The Atlanta Falcons have officially parted ways with former head coach Dan Quinn.
The search for a new coach will begin at some point in the near future. The last time that the Atlanta Falcons were looking for a head coach, they used a search firm to hire Dan Quinn. No one knows how much money Arthur Blank dropped to use the firm, but chances are it was in the seven-figure area.
He paid outsiders to find, interview, and confirm Mike Smith 2.0, to say that was a waste of money would be an understatement.
There is no need to use such a firm this time around. There are three candidates that the Falcons should zero in on and would presumably be able to choose from any of these three. The one thing that all of these coaches have in common is that they all come from the offensive side of the football.
Under the ownership of Arthur Blank, the Atlanta Falcons have hired three defensive-minded head coach – Jim Mora Jr, Mike Smith, and Dan Quinn. The lone offensive-minded coach was Bobby Petrino, who ran out of town in the middle of the night.
Three defensive coaches have yet to get the Atlanta Falcons defense right. Does former general manager Thomas Dimitroff play a part in that? He sure did and Blank showed him the door too. Let’s not forget this was the man that drafted Peria Jerry instead of Clay Matthews.
That said, here are the three best candidates to be the next head coach of the Atlanta Falcons.
Feb 2, 2020; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) with offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy during a timeout from the game against the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Eric Bieniemy
Of course, the current Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator is the one coach that every Atlanta Falcons fan wants to see take over the franchise and given what he has been able to accomplish in Kansas City, it is understandable.
Eric Bieniemy is a former Heisman finalist and second-round pick of the San Diego Chargers in 1991, he had a nice nine-year run as a player himself before he turned to coaching.
He has been in the NFL for most of the last 15 years and has really made a name for himself under Andy Reid’s tutelage since 2013. He has helped to mold, shape, and develop NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes and of course, won Super Bowl LIV just last year.
He will have his pick of suitors at the end of the season and ultimately he will choose the path that is best for him. The question becomes does he want to work with Deshaun Watson, Sam Darnold, or Matt Ryan?
I am a Matt Ryan apologist but even I would vote for Deshaun Watson if I was an offensive-minded coach. The drawback would be that the Texans are in cap hell and have no draft picks because of fired head coach Bill O’Brien.
Brian Daboll
The youngest of the three choices that we will present to you today, but arguably has the best pedigree of any coach under the age of 50 on any level of football.
Brian Daboll is currently the offensive coordinator of the Buffalo Bills and has done wonders with their young quarterback Josh Allen, who looks like a completely different player in his third year. He has already thrown for more than 1,300 yards and 12 touchdowns but more importantly, he has thrown just one interception in 148 attempts and he has completed 70 percent of his passes through four games.
If Bienemy is great, than Daboll may be terrific. He has won five Super Bowls as an assistant to Bill Belichick in New England where he worked on both sides of the ball and he has been an NFL offensive coordinator for six seasons in total.
He has also worked for Alabama head coach Nick Saban, twice. The last time was in 2017 as the Crimson Tide OC where he directed the Alabama offense and helped them win the 2017 college football national title.
Jim Harbaugh
If Eric Bienemy is the most universally loved pick and Brian Daboll would be the youngest pick, then Jim Harbaugh is going to be the most hated choice.
Let’s get this out of the way, Harbaugh is an a-hole. There is simply no other way to put it. However, he is an a-hole that has won every he has been, including the NFL. In his four seasons as an NFL coach, he led the 49ers to three straight NFC championship games and a Super Bowl.
His worst season in the NFL was in 2014 when he led a depleted 49ers roster to an 8-8 record. Remember that year, the entire 49ers roster either retired or was traded by then General Manager Trent Baalke.
Whether it was Alex Smith or Colin Kaepernick at quarterback, Harbaugh was able to win a lot of games in the NFL. Given the pieces that are here in Atlanta on both sides of the ball, this would be a dream opportunity for Harbaugh to come back to the NFL – a place he never wanted to leave.
Some may point at his lack of championships in the college game as a reason to downplay his NFL coaching ability but remember, college football is a completely different game with different rules and ways of existing.
There have been plenty to fail in one area while excelling in the other, though Harbaugh’s worst season as a college coach was way back in 2007 when he took over Stanford. His worst year at Michigan has been an 8-5 season.
He has been a winner everywhere he has coached and the Atlanta Falcons could sure use a proven winner at the moment.