Part of the reason that the Atlanta Falcons hired Kevin Stefanski to be their next head coach is because he's so different from many of their previous head coaches. Not only does he have a proven track record of coaching success, he's set up to get the most out of the talent on this Falcons roster.
Arthur Blank saw the qualities that led to both Arthur Smith and Raheem Morris failing, so Atlanta went to the opposite side of the spectrum with Stefanski. Being a no-nonsense guy helps, but the crowning difference between them is that practices are much more physically demanding now.
With Stefanski at the helm, the Falcons have embarked on live tackling periods during training camp. That was something their practices never had under Morris or Smith. A new coach wants this team to be physically and mentally ready for Week 1, and he's preached both competition and contact.
Kevin Stefanski is pushing the Falcons in ways Raheem Morris never did
Every franchise puts the pads on during training camp, but allowing live tackling periods has become increasingly rare in recent seasons. Most coaches tend to play it safe to avoid risking injuries, but not Kevin Stefanski. He understands what the game is and how to safely prepare this team for Week 1.
“I think there is a way to work hard and work smart and practice live because that’s what the game is,” Stefanski told The Athletic's Josh Kendall. “I think there’s a way to do it safely. I think the guys understand how to do that the right way. You’re still not taking a shot on one of your teammates, but like I’ve said before, to get ready to play football, you have to play football.”
The Dirty Birds are hoping to be more physically demanding under the two-time Coach of the Year, and so far, it's been a welcomed change. But that's not the only change to the offseason structure that we've seen under new leadership, as there's been a change to the preseason approach as well.
Unlike Morris and Smith, Stefanski revealed that the Falcons are going to play their starters during the preseason. However, he's not a complete daredevil. He mentioned that the coaching staff has a plan in place for the starters as to not play them too much, and they won't take the field in every game.
Because of the joint practices with the Indianapolis Colts before the preseason Game 2, they'll only play in Game 1 against Denver and Game 3 in Miami. Comparatively speaking, this is a big change. Michael Penix Jr. only threw 16 preseason passes as a rookie and didn't take the field last preseason.
Kevin Stefanski has a vastly different coaching philosophy to both Raheem Morris and Arthur Smith, so hopefully those differences can be prove why the Falcons were interested in hiring him--and we've seen them come up in this new culture. Maybe he can break the eight-year playoff drought in Atlanta.
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