There is no better feeling in NFL land than when your team is entering their first offseason with a new coaching regime. Taking the field during OTAs and minicamp and seeing how the new staff operates is a major serotonin boost. The excitement for a new era just adds anticipation for the season to start.
And this is what Atlanta Falcons fans are feeling right now. Each of Atlanta's last two head coaches wasted the prime years of some elite young talent, but it's clear that Kevin Stefanski is no Raheem Morris or Arthur Smith. He's a no-nonsense guy, and after what we just witnessed, we need that.
Stefanski is a man with proven success, and you don't get there by putting the work in. Compared to his two predecessors, Falcons OTAs are less of a walk in the park. While Morris was doing the dougie during OTAs, this improved coaching staff is taking every opportunity to get ahead of the 8-ball.
The Falcons couldn't have upgraded more from Raheem Morris to Kevin Stefanski
Even Drake London has seen a noticeable difference in how things are in the facility with the new staff. While addressing the media for the first time after signing his lucrative four-year, $141 million contract extension, he made it clear that there's a "huge difference" between the Morris and Stefanski eras.
"It's a huge difference," London said. "We're working right now and getting after it. ... I think that's the difference right now, the same goal is in play."
This is a ringing endorsement coming from the man who publicly admitted he didn't want Morris to be fired just hours before he was shown the door. But clearly the new staff has been quick to win everyone over, which includes London, who is one of the most respected leaders in the locker room.
In his six seasons coaching the Browns, Stefanski has two Coach of the Year awards on his mantle. He turned a factory of sadness into a semi-respectable franchise despite some major QB woes. And compared to Morris, whose coaching lost the Dirty Birds countless games last year, they're better off.
And the best part is that Stefanski, a supposed "QB whisperer" will be working with a much better QB room from last year in Cleveland. Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr. may not be world-beaters, but in a better system working with some elite weapons, they very well can turn their careers around.
The Falcons are in the midst of an eight-year playoff drought. Everyone knows they don't need personality hires. They need someone to right the ship. And it's quickly become clear that Kevin Stefanski was designed for this role.
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