ATHENS -- England interim boss Lee Carsley has backed Harry Kane to respond to being dropped against Greece by confirming he will start in Sunday's UEFA Nations League clash against Republic of Ireland at Wembley.

Despite nine withdrawals decimating the options Carsley had available for a must-win game, regular captain Kane was omitted from the starting lineup here in Athens.

Yet the Three Lions eased to a 3-0 win through Ollie Watkins' seventh-minute opener, a Odisseas Vlachodimos own goal and Curtis Jones' sublime late back-flick.

England will secure automatic promotion back to League A with a victory on Sunday, a game in which Kane will earn his 103rd cap at the end of a week in which he questioned the commitment of some players who withdrew from the squad.

"He was absolutely fine [with being left out]," said Carsley. "I think it would be fair to say he wants to play every game, like all top players do. But I think he understands that it's important that other players experience that kind of experience that we had tonight.

"He's a great example to the rest of the players. I expect him to start on Sunday and play well.

"It was brilliant for Ollie to get a goal. I think it is important that if we are going to put these players in a position where we are going to go and win the World Cup then these players need to have as many experiences as they can. It was no slight on Harry. He will start the next game."

Carsley confirmed Ezri Konsa was substituted at half-time with a hip problem and will undergo a scan on Saturday. The centre-back will return to Aston Villa if there is any sign of an injury.

He handed three players their debuts -- Jones started while Morgan Rogers and Lewis Hall came off the bench -- in a youthful lineup leaning heavily on his experience as under-21 boss. That decision paid off as England exacted revenge for a 2-1 home defeat by Greece last month.

"I definitely have faith in younger players but I have faith in older ones as well," he said.

"When you saw the team you may have thought it was a gamble or risk but I've seen evidence and it's been backed up.

"We talk about the performance at Wembley [when] we tried something that didn't come off but tonight was very similar in terms of a lot of players that didn't have that experience of playing for England. But now they have that under their belts they've come to Greece and dominated the game, I think it'll put us in good stead for the future."

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill said Thursday he may undergo surgery on a wrist injury that limited him at practice last week, but any procedure wouldn't be until after the 2024 season ends.

Hill said he first injured his wrist in August, during a joint practice with the Washington Commanders. The injury worsened over the first nine weeks of the season, to a point where Hill was held out of the Dolphins' final two practices of Week 10 and carried a questionable tag into Miami's game against the Los Angeles Rams.

The league's leading receiver from a season ago said he declined surgery and will play through the pain.

"At the end of the day, I just got to suck it up and just deal with the pain," Hill said. "It's going to get worse the more I play, but I got to [gut] it out for my team. I'm here, I'm locked in no matter what, no matter how I feel. So even if I've got to cut my wrist off, I'm still out there because I love the game of football.

"Surgery was brought up and it was talked about whenever I talked to a few of the doctors, but it's my call at the end of the day, and my call is to stay out on the field."

Hill didn't commit to surgery after the season but said he'd be "in a good space to make that decision" when the time comes. He did not practice Wednesday but was upgraded to a limited participant Thursday and expects to play Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders.

ESPN's Lisa Salters reported Monday night that Hill told her that he aggravated his wrist injury during his detainment by police before the Dolphins' Week 1 game when he was taken to the ground, however, when asked to confirm that Thursday, he said the injury happened in the joint practice with the Commanders on a red zone play.

No player has more receiving yards since 2022 than Hill's 3,971, but he is off to one of the worst starts of his career this season. He leads the Dolphins with 462 receiving yards through nine games but ranks just 37th in the league in that category. He's on pace for 872 receiving yards, which would mark his lowest total since recording 860 yards in 12 games in 2019.

"It's going to get worse the more I play, but I got to [gut] it out for my team. I'm here, I'm locked in no matter what, no matter how I feel. So even if I've got to cut my wrist off, I'm still out there because I love the game of football."

Tyreek Hill

Hill's 51.3 yards per game average is less than half of the 106.3 yards per game he averaged during his first two seasons with the Dolphins.

