After the 30-0 embarrassment against the Carolina Panthers, something big needed to change for the Atlanta Falcons.
Players talked about accountability. Coaches talked about execution. But the real change came from a quiet adjustment that didn’t even show up on any stat sheet.
In a simple switch, offensive coordinator Zac Robinson moved from the coaches’ booth down to the sideline.
The move was designed to improve communication with quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and the offense after weeks of misfires and inconsistency. And the results were immediate.
The Falcons responded with their best offensive performance of the season in Week 4 against the Commanders, and followed that up with a shocking primetime upset over the Buffalo Bills after the bye week.
“Yeah, I thought it was good, and the communication from last year, obviously, being up in the booth and the first three games, we've always been able to communicate well as a staff.” Robinson said. “But, obviously, getting down there, being with the guys, feeling their energy throughout the game. I thought it was all positive.”
Robinson had spent five years coaching from the field in Los Angeles under Sean McVay, so the move wasn’t new. “It felt very similar to those years,” he said. “It’s obviously a different vantage point, but I was used to that.”
The only problem? Life on the sideline comes with hazards.
“Oh yeah, I got smoked,” Robinson admitted after getting run over during the Week 4 victory. “My awareness level needed to pick up for sure.”
Head coach Raheem Morris spared him from public embarrassment in team film review, but his players didn’t. “Everybody in their own meetings, they were killing me,” Robinson laughed.
Following the game, Zac Robinson said that he'll continue to stay on the field moving forward, even admitting that he was "kicking himself" that he didn't do it from the start of the season.
Now, with the San Francisco 49ers up next, the Falcons’ offense looks more confident and way more connected to its play-caller.
There’s still a long road ahead. Even a Nick Bosa and Fred Warner-less defense will pressure Penix in ways Buffalo and Washington couldn’t, and the Falcons will have to prove their Week 6 upset wasn’t a flash in the pan. But with Robinson on the sideline, the group finally seems to have its heartbeat back.
But this time, Robinson won’t be watching from above. He’ll be right there in the thick of it: headset on, eyes forward, and yes, keeping his head on a swivel.