Normally, an NFL team hopes to fill its coaching vacancies in a timely manner to allow its staff the most preparation possible heading into the next season. The Atlanta Falcons are not acting normally.
While no deal can officially be reached yet, due to league rules, the Falcons will all but assuredly hire Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn as their next head coach after the Super Bowl. It may not be in line with standard operating procedure to wait until February to name a head coach, but Quinn is worth the wait.
The Seahawks have finished the past two regular seasons as the NFL's top ranked defense under Quinn. They may also finish both seasons with Lombardi Trophies. Not a bad resume builder.
Of course, it will be difficult for Quinn and the Falcons to find qualified assistant coaches so late in the game. As we've seen over the past few weeks, coordinators are scrambling to get their next jobs secured as soon as possible. But Quinn fits what Atlanta is looking for too well to be hung up the fine print.
The Falcons allowed the most yards per game (417) and the 27th most points (26.1) in 2014 thanks to a nonexistent pass-rush. But fear not, Falcons fans, there are a few reasons for hope.
"It's the secondary - counter to what 279.9 passing yards per game would suggest - that offers a foundation and promise for Quinn," ESPN NFL Insider Field Yates wrote.
"The Falcons' two best defensive players are their young cornerbacks, Desmond Trufant and Robert Alford, who will enter their third year in the league in 2015. Quinn's defensive system is predicated around a Cover 3 shell, which requires his two perimeter cornerbacks to reliably handle one-third of the field apiece. This is the system in which we've seen Richard Sherman, Brandon Browner, Byron Maxwell and others excel.
"Trufant and Alford are qualified candidates to be the next rising star cornerbacks we see emerge from this scheme. Finding a center fielder-type safety is the next step for Quinn and his staff as it relates to the secondary."
The Falcons spent a lot of money in free agency last year to beef up their defensive line. Defensive tackles Paul Soliai and Tyson Jackson proved to be useful enough run stuffers. With the eighth pick in the 2015 NFL draft, Atlanta should target an edge-rusher to help get after opposing quarterbacks from the front four. If they can generate more pressure up front, and the team's young corners can continue to develop, than Quinn will have the building blocks for a decent defense.
"Ultimately, coaching hires are judged by wins and losses," Yates wrote. "By that logic, our best assessment of Quinn to Atlanta will be made down the road. But as it pertains to the areas of need in Atlanta and the team's willingness to wait on Quinn, the Falcons have taken a prudent approach as they work to find their new head coach."
