The Atlanta Falcons made sure to make their mark on the head coaching carousel by hiring Kevin Stefanski earlier this weekend. President of football Matt Ryan always desired working with an experienced head coach who can elevate this roster, and that's exactly what Stefanski will bring.
The 43-year-old's last two seasons in Cleveland were rough, but Ryan isn't fazed, since the two Philadelphia natives share the same vision for this team. Him and ownership were not on the same page in Cleveland, but he won't have any problems with his authority being undermined in Atlanta.
Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer gave some clarity on Atlanta's second interview with the two-time Coach of the Year from Saturday and the growing rapport between the new coach and executive.
"After dinner at Blank’s house on Saturday night, Stefanski actually suggested to Ryan that the two go back to the team facility to work through staffing. Ryan reminded him that the team’s headquarters were nearly an hour drive away... So they found another spot to retreat to, away from the others, to have the discussion."Albert Breer
Apparently, Arthur Blank hosted Stefanski, team president Greg Beadles, his son, Josh, and Ryan at his house on Saturday night which Breer reported lasted an hour-and-a-half. Blank had a steak and potato bar for dinner, where he cooked the ribeyes himself and offered Stefanski the job after dinner.
Matt Ryan and Arthur Blank knew Kevin Stefanski was the guy for the Falcons from the get go
The Dirty Birds' coaching search was a bit unorganized at the start, but it ended with the right outcome. The focus going forward will be on assembling the coaching staff, which has started to take shape now that it's confirmed that Bill Callahan and Tommy Rees are following Stefanski to Atlanta.
Meanwhile, Jeff Ulbrich is being retained at DC. There's also been talk of ex-Titans' head coach (and Bill's son) Brian Callahan joining Stefanski's coaching staff in some capacity, but he's also landed a few OC interviews, so this would only happen if none of those opportunities come to fruition.
He's already got off to a fast start in bringing his vision to Atlanta, and it isn't hard to see why they liked him. He wasn't initially a favorite for the position, but quickly won Blank and Ryan over, especially after John Harbaugh ended up in New York, and will likely thrive in an improved situation.
"What the Falcons saw in Stefanski’s first interview, and again in this last one, was a coach reenergized by the chance at a new start, and one with a clear plan for how to attack it."Albert Breer
Breer also dropped some information on the GM search in Atlanta, which is expected to pick up this week. As expected, Josh Williams and Ian Cunningham are the two frontrunners, and now that both of their teams have been eliminated from the playoffs, they can interview in-person with the team.
Cunningham is the right-hand man of Ryan's friend Ryan Poles, but Breer revealed there's also some connections between Stefanski and the GM candidate. Cunningham worked with Browns' GM Andrew Berry in Philadelphia, and Berry still has strong relationships with both Cunningham and Stefanski.
Those connections are pretty telling, but Williams has some of his own with Matty Ice's former OC Kyle Shanahan, who is the head coach in San Francisco. They have yet to conduct a single GM interview though, but it appears that Cunningham may end up being the missing piece of the puzzle.