Earlier this preseason, Falcons coach Dan Quinn wanted to get a feel for how things would play out if a coordinator was forced to sit out for a week following a positive test or potential exposure to someone with COVID-19.
The exercise was conducted on special teams, with coordinator Ben Kotwica sitting out the day of practice. Instead, his special-teams assistant Mayur Chaudhari was told that morning that he would be in charge of all the responsibilities Kotwica typically is in charge of.
“We incorporated it for drill work,” Quinn said. “It was (tight ends coach) Ben Steele and others who helped fill some of the void in that space. We actually mocked one up to go through a day like that where one coordinator is down.”
Planning for a coordinator or position coach to be out for a week or longer is a legitimate concern teams have to deal with, just as much as they do with their players. Much like with defensive end Steven Means, who is on the reserve/COVID-19 list for the time being, an assistant who comes in contact with someone who has the novel coronavirus or who tests positive suddenly could be quarantined, with the flow of operations needing to be altered.
On defense, linebackers coach Jeff Ulbrich would step in for Raheem Morris as defensive coordinator if Morris is forced to miss games and practice time. Both Ulbrich and Morris share play-calling duties, which makes this an obvious move. If Quinn were forced to miss time, Ulbrich, who also holds an assistant head coach title, would step into the role.
Quinn said Ulbrich has led some meetings in a head-coaching capacity this preseason to prepare.
“I’ve had other moments like that where Jeff Ulbrich did it for me -- ‘OK, you got the staff meeting, you got the information to go,’” Quinn said. “We just tried to mock them as we go. Then there’s always probably a layer or two down to go, ‘What about these two, or these three (assistants)?’ It gets a little deeper as it goes. Past that, I have the plan in place. If it’s called upon, we’ll be ready to roll.”
On offense, if coordinator Dirk Koetter misses time, quarterbacks coach Greg Knapp would fill in for him. Knapp is the only offensive coach on the Falcons’ staff with previous experience as an NFL play-caller.
As the Falcons have been crafting a contingency plan for the coaches, they also are gearing up for the final preseason scrimmage, which will take place Thursday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. In the absence of exhibition games, Quinn had his team go through four scrimmages with the hopes of simulating a game atmosphere.
Quinn said he’ll add some new situations for his players to go through Thursday.
“I’m going to keep adding situations. Every single practice we’ve had we’ve had a situation,” Quinn said. “I’ve been through just about all of them, but there will be another one I add in (Thursday). Sometimes I tell them, sometimes I don’t -- just so we can get into the mind-set of where we’re at and what needs to be done. That, to me, is the next one.
“Learning to perform their new routine, what’s the locker-room setup, what’s the pregame look like. Those are things I wanted to go through one more time, just so we’re all really clear on how it’s all going to go down. More situations than any big-picture stuff.”
Thursday’s scrimmage will be the final chance for players on the bubble to prove they either deserve a spot on the 53-man roster or on the practice squad. This year, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the practice squad has expanded from 10 players to 16.
“There are still evaluations to go,” Quinn said. “There’s a bigger practice squad than we’ve had. Now you’re starting to think about roles for players. If they’re here, what roles can they have? So, (general manager) Thomas (Dimitroff) and I have certainly spent a lot of time together in the evenings, in the mornings, discussing not just the roster but the 16 additional spots that are available.”
This expanded practice squad will come in handy if multiple players at a position group are forced to miss a same game. For this season, the practice squad is allowed to include up to six players who have an unlimited number of accrued seasons, which should help certain depth concerns.
“I agree that people who are on the practice squad, you need some that are ready to play right now,” Quinn said. “If the moment calls, whether that’s on a Saturday or a Sunday, they’re ready to deliver. There may be some that are still developmental, but it won’t be full of guys who are in developmental spaces, obviously, with some of the veterans there. But having the access to say, ‘No, he can play right now in a game,’ that’s a big piece of it.”
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