The Atlanta Falcons found significant success under Dan Quinn in two of his first three season as their head coach -- then it all fell apart.
The 2016 teams were loaded, both on the field and on the sidelines. Specifically with the latter, there have been many members of that coaching staff who have moved on to bigger and better positions, and found success.
Now, the Arizona Cardinals' decision to hire Mike LaFleur as their new hed coach continues to drive the knife into the hearts of Falcons fans. The younger LaFleur's hiring is another example of the many names the Falcons had right there for the taking. And it all started with Kyle Shanahan.
The Falcons should've made the bold move by firing Dan Quinn to hire Kyle Shanahan after another ex-assistant lands head coaching job
Any Falcons coach who takes the Falcons to the Super Bowl instantly becomes a legend -- which is a sad reality.
Quinn will always be remembered for the turnaround he orchestrated in Atlanta. However, he will also always been remembered for those three numbers that are tattooed in the minds of every Falcons fan.
After the Super Bowl collapse, Arthur Blank and his decision makers should've made the bold move of firing him to keep Shanahan from moving to San Francisco -- even if he was the main culprit of the collapse.
And before anyone says things like that never happen, it does. The Bills just fired Sean McDermott and hired offensive coordinator Joe Brady to keep him with Josh Allen. It would've been a move that saved this franchise. Instead, they made the playoffs the following year but haven't been back since.
They are now suffering through their third head coaching change since 2020. Meanwhile, the rest of the 2016 coaching staff, especially on offense, have found themselves moving up the ranks with four head coaches and three top coordinators on staff.
Shanahan has had his postseason troubles with the 49ers, but at least he has elevated their inconsistent talent to the postseason. The same can't be said about the Dirty Birds.
Last year, the Falcons went 8-9 with Michael Penix Jr. and Kirk Cousins, Bijan Robinson, Drake London, and Kyle Pitts -- all while boasting a good defense. Shanahan went 12-5 with Brock Purdy and Mac Jones, Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, and a bad receiver room.
So, it is safe to say, the Falcons should've made the bold move by hiring the 82-67 coach, rather than rotating through Arthur Smith, Raheem Morris, and now Kevin Stefanski. At the very least, they should've promoted his OC replacement from within rather than hiring Steve Sarkisian.