cowboys watches from the sideline during a game in the 1988 season. Tom Landry coached the Cowboys from 1960 to 1988, leading them to two Super Bowl victories. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr./Getty Images) /
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NFL legend Gil Brandt recently compared Detroit Lions’ general manager Bob Quinn to long time Dallas Cowboys head coach and Hall of Famer Tom Landry.

Legendary scout Gil Brandt made his way out to visit Detroit Lions‘ training camp over the weekend. The 84-year old is most famous for being an integral part of the early success of the Dallas Cowboys, serving as their vice president of player personnel from the team’s inception in 1960 through 1988.

Responsible for several innovations in player scouting, Brandt now works as a senior media analyst for NFL.com. So, when Gil is willing to compare a Lions’ executive to a legend he worked closely with for nearly 30 years, it’s certainly newsworthy.

"“Bob Quinn to me is like Tom Landry, except one’s a coach and one’s an administrator,” Brandt told the team’s official website. “He’s a tremendously bright individual. He’s able to foresee the future. He has an understanding of coaching. He understands scouting. He understands people. The only people he brings in, in my estimation, are the top people…I think the Lions hit a home run with the bases loaded (hiring Quinn).”"

Landry, the Hall of Fame head coach of the Cowboys for 29 years, is considered to be one of the greatest, most innovative figures in NFL history. Not only did he record 20 consecutive winning season in Dallas, he also led the Cowboys to five Super Bowl appearances, winning two. Landry is also credited as the inventor of the 4-3 defense.

https://twitter.com/Gil_Brandt/status/894279697739112448

So Brandt comparing Quinn to someone as instrumental in his personal and professional life as Landry is high praise indeed. For the Lions’ general manager, that may be setting the bar a little high. Still, Brandt sees similar traits in Quinn that he admired in Landry, who was considered a football genius and tactician.

As for Quinn himself, who spent 16 years learning from another coaching legend, New England Patriot’s head coach Bill Belichick, before joining the Lions in 2016, his short history in the Motor City has been positive.

The drafting of prospects like offensive tackle Taylor Decker and linebacker Jarrad Davis, plus his free agency acquisitions of veterans like wide receiver Anquan Boldin, guard T.J. Lang and tackle Ricky Wagner have all been feathers in his cap in Detroit.

Next: Let’s say Matthew Stafford is still a Lion at age 40…

Bob Quinn is already considered to be one of the brightest executives in the NFL. And the high praise from a legend like Gil Brandt only furthers the notion that the Detroit Lions made a very wise choice when they hired Quinn last year.

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