Coach Dan Quinn, left, talks with defensive end Brooks Reed during the Atlanta Falcons' road game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Oct. 7. Quinn fired his offensive, defensive and special teams coordinators early this week after a 7-9 season that left the team short of the playoffs for the first time in three years.FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. - Dan Quinn knows the 2019 season might be his last chance to get things right as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons.
He embraces what lies ahead after firing his offensive, defensive and special teams coordinators early this week. Falcons owner Arthur Blank expects the team to return to the playoffs next season, and Quinn believes he's still the man for the job.
Quinn has already interviewed two candidates for offensive coordinator and hopes to announce a hire within "one to two weeks." He will serve as his own defensive coordinator and still has the final say on all game-day and roster decisions.
"Quite honestly, you want that weight because that's what leading is," Quinn said Thursday. "I don't feel it any more now than the day I took the job, but it's part of the job that I like. I would say that. Feeling that and knowing you can count on somebody for that role, I take that responsibility really seriously."
After the Falcons went 7-9 this season to miss the playoffs for the first time in three years, Quinn dismissed offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian, defensive coordinator Marquand Manuel and special teams coordinator Keith Armstrong. The Falcons were eliminated from the playoff hunt after a five-game losing streak that began with an embarrassing blowout at Cleveland and ended Dec. 2 at Green Bay.
Sarkisian's dismissal was less surprising than Manuel's and Armstrong's, but Quinn felt the need for a big overhaul at the top of his staff. Atlanta had the NFL's fourth-best passing offense this season but finished 27th in rushing, while the defense tied for worst in third-down percentage and was eighth-worst in scoring average. The Falcons ranked 27th in punt return average.
"The thing that became clear to me in some regards is that the compass was off in terms of the identity and style that we'd like to play, so we had to reset that," Quinn said. "In order to do that, adding some new voices and some new direction is needed, and this is that time. Making changes from the coaching side is one of the toughest parts of my job."
Speaking to a roomful of media members Thursday, Quinn and Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff covered a wide range of topics:
» Wide receiver Julio Jones, a six-time Pro Bowl pick, and defensive tackle Grady Jarrett are about to get lucrative new contracts. Quinn and Dimitroff were less clear on whether the Falcons want to pick up an option on defensive end Vic Beasley Jr.'s deal.
» The team would like to re-sign running back Tevin Coleman, a valuable backup to oft-injured starter Devonta Freeman, but it is unclear how much salary cap room will be left after Jones and Jarrett re-up as expected.
» Quinn, who has the final say on football-related personnel matters, said quarterback Matt Ryan will be consulted about the offensive coordinator hire but will have no impact on the coach's decision. The Falcons will keep their outside and inside zone-blocking scheme.
» Dirk Koetter, a former Falcons offensive coordinator who worked well with Ryan, will interview this weekend after getting fired as Tampa Bay's head coach on Sunday, not long after the Falcons beat the Buccaneers 34-32 to finish the season on a three-game winning streak. Quinn also has interest in Darrell Bevell - a former offensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings and the Seattle Seahawks - and Mike Mularkey, who coordinated Atlanta's offense from 2008 to '11 and is a two-time NFL head coach with the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Tennessee Titans.
» The Falcons have fired tight ends coach Wade Harman. Armstrong and Harman were the last holdovers on staff from Quinn's predecessor, Mike Smith, who coached the Falcons from 2008 to '14.
"As I cast a wide net, you better make sure you're going through the process that you can to explore all avenues," Quinn said. "What I can say, there's a lot of people that want to be here. There were a lot of calls, I could say, of people that wanted to be part of this."