FLOWERY BRANCH -- The Falcons started 6-1 in 2015. Then they lost to the Buccaneers in a game that included an especially deflating play and then lost their next five games en route to an 8-8 finish.
The Falcons are 4-3 this season after blowing a 17-point lead to the Chargers on Sunday for their second consecutive loss. Could that be the start of a similar fade in 2016?
The question was put to Dan Quinn on Wednesday: What lessons did he learn from 2015? In answering, the coach cited his team's intangibles rather than its personnel or schemes.
“We talked a lot about that in the offseason and our team is so different from our 2015 to our 2016 team,” Quinn said. “We are equipped. We know the adversity that comes. We are a resilient group. I can’t emphasize enough how different the club is from last year to this year (with) our mindset and the way that we attack.”
The clear implication is that the Falcons weren't so resilient in 2015. Not that we didn't already know.
I'm on record as predicting that these Falcons will not end up like those 2015 Falcons, in large part because the offense is much better. It's more versatile, the O-line is better, receivers aren't dropping Matt Ryan's passes and coordinator Kyle Shanahan has developed better chemistry with his players.
As for the defense, well, so far it's a bit worse than last season: ranked 26th in Football Outsiders DVOA after the unit ranked 22nd in 2015. I still say the defense could end up better this year. I'm counting on improved play (and health) from the three key rookies: safety Keanu Neal and linebackers Deion Jones and De'Vondre Campbell.
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Why these Falcons aren't like those Falcons
Still, the ugliness of that 2015 fade rightly has created some skepticism about the 2016 Falcons. Everyone remembers Jameis Winston running through their defense to convert that third-and-19 in Tampa. And then there was Quinn's colossal blunder to punt at San Francisco, a mistake because the percentages screamed to go for it and so did the implication of the message that Quinn would send to his team by not.
Similarly, there have been potentially traumatic moments for the Falcons in their past two losses.
Both games featured critical interceptions by Ryan late in the game. The Chargers converted several long third downs during their comeback. Quinn’s (correct) decision to try to convert a fourth down in overtime backfired when the Chargers made the stop before kicking the winning field goal.
Quinn said his team is better suited to handle that kind of adversity this season after last season's collapse.
“It was painful as hell to go through, but at the other end some things were gained and it’s a lot different team this year,” Quinn said.
Among the things the Falcons gained, Quinn said, is the ability to “reset fast” following tough losses.
“I go to walk-through and see them getting together without any coaches there — the small things that maybe I hadn’t seen before that I see now,” Quinn said. “There’s a lot of things that happen behind the scenes as far player-to-player communication. Those are small examples that I get to see on a daily basis that I know the work is getting put in.”
I don't get to see behind the scenes but, if Quinn has a good read on his team, then those things portend well for the Falcons. The things I do see still lead me to believe that the 2016 Falcons won't fade like the 2015 Falcons. Now they have to prove it.
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