But he says he has become a more complete receiver this year, in ways that don't show up on the individual stat sheet.

"I feel like for me, I feel like I took a step forward in my game," Hill said. "Our position coach [Wes Welker] has helped me develop, becoming a full receiver which is blocking, being stronger at the catch point, running precise routes and stuff like that. A lot of people look at the numbers and say, 'Oh, he was this and that,' but I feel like as a player, I've gotten better. As a leader, I've gotten better, and I just feel like I've gotten better in that sense."

PHILADELPHIA -- Eagles coach Nick Sirianni had just retreated to his office on a Monday afternoon in late September following a team meeting when three imposing figures appeared in the doorway.

His team had just fallen to 2-2 thanks to a 33-16 loss to the Bucs in Tampa Bay -- the site of their lopsided playoff loss in January that completed a 1-6 collapse, expedited the firing of coordinators Brian Johnson and Sean Desai and brought Sirianni's standing into question.

Quarterback Jalen Hurts went 18-of-30 for 158 yards with a touchdown in the rematch. He was sacked six times and was charged with a pair of fumbles, losing one of them for his seventh turnover of the season -- second most in the league, behind only the Tennessee Titans' Will Levis. The ground game never got established with Tampa jumping out to a 24-0 lead, yet Saquon Barkley still managed to rack up 84 yards on 10 carries.

It was on that sour note that players were set to dispatch from the NovaCare Complex for their bye week respite. But three of them -- offensive linemen Lane Johnson, Jordan Mailata and Landon Dickerson -- first had to get something off their chests.

"Hey, can we talk?" one asked as they appeared at Sirianni's door, per Mailata.

"Yeah, come sit down," Sirianni replied.

The 6-foot-8, 365-pound Mailata made his way inside -- along with the 6-6, 325-pound Johnson and 6-6, 332-pound Dickerson -- and situated themselves on a couple of small couches inside Sirianni's office. They proceeded to make their pitch for why the Eagles should shift toward a more run-oriented, offensive line-dependent attack.

"It was just reminding him, 'You have weapons in the air, on the ground and you have a hell of an O-line,'" Mailata said. "We wanted to lead with, 'Hey, before Saquon got here, you had us. Now you have us and Saquon. So use it.'"

That conversation helped set the tone for a bye week of change for the Eagles. They are running the ball 40.8 times per game (up from 30 rushes before the bye) and are averaging 194 yards on the ground -- well above the No. 2 team over that span, the Pittsburgh Steelers, who are averaging 160 yards per game on the ground. Philadelphia's designed run rate of 59% since Week 6 is highest in the NFL -- up from 40% from Weeks 1-4 (18th highest in NFL).

Most importantly, the Eagles (7-2) are a perfect 5-0 since becoming more ground dependent, setting up a clash for first place in the NFC East with the Washington Commanders (8-3) Thursday night (8:15 pm ET, Prime Video).

"I want to f---ing win. Simple as that," Dickerson said when asked why he felt it was important to speak up.

Barkley has been the primary beneficiary of the adjustment. An early Offensive Player of the Year candidate, he ranks second in the NFL in rushing yards (991) and rush yards per game (110.1) behind Derrick Henry. With a league-best 24 runs of 10-plus yards, Barkley has ripped off one highlight play after another -- none more dazzling than his reverse hurdle over a Jacksonville Jaguars defender in Week 9 that further elevated his star status.

"As a player and as the running back, to have the offensive line go to the coach and say this is something that we want to expand on means a lot," Barkley said. "It shows the trust they have in me and the trust that we have in each other because you can't do it without the guys up front. And we have the best offensive line in my opinion."

They're right up there. The Eagles' O-line group featuring (from left to right) Mailata, Dickerson, Cam Jurgens, Mekhi Becton and Johnson ranks second in ESPN's pass block win rate (69%) and 11th in run block win rate (72%)

More opportunity for Barkley naturally means less for Hurts and his receivers. Hurts averaged 39 dropbacks over the first four weeks compared with 26 per game in the past five. But his efficiency has shot up. He has had only two turnovers since, both coming against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.

