There are six NFL teams who are currently undefeated, and the 4-0 Atlanta Falcons are one of those teams. This has to come as a surprise to most NFL fans. When I made my preseason predictions I said the race for the NFC South division title would be between the Falcons and the New Orleans Saints. I predicted that the Saints would end up winning division, and I may end up being wrong because, despite getting a win over the Dallas Cowboys Sunday night, New Orleans hasn’t looked good this season, and Atlanta is playing at a high level right now. That’s why, at this point in the 2015 season, Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn is the leader for Coach of the Year.
Last season the Falcons got off to a 2-1 start, but then lost five straight games, and ended up going 6-10 in 2014. They never looked like a team that had the potential to truly make noise in the playoffs, even if were able to win the abysmal NFC South. They ended up failing to win the weakest division in football, and missed out on the postseason. Atlanta decided to fire head coach Mike Smith, and of the teams looking for a new head coach this past offseason, the Falcons were the last to make a hire, and they hired Quinn, the former Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator, to take his place. It looks like that was a really smart move.
On offense, under their new head coach, the Falcons are averaging 403.3 total yards per game (fifth), 289.8 yards per game (fifth), 113.5 rushing yards per game (13th), and 34.3 yards per game (third). Those numbers are all improvements upon their 2014 statistics, and while quarterback Matt Ryan and wide receiver Julio Jones playing really well certainly helps, they were on the team last season. Atlanta has also improved on defense, allowing 23.3 points per game (15th) this season, after ranking dead last in the league in 2014 at 26.1 points per game. The Falcons have added some pieces on both sides of the ball, but the difference between 2014 and this season seems to be Quinn.
And the change Quinn has brought about in Atlanta seems to go beyond the numbers. He is getting the Falcons to finish games this season. Atlanta trailed in the fourth quarter in all three of their first games, but went on to win those three games. On Sunday they didn’t take their foot off the throttle as they easily defeated the Houston Texans for their fourth win of the 2015 season.
The rookie head coach also knows how to get his point across in a way that his players will understand and respect. In Week 3 the Falcons trailed the Cowboys 28-17 at the half. This was a Cowboys team that was without star wide receiver Dez Bryant and quarterback Tony Romo, and who started Brandon Weeden at quarterback. I took the Falcons in my friend’s ‘Pick Em pool that week, and it was one of the easiest games for me to predict. So when the Falcons were trailing like that, I was yelling that it was ridiculous Atlanta could lose that week. But Quinn wasn’t yelling. He was very calm at halftime and he told his team, “Okay, we got punched in the mouth. Now, let’s go find out who we are. Remember what we say: You don’t win the game in the first quarter, or the first half.” His team responded and took it to the Cowboys in the second half, and ultimately ended up winning the game.
Time will tell if the Falcons can continue to win consistently, make the playoffs, and win in the postseason. But right now Quinn has his team playing like they are more than capable of doing just that, and he’d get my vote today for Coach of the Year.
