In the third quarter of Thursday's 31-23 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, rookie wide receiver Trey Quinn hauled in his first touchdown catch of his career, a 10-yard pass from quarterback Colt McCoy that temporarily gave the Redskins the lead.
After the play, he pulled out a celebratory dance that honored one of his favorite television shows.
"Michael Scarn, from 'The Office,'" Quinn said on where he got the moves from. "I love 'The Office', I love it."
The celebration even garnered some love on Twitter from Steve Carell, the actor who portrayed Michael Scarn, and the better known Michael Scott, on the show. Like Scarn, who brought hope to the Scranton community through some heroics, Quinn was bright spot for a struggling Redskins offense on Thanksgiving. Despite his efforts coming in a loss, this year's "Mr. Irrelevant" played a big role in both the passing and punt returning game.
Looking at Quinn's stat-line, it may not seem like the SMU product had much of an impact. Finishing with five catches for 26 yards, it wasn't a monster performance by any means. However, Quinn did a lot of different things for the Washington offense, especially on a crucial drive in the third quarter.
Following a stop by the Redskins defense, Quinn returned the Cowboys punt with the team down 10-7. Fielding it cleanly and peeling towards the sideline, he returned it 30 yards and set the Washington offense up with great field position. The return was the best he had in his limited NFL action, and as he gets more familiar the role, he hopes to have more just like it.
"The key is reps right there," Quinn said about punt returning. "If I can just get more and more I'll be more comfortable with what I'm doing out there so, it just comes with time right there."
Just a few plays after the return, he found himself open in the end zone. Soon enough, he was doing "The Scarn" with his team ahead 13-10.
"It kind of was a blur. I was excited, trying to shift the crowd, shift the mojo," Quinn said. "It was almost a blur, I''ll have to go watch it back a little bit."
Quinn also showed a strong connection with quarterback Colt McCoy, though they have not had much time to build that chemistry. With Quinn missing nine weeks due to injury, and McCoy acting as the backup prior to this week, the two only had three days and a couple of walkthroughs to work together.
Still, McCoy looked for Quinn often on Thursday, targeting him six times. With injuries to other receivers, the rookie will continue to get opportunities in the passing game. Nine receptions in his last two games, Quinn is asserting himself as a viable option in the air, and gaining the trust of his signal caller.
"It's going well," Quinn said of his connection with McCoy. "I got some work in the offseason with him, went up to Austin so hopefully that'll help him out and help us. We'll get time to work on it and get better for the next game."
As Washington enters a crucial stretch of games to end the season, he could have more chances to break out another dance.
"He understands how to play in the slot. I think he's just only going to get better and better. He definitely made some plays for us today and we'll count on him more," McCoy said. "I know I will."