Hurts, by all accounts, has taken the changes in stride.

"[Hurts] likes winning," Barkley said. "We all like winning. So whatever way it takes to win, that's what we're willing to do.

"I'm still training and keeping my body ready and whenever the team continues to need me to continue to take over a game and lean on the run game and lean on the offensive line, I'm willing to do [so]. At the same time, I know there's going to be weeks where we'll have to throw the ball. We've got A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert and Jalen Hurts. ... And that's the beauty of this team: When you have so many talented people and so many stars on this team, when they're all about winning football games, it makes it easier."

It's not like Hurts hasn't had a hand in shaping the offensive vision. While many of the players took a break for the bye week, Hurts and Sirianni had myriad conversations about the direction of the football team.

Hurts said it was "one of the most efficient bye weeks" he has had since coming into the league as a second-round pick in 2020, and noted how he and Sirianni "were able to come together in harmony and have the same goal in mind, trying to get this thing right" -- an indication of how far they had come following a rocky 2023 season.

Hurts has pushed for the offense to be more multiple. One of ways that has manifested is in under-center usage. The Eagles had 17 carries for 19 rush yards from under center in their first four games, the fewest in the NFL. They have 61 carries for 295 rush yards over their past five games -- an increase in usage from 11% to 26%, via ESPN Research. Their 4.8 yards per rush from under center is the fourth best in the NFL over that time.

Play-action effectiveness has ticked up along with the commitment to the run. Hurts is averaging 15.8 yards per attempt on play-action since Week 6, the best in the NFL over that span.

"I spent a lot of time with Jalen, obviously, during that bye week and just talking through things. Jalen had so much good insight, and then you always listen to your players as far as they are the ones out there seeing it and feeling it," Sirianni said when asked about his meeting with the linemen.

"And so I think it's just good feedback. That's just good organizational football, is to be communicating with everyone to get everyone on the same page. Yeah, I thought it was great. Great, productive meetings."

The session with Johnson, Mailata and Dickerson was about 20-30 minutes. The speaking time was pretty evenly split among the three of them, Mailata said, with Sirianni doing most of the listening while also sharing his own thoughts.

"He really acknowledged us," Mailata said. "We felt heard."

Added Johnson: "He's very responsive and he's very back and forth. He's not going to dismiss you. ... That's why I think Nick is so great. He listens and we make changes and we adapt."

Johnson's role as leader has grown since center Jason Kelce retired this offseason. The five-time Pro Bowler has been candid about issues on offense as they've come up, and as a 12-year vet, he has the experience and clout to offer solutions. That's being applied behind the scenes, as well.

"If I get tired of seeing something or something needs to change, I'll voice my opinion," he said. "That's what I like about playing here: Nothing's ever gone in one ear and out the other or kind of seen as a nuisance."

To illustrate their point to Sirianni, the linemen pointed back to 2021, Sirianni's first year on the job. The Eagles had stumbled out to a 2-5 start, but their fortunes changed when they leaned into the ground game more, starting against the Detroit Lions during a 44-6 rout in Week 9. They went on to win seven of 10 to make the playoffs.

"Any time you can limit just dropback passing, that's so beneficial for a team. That's another play of less stress," said Mailata. "When you're running the ball and you run play-actions, it confuses the defense, and now you're putting the stress and the onus on them. It was just kind of, we're tired of being stressed. But in a nicer [way]. We went up there and were like, 'Come on, help us out here.'

"We stated some examples of games when we've used [the ground-heavy approach] and Coach was like, 'Yeah, OK. Go back to our roots.'"

ASHBURN, Va. -- Dan Quinn knew what would happen.

It was Oct. 11, 2020, and Quinn, then the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, was driving to the home of team owner Arthur Blank.

