Atlanta Falcons: Getting to know the coaching staff for 2015

Kyle Shanahan, Offensive Coordinator

Jun 17, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan coaches during minicamp at Falcons Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Much like Quinn, Kyle Shanahan has never known anything other than football. he was a former college wide receiver for Texas before becoming a graduate assistant for UCLA just one year removed from his playing days. And just five years later he became the offensive coordinator of the Houston Texans in 2008.

After spending a season in Houston, Shanahan accepted a job to be the OC for the Washington Redskins where he coached for three years. Shanahan then moved on to the Cleveland Browns in 2014 and now finds himself with the Atlanta Falcons.

At just 35 years old, Shanahan is one of the youngest offensive minds in the NFL and was the youngest ever OC in league history. Kyle is the son of longtime head coach, Mike Shanahan and coached under his father while with the Redskins.

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Shanahan brings a much different offensive scheme to the Falcons. He will feature the Falcons’ running backs a lot more often than previous Falcons coordinators and has been very successful through that. Shanahan has been credited with building young running backs into great offensive threats including Alfred Morris and Isaiah Crowell.

Shanahan will implement a zone blocking scheme which almost always leads to a lot of success out of the running back position. He isn’t known for a ton of throwing plays, but with a roster with players such as Matt Ryan and Julio Jones, that won’t be a problem. Think back to the offense Ryan ran in his first few years in the league with him and running back Michael Turner.

Shanahan has yet to become an NFL head coach, but that may soon be in his horizon so his time with the Falcons may be short.