Atlanta Falcons need to move on from Dan Quinn to succeed

Atlanta Falcons

After falling to 1-3 on the year, the Atlanta Falcons must face reality and accept that Dan Quinn is no longer the answer as their head coach.

We’re not even to October yet and the Atlanta Falcons’ season is done. Yes, they are still mathematically in the mix to make the NFC playoffs, but at 1-3 after a disastrous start to the 2019 campaign, this should not be acceptable for owner Arthur Blank and the Falcons fan base. The Dan Quinn era has run its course and needs to end sooner rather than later.

When Atlanta parted ways with longtime head coach Mike Smith after the 2014 NFL season, the Falcons had their pick of the litter when it came to choosing his successor. Blank and general manager Thomas Dimitroff decided on the former Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator Quinn, who had been a huge reason behind the Legion of Boom’s success in the Pacific Northwest.

While the Falcons did have success during Quinn’s earlier years in Atlanta, which included an NFC Championship in 2016, the Falcons have been nothing short of massively disappointing since 2018. Atlanta had Super Bowl expectations last fall but fell into a 7-9 record thanks to a myriad of injuries on defense and questionable play-calling by former offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian.

This past offseason saw a ton of changes to the Atlanta coaching staff. All three coordinators were fired and Quinn was kept on as head coach. He assumed defensive play-calling responsibilities from his disciple Marquand Manuel. Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Dirk Koetter came back to Atlanta to replace Sarkisian. Ben Kotwica replaced Keith Armstrong on special teams.

The thought was that Atlanta had drafted very well and excelled in terms of team building. This is still probably true, as Dimitroff is seen as one of the better general managers in the NFL. Blank has been one of the better professional sports owners in the last decade. He runs the Falcons and Atlanta United FC as first-class franchises. His Mercedes-Benz Stadium is a sports cathedral.

However, for whatever reason, the Falcons continue to look soft and uninteresting on the gridiron. They’ll give up big play after big play on defense and will turn the ball over at the worst possible time on offense. Now we’re starting to see issues pop up on special teams and you’ve got no choice, but to be critical of the coaching staff.

Atlanta has one win on the year, and the Falcons could have easily lost that Sunday Night Football affair with the Philadelphia Eagles. Losing is part of the game, as everybody loses every so often. But it is in the manner that the Falcons are losing this year under Quinn that is signifying his time in Flowery Branch should be coming to a close.

The Falcons were humiliated on the road in Week 1 to the Minnesota Vikings in a game where Kirk Cousins attempted 10 passes. Last week on the road against the Indianapolis Colts saw Atlanta fall into a dreadful 20-3 hole at halftime. Atlanta trailed the also struggling Tennessee Titans 24-7 at home at halftime. The Falcons were wearing their black retro throwback jerseys, what gives?

Well, when you turn the ball over downs three times, fumble the ball once and miss a chip-shot field goal, of course, you’re not going to beat the Titans in your building! If you can’t stop beating yourself, then you stand no chance at beating anybody in this league. Matt Ryan threw for over 345 yards at home on Sunday and the Falcons still lost by multiple scores. Just flat-out terrible.

The self-inflicted punishments and poor decision-making are ruining what could have been a contender in the NFC. Instead, Blank must face the man in the mirror and accept that Quinn’s clichés and copycatting Pete Carroll’s ways have to come to an end. The sooner Atlanta realizes that Quinn isn’t the answer, the better. Uncle Arthur, this team and fanbase deserve better.

Veterans Advantage, Inc.

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