He had never been summoned to Blank's house after a game. But hours earlier, Quinn's Falcons, in a make-or-break season for the sixth-year coach, had lost their fifth straight game to open the season, falling 23-16 at home to the Carolina Panthers.

As he drove to meet with his boss, Quinn called his wife, Stacey, to let her know what was probably coming. Once he arrived, Blank made it official and fired Quinn, who had amassed a 43-42 record in Atlanta.

Blank's words stung. In the immediate moment, Quinn said he was angry -- not at Blank, but at himself. Once he got back to his car, he called Stacey; they talked, they cried and talked some more.

"It sucked so bad," said Quinn, now in his first season as head coach of the Washington Commanders. "I definitely was mad and depressed and upset. I affected all of those players, their families, the coaches, their families, the fan base when I didn't get the job done."

Days later, Quinn and his wife traveled to their seaside house in Oahu, Hawaii. The state's strict COVID-19 guidelines mandated them to quarantine for 14 days.

While locked inside, Quinn began a transformation that has, four years later, helped Washington (7-3) get off to its best start in more than two decades ahead of Thursday's game against the Philadelphia Eagles (8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video). Motivated by his Falcons firing, Quinn embarked on a journey of self-examination and growth in hopes of ensuring that if he got a second chance to coach an NFL team, it would go better than the first.

To pursue that end, Quinn underwent an extensive self-review to identify areas he needed to improve, such as delegating responsibility, better developing his staff and having a succession plan in place when key assistants leave for other jobs. He spoke to basketball coaches and took from them, among other things, strategies to grow the skill sets of his players. And, after watching hours of film and talking to other NFL coaches, he revamped the defensive scheme through which he'd previously made his name as a defensive coordinator.

Quinn's thirst for knowledge is nothing new. The firing in Atlanta simply accelerated the process, setting the stage for his surprising second act in Washington.

"I wouldn't have changed as much," Quinn said of his in-season exit in Atlanta that allowed him the time for self-reflection. "I wouldn't have been able to apply the same lessons. So, for that, I'm thankful."

In the end, it turned out to be a gift.

"At the time, it wasn't," he said. "But then now I realize that's exactly what it was. Everybody has their dark spots and that was mine. But I wanted to make sure I came out of it stronger and that this is going to change."

THE GAME QUINN is most known for during his Atlanta tenure is one few will ever forget.

On Feb. 6, 2017, in Quinn's second season in Atlanta, his Falcons led the New England Patriots 28-3 with 8:31 left in the third quarter of Super Bowl LI. The rest is NFL history: Quarterback Tom Brady and the Patriots scored 25 unanswered points to tie the score in regulation, before completing the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history, winning 34-28 in overtime.

Terry Francona could relate to losing a lead on the biggest stage. The previous October, Francona's Cleveland team had stormed out to a 3-1 series lead in the 2016 World Series before ultimately losing to the Chicago Cubs in seven games.

Two months after Atlanta's Super Bowl defeat, Quinn met with Francona during spring training in Arizona. He wanted to know how the longtime manager, who also managed the Boston Red Sox when they overcame a 3-0 deficit to beat the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series in 2004, handled the messaging in Cleveland after the heartbreaking defeat.

"When you have the disappointment at the end, you're not over it, you're past it. But it's OK to let it fuel you [to] where you can to go," Quinn said at the time. "That's where I'm at."

Francona said what he remembered most about Quinn's visit was his presence. After they chatted, Quinn hung out in Cleveland's dugout.

"He's easy to connect with," Francona said. "And that to me is a big compliment. You walk in and sit in somebody's dugout where you've never been before and there's 40 people there that you don't know. And he was fine.

"Guys that have that quality where they can fit in with everybody gives you an advantage for when you're coaching because that's part of and of leading is connecting with everybody, not just people that are like you."

