Dan Quinn (given another year) to fix Falcons

[Jamaaliver]

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Can Falcons rebound from 1-7 start to save Dan Quinn's job?

The Falcons, now 3-7, certainly have landed a few uppercuts after the bye -- putting together a two-game winning streak against the mighty New Orleans Saints (8-2) and struggling Carolina Panthers (5-5) without allowing a touchdown. The sudden surge has pleased owner Arthur Blank, who praised the coaches and players for correcting some of the glaring issues.

But it’s too early to say if the sudden surge is enough to save coach Dan Quinn’s job, with so much more to accomplish over the next six weeks. Quinn, who wore quite a smile after Sunday's win, isn’t focused on his job status. The players certainly want to win for him and for themselves.

It’s still a long shot for the Falcons to become the first-ever team to rebound from a 1-7 start to make the playoffs. In fact, no team in the Super Bowl era has ever recovered from such a start to boast a winning record, according to ESPN Stats & Info.

Could the 3-7 Falcons run the table? The odds are against them with 9-1 San Francisco and 8-2 New Orleans remaining on the schedule, although the Falcons already obliterated the Saints, 26-9 in New Orleans. Next up is 3-7 Tampa Bay at home Sunday.

...it’s been the rejuvenated defense that has sparked the turnaround. The Falcons have 13 sacks, 25 quarterback hits and four interceptions over the last three games while not allowing a touchdown since DK Metcalf's 2-yard touchdown reception from Russell Wilson 27 before halftime of Seattle’s 27-20 win over the Falcons in Week 8.

Now, the Falcons have to keep the momentum going. Finishing with the best record in the division doesn’t mean they’ll be in the playoff picture. In 2014, they finished 5-1 in the NFC South but 6-10 overall with no postseason. That year, Carolina won the division at 7-8-1 and 4-2.

ESPN

[Jamaaliver]

Exit Interview: Atlanta Falcons

Heading into the season, the Falcons thought they were contenders. Now they’re headed for a top-five pick and salary cap hell



What Went Right

Not much went right for this team.

Even the Falcons’ positives require asterisks. Tight end Austin Hooper was the team’s breakout player and the no. 1 fantasy football tight end with 608 yards and six touchdowns in nine games (before injuring his MCL in early November). Younghoe Koo might be the best onside-kick specialist in the league after making three successful ones in a row on Thanksgiving. Defensive tackle Grady Jarrett is one of the top-graded interior defenders by Pro Football Focus and has 5.5 sacks, on pace for a career high since entering the league in 2015.

What Went Wrong

No team has a greater gap between who they thought they were and who they really are than the Atlanta Falcons. Entering this year, GM Thomas Dimitroff and owner Arthur Blank thought the Falcons could contend. Atlanta spent more than $250 million in cash to sign players to contracts and contract extensions this offseason, the most in the league. That’s actual money spent, not the accounting figures involved with the salary cap. Cap-wise the Falcons nearly maxed out; in exchange, they’re 3-9—the same record as the Dolphins, and dead last in the NFC South for the first time since 2007.

• Quarterback Matt Ryan looked lost under pressure, best exemplified by a Thanksgiving loss to the Saints in which he was sacked nine times and turned it over three times. Ryan has been sacked on nearly 8 percent of his dropbacks, the highest rate of his career. He’s thrown interceptions on nearly 3 percent of his dropbacks, his highest rate since 2009.
• Receiver Julio Jones has just 86 receiving yards per game, his fewest since 2012.
• Jones is also in the middle of yet another touchdown drought, as he’s been without a score for eight games.
• Running back Devonta Freeman doesn’t have a rushing touchdown this season, though he had three receiving scores before suffering a foot sprain in early November
• Atlanta’s offense leads the league in one category: pass attempts. That’s because the Falcons defense is so bad they have been playing from behind all season
• The Falcons defense has allowed a score on nearly 46 percent of their drives, a higher rate than every team except Miami
• Atlanta has just 18 sacks on the year, and a third of them came in one win against the Saints. The Falcons don’t have one above-average pass rusher on the roster.

Every facet of this team was a disaster, and the blame falls primarily on head coach Dan Quinn, who fired his offensive, defensive, and special teams coordinator last year but retained his own job. As the Football Outsiders’ 2019 almanac notes, it’s just the ninth time a team has retained its coach while firing all three coordinators. It’s highly unlikely Quinn returns if Atlanta finishes last in the division.

If Quinn shares the blame for this team’s failure with anyone, it’s general manager Thomas Dimitroff, who has locked the Falcons into their current team. As bad as Atlanta’s year was, the team won’t be able to do much to fix things in free agency.

The Draft

No team needs to win the Chase Young sweepstakes quite like Atlanta. The Falcons have one of the worst pass rushes in the league. Beasley and Clayborn are likely gone in March, and the Falcons have virtually no money to acquire a veteran pass rusher to replace them. They need to draft someone stat, but their draft history is suspect.

Ohio State’s Chase Young looks as close to bust-proof as it gets for a defensive end, though the Falcons may not be in range to get him if they don’t end up with a top-three pick. At that point the Falcons could reach for the next-best pass rusher (perhaps Iowa’s A.J. Epenesa or Notre Dame’s Julian Okwara) or add a third Alabama receiver to their roster after Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley (Bama’s Jerry Jeudy might be the best receiving prospect since Jones), but they’d likely be better off trading down.

