Dan Quinn emerged as a hot head coaching candidate after he oversaw a Seattle defense that led the NFL each of the last two seasons in fewest points and yards, the first unit to accomplish that since the 1985-86 Chicago Bears.
Seattle delivered bone-jarring hits and was constantly looking to force a fumble or make an interception. Now, in Quinn’s first season as head coach of the Falcons and with Richard Smith as his defensive coordinator, they continue to emphasize game-changing takeaways.
They got one late in the third quarter Sunday, with the Giants leading 20-10 and seemingly driving for a touchdown that would almost surely slam the door. Defensive end Kroy Biermann stormed in to sack Giants quarterback Eli Manning and jar the ball loose. Nose tackle Paul Soliai pounced on it at the Falcons’ 9.
Biermann indicated he was just doing what he is coached to do. “We’re a ball-attacking team,” he said. “We’re going after the ball every play.”
His forced fumble and Soliai’s alertness in recovering changed everything. The offense capitalized with a 12-play, 91-yard touchdown drive and the Falcons were on their way back to an improbable 24-20 victory.
Biermann, in his eighth season, delighted in the resilience the Falcons displayed. “We’re a unit that’s going to fight,” he said. “We’re still building it, still building camaraderie, but one thing is we’re going to fight until the last tick on the clock.”
Quinn looks for different players to step up every week. “We never know who is going to be the one to set it off. I think today it was Kroy,” he said, adding, “Having the sack and the forced fumble, I think that was the one that ignited us.”
About the Author
