Atlanta Falcons: The future of Kyle Shanahan and Thomas Dimitroff

Dec 13, 2015; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (1) and quarterback Matt Ryan (2) talk after the game at Bank of America Stadium. Panthers win 38-0. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports

The Atlanta Falcons host the Carolina Panthers in Week 16. We spoke with Aaron Freeman of FalcFans ahead of the game.

The Atlanta Falcons return to the Georgia Dome after a three-game road stretch to take on the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers enter this game on the back of 17 straight regular season wins, dating back to 2014. Can they finally give the Panthers a loss on the season?

I spoke with Aaron Freeman, founder of FalcFans. FalcFans is a great site with excellent Falcons coverage, and is well worth checking out if you haven’t already. Freeman gives us his take on the Falcons season, the future as well as a look ahead to this game. Here’s the five questions I asked him.

What’s your take on the Falcons’ first season under Dan Quinn? Are they a better football team than 12 months ago?

AF: Given the improvements that the defense has made coupled with my unconventional belief that the offense hasn’t taken a huge step backwards, then I’d say yes the Falcons are a better football team than they were 12 months ago. But the difference probably isn’t as stark as it appeared to be nearly three months ago when the Falcons began the season 5-0.

Next: The future of Dimitroff and Shanahan