Cover 9@9: Falcons believe in Quinn's playoff plan

By AppSupport Team

Jan 4, 2017

Under Dan Quinn, the Falcons remain contenders. (Mark Zaleski/AP)

Good morning! The Cover 9@9 is a weekly blog of everything you need to know about the Atlanta Falcons, we published 9 items at 9 a.m. each Wednesday morning.

1. QUINN'S PLAN FOR SUCCESS: The fact that Falcons coach Dan Quinn has been to two Super Bowls as Seattle's defensive coordinator helps his message in the locker room.

"I think that talk of keeping it normal, keeping the routine normal and based on what we’ve done up until this point, I think that’s really true," Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan said on his radio show on 680 the Fan. "Dan talks all the time about the way that we prepare, the way that we practice, the way that we compete, makes everything seem real normal when we get in the games. I think that’s true. I think guys have done that.

“I think the approach and knowing that Dan knows how to get it done, he’s been there and has gone through that process before makes a difference. He understands what it takes, guys believe in that and trust in his process.”

2. RYAN PLAYOFF RECORD: Ryan doesn’t feel there’s any added playoff pressure on him after a three-year hiatus.

The NFC South champion Falcons (11-5) will face the highest seed to advance from the NFC wild-card round at 4:35 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 14 at the Georgia Dome.

Ryan, who was drafted in 2008, took Falcons to the playoffs in four of his first five seasons in the league. The team has missed the playoffs for the past three seasons before earning the No. 2 seed this season.

Ryan has a 1-4 record in the playoffs as the Falcons were knocked out each time by the team that went on to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. Green Bay and the New York Giants went on to win Super Bowl titles, while Arizona and San Francisco lost in the Super Bowl.

“I don’t think so,” Ryan said when asked about any added pressure on his show on 680 The Fan on Tuesday. “We’ve won in the playoffs before. I don’t really worry about that too much. For me, it’s about how do we get the one win next week, whoever it’s going to be against. I think putting any more pressure on yourself, other than that, is a waste of time.”

3. A QUICK LOOK BACK: The Falcons reached the NFC championship game after the 2012 season. Ryan and the slightly-favored Falcons were knocked out of the wild-card round after the 2008 season by Arizona.

After missing the playoffs in 2009, the Falcons were the No. 1 seed after the 2010 season, but were upset by Green Bay 48-21 at the Georgia Dome. Green Bay went on to beat Pittsburgh in the Super Bowl.

After the 2011 season, the Giants called out the Falcons offensive linemen as “dirt bags” and then led them to a 24-2 win as they shut down Ryan and the offense. The Giants went on to beat New England in the Super Bowl.

After the 2012 season, the Falcons defeated Seattle in the divisional round after blowing a 10-point lead. In the championship game, the Falcons’ blew a 17-point lead and lost to the 49ers, 28-24.

“I think that’s one of the things that I’ve learned,” Ryan said. “All of the extra-curricular pressure, the outside noise that people talk about, doesn’t make a difference. What makes a difference is how well we play. In order to play well, we need to practice well.”

4. DOME PATH: Ryan noted that the Falcons could win the Super Bowl without playing a down outdoors.

“I think any quarterback would be lying to you if they said they didn’t like playing a dome where you are going to have good conditions to throw the ball, Ryan said. "I think that’s a good thing for us. We are ready to play where ever, but obviously, playing indoors as a quarterback is always pretty nice.”

5. SHULA COACH OF THE YEAR NOMINEE: Tucker High School coach Bryan Lamar is the Atlanta Falcons nominee for the Don Shula NFL High School Coach of the Year Award.

2016 Don Shula NFL High School Coach of the Year Nominees
NOMINATING TEAM	SCHOOL NAME	COACH
Arizona Cardinals	Perry High School	Preston Jones
Atlanta Falcons	Tucker High School	Bryan Lamar
Baltimore Ravens	Walkersville High School	Joe Polce
Buffalo Bills	Dunkirk High School	Mike Sarratori
Carolina Panthers	Hilton Head School	Russel ‘BJ’ Payne
Chicago Bears	Peoria High School	Tim Thorton
Cincinnati Bengals	St. Xavier High School	Steve Specht
Cleveland Browns	Lorain High School	Dave McFarland
Dallas Cowboys	Highland Park High School	Randy Allen
Denver Broncos	Strasburg High School	Jeff Giger
Detroit Lions	Benton Harbor High School	Elliot Uzelac
Green Bay Packers	Kimberly High School	Steve Jones
Houston Texans	Ebbert L. Furr High School	Matthew Valmore
Indianapolis Colts	Westfield High School	Jake Gilbert
Jacksonville Jaguars	Ponte Vedra High School	Matthew Toblin
Kansas City Chiefs*	Grain Valley High School Blue Valley High School	David Allie Eric Driskell
Los Angeles Rams	Narbonne High School	Manuel Douglas
Miami Dolphins	Carol City High School	Aubrey Hill
Minnesota Vikings	Minneapolis North High School	Charles Adams
New England Patriots	Mills High School	Dana Olson
New Orleans Saints	Edna Karr High School	Brice Brown
New York Giants	Cardinal Hayes High School	CJ O’Neill
New York Jets	Curtis High School	Peter Gambardella
Oakland Raiders	California School for the Deaf	Warren Keller
Philadelphia Eagles	Perkiomen Valley High School	Rob Heist
Pittsburgh Steelers	Thomas Jefferson High School	Bill Cherpak
San Diego Chargers	Madison High School	Rick Jackson
San Francisco 49ers	Saint Francis High School	Greg Calcagno
Seattle Seahawks	Tumwater High School	Sid Otton
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	St. Petersburg High School	Joe Fabrizio
Tennessee Titans	Whitehaven High School	Rodney Saulsberry
Washington Redskins	Quantico Middle/High School	Paul Roy

