PHOENIX – Seattle defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, who's set to be named the Falcons next head coach on Feb. 2 in Atlanta, has arrived here for Super Bowl XLIX.
Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter
Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter
Quinn’s coaching staff is starting to take shape with offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan and defensive backs/coordinator Raheem Morris as the key additions.
Falcons assistant coaches under contract for next season were admonished by the team during Senior Bowl last week and ordered not to speak to the media. The franchise appears to be taking extra measures to comply with the league's tampering rules.
Morris, 38, formerly Washington's defensive backs coach, reportedly is set to have a hybrid assistant-defensive coordinator position, according to the Washington Post. Quinn is expected to call the defensive plays.
Morris played under Quinn in the late 1990s at Hofstra.
Morris coached in Washington the past three seasons. He interviewed for the New York Giants’ defensive coordinator position this offseason, but did not get that job.
Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter
Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter
Morris was the head coach of the Buccaneers from 2009-11 and posted a 17-31 record.
Former Denver linebackers coach Richard Smith will also have a major role in the new defensive hierarchy, according to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport.
Smith is familiar with the NFC South as he was Carolina's linebacker coach from 2009-10. He was Miami's defensive coordinator in 2005 and Houston's defensive coordinator from 2006-08.
Quinn was Miami's defensive line coach in 2005 under Smith.
Special teams coordinator Keith Armstrong and defensive line coach Bryan Cox are set to return. Also, wide receivers coach Terry Robiskie and assistant offensive line coach Wade Harman are set to return, according to an ESPN.com report. Harman reportedly will be moved to tight ends coach.
Armstrong and Quinn coached together in Miami during the 2005 and 2006 seasons. Armstrong was with the Dolphins from 2001-07 before joining the Falcons.
Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter
Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter
Armstrong, who was interviewed for the head coaching job, was denied permission by the Falcons to interview with the New York Jets.
Cox and Quinn worked together with the New York Jets. Quinn was the Jets defensive line coach in 2007 and 2008 and Cox, who was with the Jets from 2006 to 08, was his assistant defensive line coach for two of his three seasons with the team.
Cox was brought in to help improve the pass rush last season, but things didn't go so well for the Falcons last season as the team finished ranked last in the league in defense.
The Falcons had only 22 sacks, which ranked 30th in the league and they gave up 118.4 yards rushing per game, which was 20th in the league.
Shanahan, 35, the son of former long-time NFL head coach Mike Shanahan, resigned as offensive coordinator of the Cleveland Browns with two years remaining on his contract.
Quinn and Shanahan are extremely close. Shanahan asked to be released from his contract Jan. 8 because of issues with the front office. Cleveland’s former receivers coach Mike McDaniel came from Washington with Shanahan and will likely join him in Atlanta, according to Cleveland.com.
With the Quinn-Morris defensive coordinator combination, the key position to be filled is the offensive line coach. The Falcons allowed last season’s offensive line coach Mike Tice out of his contract.
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