Falcons Must Replace Sarkisian To Redeem Super Bowl Aspirations
The Atlanta Falcons led the NFL in almost every category on offense in 2016.
Former Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan looked like a genius throughout the team’s magical 2016 season that led them to a Super Bowl appearance.
After blowing a 25-point lead to the eventual champion New England Patriots, Shanahan abandoned his roll as Falcons coordinator to become the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers.
As a result, the Falcons hired Alabama offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian.
I had my doubts with the hiring of Sarkisian, and now, he is on the hot seat.
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The team stands at a mediocre 3-3 after a hot 3-0 start. These three losses have all come from AFC East teams.
Sarkisian has turned arguably the best offense in football into a complete disaster.
The team is not executing in the red zone and three-and-outs have become a brutal trend for the Falcons offense.
Sarkisian has one of the best running back duos in the NFL in Falcons’ Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman.
Instead of using these guys in the trenches, Sarkisian is resorting to play calling that ends up with Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan over throwing receivers.
Let’s not forget that we’re working with the best receiver in football in Atlanta’s Julio Jones.
Jones only has one touchdown this season, which came late in the second-half of this last week’s 23-7 loss to New England.
Sarkisian should be using Jones as a focal point on offense to keep the chains moving and so it will eventually revert the Falcons back to being the team that scores 30 points per game.
I understand that Sarkisian comes from a run-savvy offense at Alabama but those schemes at the college level don’t translate well to the pros.
You don’t call reverse-sweep plays when you’re on the one-yard line on 4th & 1 in the NFL.
If the Falcons decide to keep Sarkisian moving forward, their chances of returning to the playoffs, much less the Super Bowl, are slim.
The offense will continue to struggle under his leadership.
Prior to Julio Jones’ touchdown against New England, the Falcons hadn’t scored since the second quarter of last week’s loss to the Miami Dolphins.
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Whatever silver lining the team sees in Sarkisian, if he remains with the team moving forward, he must return to the basic fundamentals that made up the team’s success last season.