Yes, they have Matt Ryan, but this season showed how valuable having a second quarterback is. Teams don’t reach the top five in the draft often, and Atlanta may not get a better chance to replace Ryan for years.

The Ringer

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[HMFFL]

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I expect him and TD to keep their jobs. I'd prefer TD to be removed as our GM because I'm tired of us drafting small school talent.
Quinn will be back unless we find an upgrade and I doubt that will happen. Our salary cap "hell" won't be appealing to highend coaches.

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[Jamaaliver]

Too little, too late?

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[Jamaaliver]

I don't believe Mr. Blank will make a bold move and remove Quinn of the position so I will need to see that happen first.

You called this, HMFFL.

I thought DQ was a goner.

I don't love the decision...but i do understand it. The team didn't quit on Quinn, and there didn't seem to be an obvious, can't-miss upgrade available.

Falcons to bring back Dan Quinn, Thomas Dimitroff for 2020 season despite 2019 disappointment

There will be no coaching or GM change in Atlanta

There will be no sweeping changes within the Atlanta Falcons organization in 2020, despite the disappointment that came attached to the 2019 season. The team has announced it will retain both head coach Dan Quinn and general manager Thomas Dimitroff following the team's final regular season game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 17.

This comes on the heels of a 6-9 record heading into Central Florida on Sunday, with owner Arthur Blank now making good on his continued commitment throughout the season in Quinn and Dimitroff. They entered the 2019 season with high expectations, but lost six straight after a 1-1 start. This led many to believe Quinn's coaching seat was white-hot, and the same goes for the one beneath Dimitroff, but Blank often swatted away insinuations he'd fire either.

Quinn also retained play-calling duties on defense and, to his credit, was able to rally a downtrodden Falcons club to five wins in their last seven games, and that includes dismantling the high-powered Saints in New Orleans as well as an upset of the equally potent San Francisco 49ers.

That may all have truly been the beginning of Blank feeling good about the future of Quinn and Dimitroff alike, and it bought them at least one more season to get the Falcons back to The Promised Land.

The team also named Raheem Morris as defensive coordinator, and with one small change, both Quinn and Dimitroff will report directly to team CEO Rich McKay -- as opposed to Blank.

CBS Sports

[Jamaaliver]

Statement from Mr. Blank:

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[HMFFL]

Blank gives to many chances. No heat on Thomas?
I

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[HMFFL]

I hope this doesn't heat up...........

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports the Panthers "hope" to speak with Patriots OC Josh McDaniels about their coaching vacancy.

Still in search of a replacement for Ron Rivera, the Panthers have already met twice with former Packers coach Mike McCarthy and are also hoping for sit-downs with McDaniels and Baylor coach Matt Rhule. McDaniels fared disastrously in his first head-coaching stint with Denver nearly a decade ago and famously left Indy at the altar in 2018. Even with those red flags to answer for, McDaniels continues to draw widespread interest. Maybe McDaniels envisions himself as Bill Belichick's eventual successor or perhaps Tom Brady's decline has him thinking of a future outside New England. Either way, the 43-year-old will certainly be a name to monitor as the coaching carousel kicks into high gear.

RELATED: 

Carolina Panthers

SOURCE: Ian Rapoport on Twitter

Dec 29, 2019, 8:24 AM ET



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[Jamaaliver]

Blank gives to many chances. No heat on Thomas?

I get the feeling both guys are on their last chance. Anything less than a deep playoff run next year likely ends in Falcons cleaning house and both being removed.

I don't love it, but I understand it from an operations perspective.

(And the fact that Quinn will report to Rich McKay instead of Blank moving forward tells me that emotion won't play a role in AB's decision-making next season.)

Quinn and Dimitroff will enter a prove-it year in 2020 with the goal of showing Blank’s gamble will pay off. There will be an added dynamic, with president and CEO Rich McKay overseeing Quinn and Dimitroff, which adds a layer between the previous working relationship in which the two reported directly to Blank...it’s clear Quinn and Dimitroff will be under the microscope when the next season kicks off.

The Athletic

[Kerisun]

Everyone is disappointed with the start to the season. We must win this week and get something going.

[Jamaaliver]

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What Happens Now in Atlanta?

What is happening with the Falcons right now is something dark and otherworldly

Since 2017, the franchise has known little but pain. Following a stunning loss to the Bears, the Falcons have now blown 16- and 19-point leads in consecutive games...There is not a lead this team can hold right now that is big enough to provide even a modicum of security.

The question is: What happens now?

The Buccaneers and Saints are among the most talented rosters in football. The Falcons should be in the thick of things, but instead they are, as they have been, buried beneath their own past. It’s a club in a strange position. Matt Ryan is an elite quarterback entering the final quadrant of his career. Julio Jones is 31, but with a lifetime of brutal, physical football in his past. Quinn, like his predecessor, Mike Smith, has a winning record over a demonstrable amount of time without the Super Bowl ring to negate the moments of underperformance.

Behind the scenes, Quinn has meant a great deal to the organization and some of its most important players. But now the spotlight is on owner Arthur Blank, who has to decide if the long-deserved tailwind is on its way to erase all of these painful defeats. Or if, as cold as it sounds, sometimes a team can just be inexplicably, irreversibly cursed.

[Jamaaliver]

Deja vu all over again

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[atlantabbq99]

Keep Quinn and let him finish the year. Falcons need to end 0-16 so we can get Trevor Lawrence!

[HMFFL]

Deja vu all over again

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But, Quinn is a defensive Coach.
We have become a circus.

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