Quinn has leaned on that quality throughout his time in Washington -- numerous Commanders have pointed it out this season. And he relied on it to help push forward after the Super Bowl loss. Quinn's Falcons bounced back the following season, winning 10 games and earning a berth in the divisional round. But it was the beginning of the end of his time in Atlanta. The Falcons missed the playoffs in 2018 and 2019 after consecutive 7-9 records. After the 0-5 start in 2020, Quinn was driving to Blank's house.

"The first thing I felt going back home after that is an immense let down of people," Quinn said of the firing. "I still wanted to deliver a championship for [Blank]."

Though Quinn used the Super Bowl loss to examine in-game strategies, it was the firing that drove him most. Not out of spite, he said, but out of a desire to avoid ever being in that situation again.

"He spent two days feeling sorry for himself and then went to work," one person close to him said. "He reinvented himself."

ONE PHRASE BECAME Quinn's north star as he began his journey toward his next head coaching gig.

"If I get another chance ..."

The transformation began with a phone call to Fox NFL sideline reporter Laura Okmin, who runs a business that helps coaches and athletes with communication and leadership skills.

"I wasn't going to just rinse and repeat," Quinn said. "I didn't get fired because it was going great. So I said, 'OK, that's a call to order for me. What needs to change?' It wasn't about an ultimatum to myself, 'I have to do it.' It would've been easy not to do it for sure."

Quinn, who had worked with Okmin in the past, underwent a 360 review. Quinn provided her with names of people whom he'd cut, fired or passed over for a job. Okmin spoke to between 30 to 40 of them for anonymous feedback to uncover what she called his blind spots -- areas for improvement.

Okmin had offered Quinn the service when he was ready. Now, he was.

"I wish he would have taken a month [to recover]," Okmin said, "but for Dan a week or two is a month. That's a lot of time for him."

The 360 review can be a difficult process, and is not for everyone, Okmin told ESPN. She has done them for a handful of coaches; many more have expressed interest but didn't follow through.

"This is hard," she said. "You hear everything that is said [about you]."

But Quinn was game.

"I wasn't going to be the victim," he said.

Among the findings from Okmin's review: Quinn needed to better develop his assistants. He needed to stop spreading himself too thin. He needed a stronger succession plan on his offensive staff in case coaches left for other jobs -- something he lacked in Atlanta. It also called for him to delegate more.

"He's always had that growth mentality, but the older he's gotten the growth accelerated more," Okmin said. "I don't know if he would have done this [review] five or 10 years before, but that intersection for him was such a meaningful and purposeful one and he squeezed it."

Four years later, at his introductory news conference with Washington, Quinn referenced the review's influence, saying he'd try to do too much in Atlanta and vowing he'd change with the Commanders.

"That's why I'll lean on [general manager] Adam [Peters] so hard," he said.

BEFORE HE WAS a head coach, Quinn made a name for himself as one of the best defensive coordinators in the NFL with the Seattle Seahawks in 2013 and 2014, the architect of the "Legion of Boom" defense.

After being fired in Atlanta, Quinn was the Cowboys defensive coordinator from 2021 to 2023, where he began to implement his vision for developing assistants. The biggest beneficiary was passing game coordinator and secondary coach Joe Whitt Jr., whom Quinn eventually brought to Washington as his defensive coordinator.

Last year, Quinn had Whitt coordinate the defense -- a rare responsibility for someone at his level -- while he served as the head coach of the group. Whitt visited every defensive room, not only focusing on the secondary as was the case previously. He also installed plays and presented the playbook to the entire defense. All of which, he said, "got him ready for these moments now" in Washington.

"Most pass game coordinators don't get that responsibility or opportunity," said Whitt, whose defense in Washington ranks 12th in scoring and 14th in yards this season. "It opens up the comfort level of me talking and really working with other coaches in that space and talking to other position [groups]."

Quinn's tenure with the Falcons also included offensive staff changes. After the Super Bowl loss, offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan left to become San Francisco's head coach and took four assistants -- including Mike McDaniel, who was an offensive assistant and received a promotion by joining the 49ers -- while quarterbacks coach Matt LaFleur was bypassed as his replacement and left to become the Los Angeles Rams' quarterbacks coach.

