The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Staff changes require adjustment
Training camp not just for players: Falcons hired or reassigned several coaches during the offseason.
The FLOWERY BRANCH — biggest question for the Fal
cons entering the 2017 season is not who’s going to play right guard.
It’s how coach Dan Quinn’s revamped coaching staff will perform for the defending NFC champions.
Quinn fired defensive coordinator Richard Smith after the Super Bowl in February
and offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, who directed the high-powered offense last season, accepted a sixyear deal to become the San Francisco 49ers’ head coach.
Marquand Manuel was promoted to replace Smith
and Steve Sarkisian took over Shanahan’s old spot. Both are first-time NFL coordinators and must figure out if they are going to call games from the sidelines or the booth, but Quinn is confident the moves will work and the Falcons will continue to flourish in his third season at the helm.
Quinn has a philosophical bond with Manuel and linebackers coach Jeff Ulbrich. “Those two really have a special role with me,” he said. “I’ve known both of them a very long time. I’ve coached with them a long time and
over the last two years those guys have coached together in 43 games. They know this system inside out. We really lean on their expertise.”
Also, Bryant Young was hired to replace Bryan Cox as the defensive line coach. Former Georgia high school coaching legend Jess Simpson (seven state titles) was added to the staff.
“This is not my defense; it’s our defense,” Manuel said. “It’s not about one guy. It’s not about one player. It’s not about one coach. If you get anything from the man who runs this building, it’s about our brotherhood, and that’s what you’re going to see us go after.”
Doug Mallory was promoted to defensive backs coach, replacing Manuel, and Jerome Henderson was named the pass-defense coordinator.
“Jerome Henderson has such a unique role for us
because of his experience as a teacher,” Quinn said. “He played just about every position defensively that you can. I don’t think he’s big enough to play on the defensive line, but he played dime, played inside, played safety, played
corner and played nickel. He’s one of the best teachers I’ve been around.”
The Falcons must improve dramatically on defense.
rely on him quite a bit for tackling, turnovers, technique stuff,” Quinn said. “We are comfortable with the process after three years of being together. Certainly, with Manuel, Ulbrich and myself.”
During the exhibition season, Manuel will determine if he wants to call plays from the sideline or from upstairs.
“We’re going to go through it a little bit like I did, where he’s going to try both in the (exhibition) season and then we’ll make a determination after that,” Quinn said. “In the first game, he’ll be up, and then we’ll try another one down. (There’s) a little bit of time for me to experiment with it.”
Smith called his games from upstairs. Quinn, a former defensive coordinator, has called games from upstairs and along the sideline.
“It’s a little bit on feel, from up top where you have certain strengths to where you’re on the field,” Quinn said. “We’re really fortunate to have a staff that’s adaptable to go either way with that.”
Cornerback Desmond Trufant said he believes Manuel, his former position coach, will do well.
“He’s got the same passion, maybe even more,” Trufant said. “He always kind of had a leader mentality in our room anyway. He’s just transitioned into coaching the whole defense now. I’m happy he’s moving up. We have big things ahead.”
After a rocky season in 2015, Shanahan and quar- terback Matt Ryan got on the same page and the offense took off last season. The Falcons and Ryan put up dazzling numbers, which included leading the league in scoring and tossing touch- down passes to 13 receivers.
“My goal was to come in and get comfortable with what they have done,” Sarkisian said. “A lot of what they have done, for the Falcons, really sat well with me because I’ve done a lot of it in my past. “Then it was wanting to really incorporate some of the things that I thought could help the offense grow. Then getting the guys on offense and the rest of the staff to feel comfortable with those things. I think all in all it’s gone very well.”
All of the key weapons return, as the team has to replace only right guard Chris Chester and fullback Patrick DiMarco.
Sarkisian, who last was in the NFL in 2004 as a quar- terbacks coach, has to keep the attack humming along.
“It was important that we had a philosophy in place of things that we want to do,” Quinn said. “That’s import
ant for (general manager) Thomas Dimitroff and his group to know what are we scouting for. The scheme wasn’t going to change from coordinator to coordinator. It was going to stay very con- sistent.”
Sarkisian won’t be handcuffed. There is room for tweaking and improvement.
The Falcons need to come up with a better plan in short-yardage situations, get the tight ends more involved and figure out how to uti- lize Pro Bowl wide receiver Julio Jones’ immense tal
ents inside the opposition’s 20-yard line.
“Now, that doesn’t mean that here is the playbook and you just run it in the same exact fashion,” Quinn said. “Over this camp, I can’t wait for Sark to see how he wants to feature the players.”
The Falcons like secondyear tight end Austin Hooper and drafted pass-catcher Eric Saubert after re-signing Levine Toilolo.
“We’ve added even some more tight ends in the mix,” Quinn said. “That part, I’m anxious for him to put his own flair on it. He under- stands the style after being
with me over six months of how we want to play.”
Sarkisian appears to be blending in well with the offensive players. “Sark is a fun guy,” wide receiver Mohamed Sanu said. “Loose. Lets us be ourselves. He knows our strengths and is trying to get us better at our weaknesses.” One big loss for the Falcons was running backs coach Bobby Turner, who joined Shanahan in San Francisco and is widely considered one of the top running backs coaches in the league. He made his name with Denver, regularly churning out 1,000-yard backs while on Mike Shanahan’s staff. He worked wonders with Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman last season, as they combined to rush for 1,599 yards, 85 receptions, 883 receiving yards and 24 touchdowns. Turner was replaced by Keith Carter, who was the assistant offensive line coach for the past two seasons. Carter played tight end, “H” back and fullback at UCLA. He has held several assistant coaching positions for NCAA teams and served as offensive quality-control coach with the Seahawks for two seasons before joining the Falcons. “I’m excited for Keith Carter moving over to running backs,” Quinn said. “He’s another one who I feel is a terrific teacher.” The offseason was important for the staff to bond and get on the same page while not under fire in games. “We’ve spent a lot of time together this spring,” Quinn said. “(We have) our own standard of how we want to hold each other accountable to make sure we’re doing everything we can. By the time the players get the ball on Sunday, they’ve gotten our best as well.”
‘It was important that we had a (coaching) philosophy in place of things that we want to do . ... The scheme wasn’t going to change from coordinator to coordinator. It was going to stay very consistent.’ Dan Quinn Falcons head coach