*Indicates team has more than one nominee

6. THE SHANAHAN WATCH: Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan is set to interview with with four teams, according to multiple reports. The best fits appear to be in Denver or Los Angeles. Former Falcons head coach Mike Smith will likely emerge as the front-runner in Jacksonville and San Francisco is a total re-build. So, if Shanahan doesn't get Denver or Los Angeles, he could return to the Falcons and wait until a better opportunity comes open next season.

Falcons coach Dan Quinn knows this process well and how to manage it. Shanahan will go do his interviews in Atlanta and return to work on Monday to get ready for the divisional playoff round game.

“I’m not worried about that one bit," Quinn said. "Any preparation that you do, that was a discussion we’ve had well before this week. Anything that was done would have been done well before our season started.”

If Shanahan leaves, the Falcons will likely go outside the franchise for his replacement.

7. REVIEW OF SEATTLE GAME: The Seahawks defeated the Falcons 26-24 on Oct. 16 in Seattle.

The Falcons could not close the deal.

Holding precariously to a one-point lead, the Falcons had a costly turnover in the final minutes that set up Seattle’s game-winning field goal in a hard-fought, 26-24 loss before 69,071 boisterous fans at CenturyLink Field on Sunday.

The Seahawks improved to 4-1, and the Falcons dropped to 4-2.

Here are the 5 things we learned from that game.

8. REVIEW OF GREEN BAY GAME: The Falcons defeated the Packers 33-32 on Oct. 30.

Matty Ice is back.

Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, who’d uncharacteristically tossed two late-game interceptions in two previous losses, returned to old game-winning form.

Ryan tossed an 11-yard touchdown pass to Mohamed Sanu with 31 seconds left to lift the Falcons to a 33-32 victory over the Green Bay Packers before 70,165 jubilant fans on Sunday at the Georgia Dome.

Here are the 5 things we learned from that win.

9. DEPTH CHART: Here's the Falcons' depth chart entering the playoffs.

OFFENSE

WR 11 Julio Jones, 16 Justin Hardy, 15 Nick Williams, 14 Eric Weems

LT 70 Jake Matthews, 76 Tom Compton

LG 67 Andy Levitre, 63 Ben Garland

C 51 Alex Mack, 63 Ben Garland

RG 65 Chris Chester, 71 Wes Schweitzer

RT 73 Ryan Schraeder, 76 Tom Compton

TE 81 Austin Hooper, 80 Levine Toilolo, 82 Joshua Perkins, 86 D.J. Tialavea

WR 12 Mohamed Sanu, 18 Taylor Gabriel, 19 Aldrick Robinson

QB 2 Matt Ryan, 8 Matt Schaub

RB 24 Devonta Freeman, 26 Tevin Coleman, 28 Terron Ward

FB 42 Patrick DiMarco

DEFENSE

DE 50 Brooks Reed, 99 Adrian Clayborn, 93 Dwight Freeney

DT 95 Jonathan Babineaux

DT 97 Grady Jarrett, 91 Courtney Upshaw

DE 94 Tyson Jackson, 77 Ra’Shede Hageman

LB 44 Vic Beasley Jr., 41 Philip Wheeler

LB 45 Deion Jones, 55 Paul Worrilow, 53 LaRoy Reynolds

LB 59 De’Vondre Campbell, 52 Josh Keyes

CB 23 Robert Alford, 29 C.J. Goodwin, 38 Blidi Wreh-Wilson

CB 32 Jalen Collins, 34 Brian Poole, 30 Deji Olatoye

S 37 Ricardo Allen, 20 Sharrod Neasman

S 22 Keanu Neal, 38 Dashon Goldson

SPECIALISTS

K 3 Matt Bryant

KO 5 Matt Bosher

P 5 Matt Bosher

KR 14 Eric Weems, 16 Justin Hardy

PR 14 Eric Weems, 16 Justin Hardy

LS 47 Josh Harris

H 5 Matt Bosher

[cmg_cinesport url="http://cinesport.ajc.com/embed/ajc-atlanta-sports/d-led-falcons-clinch-no-2-seed/"]

The Falcons secured a first-round playoff bye after defeating the Saints 38-32 on Sunday. The AJC's D. Orlando Ledbetter reports from the Georgia Dome.

GAME 16: Falcons 38, Saints 32

5 things we learned from the Falcons win over the Saints

Falcons defense sags late but hangs on vs. Brees

GAME 15: Falcons 33, Panthers 16

5 things we learned from the Falcons win over the Panthers

NFL playoffs: Falcons clinch NFC South title

Third-and-21, no problem for Coleman

What Dan Quinn had to say after the win over the Panthers

GAME 14: Falcons 41, 49ers 13

5 things we learned from the Falcons' win over the 49ers

What Matt Ryan had to say about the win over the 49ers

PHOTOS: Falcons win over the 49ers