Rather than elevate from within, Quinn replaced Shanahan with Steve Sarkisian, who brought in his own offense. Two years later, Sarkisian was out and Quinn hired Dirk Koetter, who had no previous ties to the team. As a result, the players had to learn three different offenses in the span of four seasons. An offense that ranked first in points in 2016 spent the next four seasons between 10th and 16th despite having talent such as quarterback Matt Ryan and receiver Julio Jones.

In his next opportunity as head coach, Quinn realized he needed a stronger offensive staff. That way, he could better maintain continuity by promoting from within when a coordinator leaves. But to do so, he would need a deep pipeline of assistants.

In Washington, Quinn hired former Arizona Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury as offensive coordinator but also mixed in proven veteran coaches such as Anthony Lynn to handle the run game duties and Brian Johnson the pass game duties. Quinn retained Tavita Pritchard as the quarterbacks coach and hired David Blough as his assistant. If someone leaves, Quinn has choices to promote from within.

"That was part of the reason of having a big, deep staff here," Quinn said.

Commanders linebacker Bobby Wagner, who played for Quinn in Seattle, has noticed a difference with Quinn.

"He found his voice," Wagner said. "He found what works for him.

A FEW SIMPLE words from an unlikely source changed the Cowboys' defensive fortunes under Quinn.

As part of his quest to reshape his coaching strategy, Quinn turned to the basketball world. He was friends with Marquette coach Shaka Smart, Golden State's Steve Kerr, Miami's Erik Spoelstra and Utah's Will Hardy. He has spoken often with Heat assistant Chris Quinn and, this summer, hosted Duke women's coach Kara Lawson -- a northern Virginia native and Commanders fan -- at the team facility.

After Dallas drafted Penn State's Micah Parsons -- a middle linebacker with a talent for rushing the passer -- Quinn wanted to tap into his versatility. He liked how basketball had moved toward "positionless" players, eschewing the traditional roles on the court -- 7-footers, once confined to the paint, were now playing on the perimeter like guards, and lineups didn't always feature a traditional set of two guards, two forwards and a center.

Before Parsons' first season in Dallas, Quinn asked former Milwaukee Bucks assistant Sean Sweeney how they developed two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, a 6-foot-11 forward who can play with big men inside and handle the ball outside.

Sweeney's answer: "We just have him also work with the guards."

"It was like, 'OK, I can do that,'" Quinn said.

As a result, Quinn had Parsons train with the defensive ends in addition to the linebackers. He often rushed as an end; he occasionally dropped into coverage. He was a menace as an outside rusher, but they also found other ways to unleash his talent. The Cowboys devised a package in which they used five defensive linemen with Parsons aligned as a middle linebacker. The move paid off. Parsons, being used in a variety of ways, produced a sensational rookie season. He recorded 13 sacks and finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting. With Parsons as the focal point, Dallas' defense under Quinn went from 28th in points allowed in 2020 to seventh in 2021.

Quinn developed other Dallas players in the same manner and has continued the practice in Washington. Linebacker Frankie Luvu, for example, spends time working on pass-rush drills with the ends. Some receivers work with the running backs -- notably Olamide Zaccheaus -- for a few minutes. Other times, for a changeup, Washington uses defensive ends such as 261-pound Dante Fowler Jr. as a pass-rushing defensive tackle.

Quinn has also had conversations with San Antonio Spurs general manager R.C. Buford about player development. From their talks, Quinn began getting his younger players extra training time before or after practice or, as NBA teams do, with an earlier pregame warmup. He also likes to show his teams clips of what Miami Heat assistant Chris Quinn calls "gritty, tough possessions," highlighting the mentality he wants from his players.

"While the sports are different, a lot of the concepts are the same," Chris Quinn said. "You're going to have to do hard things in order to really win.

"I remember he was discussing our clips and how those possessions directly translate or could translate to how it could be used in the football game."

