This was after last season — after the collapse, after the fizzled new offense and series of social media assaults on Kyle Shanahan, after, of course, more second-guessing of Thomas Dimitroff.
Dan Quinn, the newbie head coach, sat in his office and wondered what went wrong.
“I wanted so bad for it to happen overnight,” he said. “The toughness, the resilience, being so good on the ball — I wanted it right away. When it didn’t happen, I was totally bummed out.”
So he sat there and reflected on how a team that started 6-1 could slide to a 2-7 finish. He wondered about changes that needed to be implemented in the offseason. That’s when he overheard a conversation between two of his players in the hallway outside of his office at the team’s Flowery Branch headquarters. It was like the sound of two cymbals crashing in Quinn’s head.
“One player was leaving the building and he said to the other guy, ‘Hey man, give me your number,’” the coach recalled. “I knew who they were. I knew they were in the same position group. But they weren’t hanging out, they weren’t going to each other’s houses to watch tape, they weren’t group-texting each other, ‘Hey, did you see this play? Did you watch 46?’
“They didn’t even have each other’s numbers. How could they be in the same position group and not have each other’s numbers? It was at that point I realized, we’ve got work to do.”
The fact that more Falcons’ players presumably have each others’ phone number this season is not the sole reason they’re 6-3 and trending upward. Nor does it ensure they won’t flame out again. This is Atlanta: We are predisposed to assume the worst.
But there may be something to this whole Falcons’ “Brotherhood” thing that Quinn put on shirts and the bond the players built in the offseason. Among the changes Quinn orchestrated was a major renovation of the locker room at the practice facility, which eliminated the center bank of lockers and effectively opened up the room, giving it a lounge feel. Added were comfortable leather chairs, flat-screen televisions, ping pong tables and a team logo embedded in the carpet in the middle of the room that nobody is allowed to step on.
It’s like the players’ own private man cave.
Players also got together for workouts in Florida before OTAs, led by quarterback Matt Ryan. Quinn also sought to develop mental toughness and team bonding with other events, most notably bringing in a team of Navy SEALs.
When players are asked why they believe this team won’t collapse like a year ago, the answer is always the same: They feel closer as a team and the accountability to each other wasn’t as strong in 2015.
This season hasn’t been perfect. The Falcons played poorly in the season-opening loss to Tampa Bay. They collapsed after blowing a 27-10 lead over San Diego at home, losing 33-30 in overtime. But unlike a year ago, those cracks haven’t widened. They followed the Tampa Bay game with four straight wins. They have followed the San Diego game with wins over Green Bay and the Buccaneers.
“There are things that have happened already this year that I’m not sure would’ve happened a year ago,” Quinn said. “We got smoked in the first half at Seattle but we battled back and had a chance to win the game. Although we lost the game — and I don’t believe in moral victories — I do believe we gained some toughness that day. We were down, we looked bad and we stood up and fought.”
The offense obviously has flowed much better, with the formerly maligned Shanahan and the admittedly struggling Ryan now looking like they're in sync. The Falcons lead the NFL in total offense, passing and points per game. Ryan is a legitimate MVP candidate, leading the league in passing. He has 23 touchdown passes against only four interceptions, ranks second only to Tom Brady in efficiency rating and has thrown TD passes to 11 different receivers.
Defensively, the Falcons still rank near the bottom of many categories, including average yards allowed and points against. But that appears to be more the residual of youth than scheme or coaching. Even when opponents complete passes, there are more defenders around the play and rallying to the ball than before. There also are fewer missed tackles.
Quinn: “I think our team has an understanding of our identity. I don’t think we got that all of last year. Knowing the balance on offense, the toughness, the resiliency, the player-to-player accountability, the ball-hawking mindset, our team understands that a lot better now. I think we have a much clearer understanding of our vision now.”
Dimitroff, the general manager who was the recipient of a new three-year contract extension this week, believes this year’s Falcons are “hungrier and a more focused and directed team.”
Ultimately, they'll be judged on the second half of the season and (potentially) the playoffs. The Falcons also were 6-3 at this point a year ago but they were coming off miserable losses to Tampa Bay and San Francisco. This week, the arrow is pointing up.
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