HOUSTON--This week Falcons coach Dan Quinn has pushed back (gently) against the narrative that he's copying Pete Carroll's Seahawks formula word-for-word.
"We’re not 'Seattle East,' but we’re our own Atlanta," Quinn said. "There are definitely things I learned from Coach Carroll. He had probably the single biggest influence on me in my coaching career. He gave me just a great vision of what a head coach can be, but he also said, ‘Hey Dan, do it in your own way.’ I took that advice too.”
Besides, Quinn played a big part in how the Seahawks did it so he’s got some ownership. And there is little doubt that Quinn is closely hewing to that Seahawks template as he builds his defense.
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Quinn's drafting reflect this, and so does the way he force-fed the rookies his scheme and principles. So far the hit rate for those picks appears high: Vic Beasley, Keanu Neal, Deion Jones, De’Vondre Campbell, and Grady Jarrett.
By December, there was some Seahawks in the way the Falcons ran, rallied, and hit. Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said he sees it:
I've been impressed with a lot of the young guys too. Sometimes you get a young guy in the NFL and he can do some things and is very skilled and talented, but tackling has kind of become a lost art. It's not a lost art on this defense. They run, they hit, they tackle, they wrap and they get you to the ground. It's something that we've seen, noticed, studied and talked about for a week. For us to be able to make some yards after we have the ball in our hands, we're going to have to do a lot of good work because they usually get the guy with the ball on the ground.
To that succinct evaluation, I would add that the Falcons have been very good with creating turnover chances. It helps that the Falcons regularly bury opponents with barrages of points. The Seahawks never really had that during Quinn’s time as DC.
Tom Brady is going to do do his thing on Sunday. There will be rough moments for the Falcons because this isn't that Seahawks D. The Falcons are not elite on defense. But, gradually this season, you've started to see how they might be someday and that's the most important part of Quinn's Seahawks plan.
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