The non-football coaching influences don't end there. Dan Quinn has played Lawson's 2-minute, 49-second "Handle Hard Better" speech to his Cowboys and Commanders players as well. He invited her to spend part of a day with the Commanders this summer.

"He had everybody's attention," Lawson said. "When I went into the team meeting and those guys are focused and you could tell they were locked in and hanging on what he was saying and believing in what he was saying. You can definitely feel it. I loved the feel of it. He's got great energy."

Quinn also liked Lawson's perspective on developing players. Because of his talks with her and the other basketball coaches, this year Quinn instituted a period in practice called Elevate Peak Performance. For example, some young players stay after practice for more work with assistant coaches. It's designed to give them more on-field work to develop as players at a time when the focus is on preparing for games.

"Basketball has done a really good job of development," he said. "I tried to find ways, how could we apply some of the good development that they're doing in another sport? The fact that they had done it better, I wanted to find out what could we do differently?"

Quinn's quest for knowledge wasn't limited to the hardwood. He has spoken with international cycling coaches as well as renowned rugby coach Stuart Lancaster, whom he met eight years ago at a leadership conference. Two years ago, Quinn sought advice on how to defend the Eagles' wildly successful "Tush Push."

"It's very hard to stop," Lancaster said.

Quinn says he enjoys "developing a two-way street where you get to share ideas with somebody else."

"I'm trying to apply that at a bigger level," he said. "And so a lot of it has to do with training players, developing players."

EVERY TUESDAY NIGHT, Quinn gathers his coaches via video conference with mental skills coach Russ Rausch. They focus on breathing techniques that can help in stressful situations to keep them clear-headed. They listen to messages from Rausch, with whom Quinn has worked for more than a decade.

Then they go back to work.

It's all part of Quinn's desire to develop his coaches. In some cases, it's understanding that their best way of doing something might be different than his.

"I definitely see just the intentionality of like, there's a bunch of different ways to do this," Washington's offensive pass game coordinator Brian Johnson said. "And I'm going to let you guys be who you are."

Quinn said he spoke to Rausch once a month during his first season with the Falcons. But this is the first time he has had his staff do weekly sessions.

"I would say I'm really aware of how important development is to players and to coaches," Quinn said. "I knew the benefit. And so having a way to do it as a group would be impactful."

Quinn's emphasis on development was apparent to those on the outside as well. When Smart visited the team in May, he marveled at the intentionality with which Quinn operated.

"I just was like, 'Wow,' this is pretty impressive for the head coach to be focusing so much on the personal and professional growth of his guys," Smart said.

Quinn's push for growth for himself and his team has come at the right time for a franchise looking to forge a new identity under new ownership.

Fowler also played for Quinn in Atlanta and Dallas before coming to the Commanders. For him, Quinn's evolution couldn't be more clear.

"He's still the same person. Still the same guy," Fowler said. "Thank god he just learned from that situation [in Atlanta]."

Thomas made his first Wales start against Australia in the summer series at fly-half.

He is now wearing the 12 jersey, something he admits he is "pretty comfortable" in, given the familiarity of the backline.

"I think I have played with Max (Llewellyn) plenty of times and then obviously Chicken (Gareth Anscombe) and Tommo (Tomos Williams) are ex-Cardiff players, that definitely helped the transition a little bit," he said.

Australia fielded a new look back line against England, including their newest superstar Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii who impressed on his debut since transferring from rugby league.

Reports suggest Suaalii will be on the bench in Cardiff with Samu Kerevi back in the Wallabies' starting midfield.

Thomas says Suaalii "probably showed just what class of athlete he is".

"I have watched a lot of him playing with the Roosters, so I knew a fair bit about him already," added Thomas, who says Wales will have a plan for the former rugby league star if he takes the field on Saturday.

Thomas added: "It's on us to limit his time and space."

England eased past hosts Greece 3-0 in their Nations League match on Thursday to go top of their Group B2 and head into their last matchday against Ireland playing for promotion.

