Trading Mohamed Sanu means time is up for Dan Quinn

If the writing for Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn wasn’t on the wall before, it sure is now. At this point, his firing is a matter of when not if.

And the Atlanta Falcons larger brass made that loud and clear with the trading of Mohamed Sanu. At this point, Dan Quinn has tried and failed two goals. Not only has he foolishly tried to wear two hats simultaneously in the National Football League, but before then he tried to recreate the Legion of Boom.

Quinn drafted his guys. He went speed oversize. He went with length at the cornerback over speed. He took athletic defensive ends over proven vets. And where has that gotten Atlanta? I mean, let’s take a second to look at the failed draft capital.

Vic Beasley, Takk McKinley, Jalen Collins (the guy who could not get suspended) Duke Riley, De’Vondre Campbell (at least he registers on the stat sheet).  See a trend here? All defensive guys who Quinn wanted. Two of them aren’t even on the team anymore, and one of them is on the trading block.

Quinn- rightfully so or not- was given complete control of this roster. He got the pieces he wanted and it hasn’t led to the on-field success that Arthur Blank or the fans want and deserve.

Now, the team is forced to sell off assets on the offensive side of the ball to allow the next guy in charge to build the team his way. Losing Sanu won’t hurt this year. There was nothing he could’ve done to save this team’s sinking playoff hopes.

If anything it opens the door for the younger guys like Russell Gage to get more in-game experience. And sadly Justin Hardy too if he must.

But Quinn’s time as coach and architect has officially ended. Sanu is just the first in what should be a fire sale for Atlanta. A second-round pick is a solid value. The only downside, comes from the Patriots who are still undefeated. Meaning it’ll be in the back half of that draft.

Lest we not forget, the Falcons gave up their second-round pick last year to move back into the first round and get a guy they could’ve easily waited for. If the Falcons don’t make that same mistake they will have at least three, early-round picks to either trade for a proven player or give their new coach a chance to build the team his way.

And whether it comes at the bye week or last week, Quinn’s time in Atlanta is over.