Atlanta Falcons: Three reasons to ease off Dan Quinn

The Atlanta Falcons have lost five straight, but it’s time to ease off head coach Dan Quinn.

The perception of NFL rookie head coaches in this era of football has changed dramatically. Depending on the name, the pedigree, and/or the resume of the hired coach, most feel that instant success is inevitable for the most part.

For Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn, having the notch on his belt as being the defensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks in recent seasons as well as the coaches he previously worked under has masked the fact that this is Quinn’s first head coaching gig at any level.

Not to mention the 5-0 start didn’t do any justice as well. At 6-6, the wheels are falling off in Atlanta. While DQ may get some of the blame, he doesn’t deserve all of it. Here are three reasons why the spotlight on Dan Quinn may be a little unfair at this juncture.

Rookie head coaches often struggle early

Littered throughout the history of the NFL are first time head coaches who have gotten off on the wrong foot in their initial season. Case in point, Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera started off 13-19 in his first two seasons which sparked a fan base to become impatient and call for a replacement.

Rivera just proceeded to earn a playoff berth for three straight seasons. Bill Belichick, Marvin Lewis, Mike Shanahan, Bill Walsh and Marv Levy are just a few coaches who have started their initial NFL gigs with early struggles yet proceeded to earn success later down the line. Sure, there have been rookie coaches with winning records their first season. Somehow, the benchmark is set when it’s really difficult to accomplish.

He needs time for his detailed schemes

These are not your run-of-the-mill schemes Atlanta is operating. The zone-blocking scheme requires athletic lineman, receivers who have the ability to block effectively and solid route running skills, quarterbacks with some ounce of mobility for play action passes/rollouts, and running backs with sharp vision. Sorry to break the news but Atlanta doesn’t have all of that just yet.

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For the “4-3 under” scheme, it also requires specific skill sets: Rangy free safeties, corners with coverage flexibility, athletic linebackers, sound defensive lineman with specific roles. Again, Atlanta doesn’t have all of that. To expect Quinn and the Falcons to have consistent success without the right players is “expectations” bound to disappoint.

Quinn is only a coach

While Quinn has set standards for his Falcons team, Quinn can’t play the game for them. Quinn doesn’t fumble. He doesn’t throw red-zone interceptions. He doesn’t drop passes. He doesn’t miss tackles. He doesn’t provide pressure with no sacks to show for. He doesn’t produce drive-killing penalties.

Quinn can only tell the players how to execute. In actuality, even with the team voided of considerable talent, he has put most players in positions to garner success. It’s up to the players to want it.

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