Goals from Ollie Watkins, an own goal by the Greeks and a late flick from Curtis Jones on his debut gave England a comfortable victory and put them on 12 points from five matches.

They are ahead of Greece, who beat them 2-1 in London last month, on goal difference.

Watkins tapped in for the lead in the seventh minute after a cutback from Noni Madueke, who was making his first England start.

The visitors flew to Greece without nine players -- including Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka, Cole Palmer and Trent Alexander-Arnold -- who pulled out of interim boss Lee Carsley's squad due to injuries.

They had to soak up some pressure from the hosts in the second half before Jude Bellingham made sure of the win with a shot that bounced off the post then the back of keeper Odisseas Vlachodimos for an own goal in the 78th minute.

Jones added a third four minutes later with a cheeky flick as England carved out an advantage over Greece ahead of their last game against Ireland on Sunday.

The Greeks are second after their first loss in the campaign and travel to Finland for their last match. The top team wins promotion while the second-placed finisher goes into a playoff.

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Buffalo Bills wide receiver Amari Cooper expressed optimism about his ability to play in Sunday's significant AFC clash against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Asked Thursday whether he thinks he's heading towards playing on Sunday (4:25 p.m. ET, CBS), Cooper said, "Yeah, I do."

Cooper sustained a left wrist injury in the team's Week 8 win over the Seattle Seahawks while blocking. He has missed the last two games with the injury and has been listed as limited in practice ever since. The wide receiver did catch passes from quarterback Josh Allen in a routes-on-air drill during practice on Thursday, a step forward.

"Definitely feeling better. Definitely more comfortable," Cooper said. "So, just ready to play football again."

Cooper, whom the Bills traded for prior to Week 7, said that he would play with the cast he has been wearing. He said that he doesn't feel pain catching the ball, but "just got to get used to catching the ball with it."

Bills coach Sean McDermott has already ruled out rookie wide receiver Keon Coleman, who will miss a second straight game with a wrist injury. Tight end Dalton Kincaid (knee) and right tackle Spencer Brown (ankle) have yet to practice this week.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- The world's tallest teenager might have to wait a year to become the world's tallest college basketball player.

Florida coach Todd Golden said Thursday that Olivier Rioux, a 7-foot-9 freshman who owns a spot in the Guinness record book, is planning to redshirt. Had the popular Canadian played in even one game, he would have burned one of his four seasons of college eligibility.

Instead, Rioux will spend the 2024-25 season practicing with teammates and honing his skills -- and will still be a freshman next fall.

"I should have made that clear [before]," Golden said. "Honestly, it's put him in a tough situation. He's sitting over there at the end of games and everybody's yelling at him and trying to get him out there. They just hadn't understood that that was our potential plan for him.

"So that's where we're at at this moment. I'm not saying that's 100% going to be the plan. We'll continue to talk to him and see if he changes what he wants to do. But as of right now, that's the plan that we're going to have with him as we move forward."

Florida students chanted for "Oli" in both of the team's home games so far this season. Golden otherwise emptied the bench in the final minutes of an 86-62 victory over Grambling State on Monday night and even said a few words to Rioux during the chaotic scene.

"I was just explaining to him, 'Hey, the reason why I'm not putting you in right now is what we've talked about a little bit,'" Golden said. "This wasn't a choice that I made for him. This is something that people [from] our program have talked with him and his family and his parents, his AAU coach and just kind of trying to figure out what the best route for him is.

"I just went up to him, and I was like, 'Hey, I'm not trying to be disrespectful with you. I'm just not trying to burn your year putting you in for 30 seconds.'"

Rioux handled the decision well, Golden said.

"He's a great kid, and he's a pleaser," Golden said. "He wants to do what others think is best for him. And he's coachable. Again, if this is what our staff, his parents, the people around him that care about him think is best, I think he's going to be comfortable. Ultimately, it's his decision. But I think that's where he'll land."