Today at Flowery Branch, Atlanta Falcons Head Coach Dan Quinn and General Manager Thomas Dimitroff conducted their end-of-season press conference and two themes were evaluation and re-establishing the identity. Monday, the Falcons fired offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian.
Reports suggest the team is looking to interview former Denver Broncos Head Coach Gary Kubiak, former Tampa Bay Buccaneers Head Coach (and former Falcons offensive coordinator) Dirk Koetter, and former Tennessee Titans Head Coach Mike Mularkey.
While many believe Gary Kubiak is the architect of the zone blocking scheme that the Falcons employ on offense, Koetter is the favorite for the job.
In 2012 under Koetter, Matt Ryan notched a 68.9 percent completion percentage. He threw for 32, 26 and 28 touchdowns in three seasons under Koetter’s direction and was named to two Pro Bowls.
Mike Mularkey, a former Falcons coordinator from 2008-11 also interviewed for the position, according to reports. He has since coached the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Tennessee Titans.
“The thing that became clear to me at the end of that evaluation was that, in some regards, the compass was off in terms of the identity and style we would like to play, and so we had to reset that,” Quinn said during the team’s end-of-year press conference. “In order to do that, at some places some new voices and some new direction is needed, and this is that time.”
Also, the former Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell is in consideration for the Falcons job.
“We’re looking for us to play much more consistently to our vision and philosophy, because our vision doesn’t change,” Quinn said. “As coaches, we have to be the ones to make that come alive. We’re looking for great teachers, strong fits from a scheme standpoint, strong fits culturally, help us bring some new ideas to the table. But at the end of it every decision Thomas and I make is ‘How does this help us win?’”
