Dan Quinn is paid to anticipate where attacks will originate and where they’re going. So it follows that in his first major exposure to the media since becoming an NFL head coach-in-waiting — in the tamper-free world of sports hypotheticals — he had little difficult playing read-and-react with a bunch of sportswriters. (We don’t disguise things well).
How do you feel about the fact the Falcons have waited for you this long?
“I’ve enjoyed the process as I’ve gone through with all the teams.”
Have you house-hunted in Atlanta yet?
“(Smile)”
Lowe’s or Home Depot?
“(Smile)”
Favorite Falcons’ player?
“(Smile)”
It’s tampering to tell me your favorite Falcon?
“That’s like asking me who our favorite defensive player is.”
(My thought bubble: In Atlanta, not really.)
Dan Quinn, the Falcons’ next head coach, even if his signature can’t officially be on a contract until at least one second past Sunday’s Super Bowl, coaches the best defense in football. Last year, his defense choked the life out of Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos, who averaged 38 points per game but lost the Super Bowl to Seattle 43-8. This season, the Seahawks’ defense allowed a league-low 15.9 points per game and will attempt another title-game smothering against New England and Tom Brady.
There is an ongoing debate about whether Quinn is ready for this. Seattle’s head coach, Pete Carroll, comes from a defensive background. He and general manager John Schneider have identified players who can be developed to hit, tackle, cover and sack, foreign concepts for the Falcons. Quinn also inherited a strong defense from former coordinator Gus Bradley.
Truth is, nobody can be certain whether a coordinator will succeed as a head coach, a position Quinn has never held at any level. But it says something that he drew interest from almost every team that fired a coach. There’s also little question in his mind that he’s ready for this leap, even if he can’t get into specifics about the Falcons’ job.
He said he’s completely, “100 percent” focused on this week’s game. But he would have to be a droid for his thoughts to not occasionally wander to his next job. That’s not being disloyal. It’s just being human.
“I’m having an absolute blast with these guys,” he said. “All of us have those experiences were we have to juggle things at the same time.”
Some guy who writes a Tampa Bay fan blog — how do these people get credentialed? — steps up and asks Quinn about hiring former Bucs coach Raheem Morris on his Falcons coaching staff. Quinn turns away, rolls his eyes, but eventually gives a polite response.
“He’s a terrific coach, a leader in every sense of the word.”
Quinn has taken mental notes of other assistant coaches who’ve become head coaches in recent years. Morris could be one. He was viewed as a talented coordinator and secondary coach, but fizzled with the top job in Tampa.
“You learn from the good experiences and you learn from some of the ones that maybe didn’t go as well as they could have,” Quinn said. “I don’t know that there was one moment of clarity (for me). I just knew that I wanted to coach a bigger group (of players) for a long time. I wanted to become a defensive coordinator, in the hopes that one day I would be a head coach.”
The Falcons were 10-22 in the past two years, with 27th- and 32nd-ranked defenses. Mike Smith, their former head coach, had defensive roots. Mike Nolan, their recent coordinator, is one of the league’s more respected coaches.
Obvious conclusion from those who blame general manager Thomas Dimitroff and not Smith for the Falcons’ problems: It’s the players, not the coaches.
Quinn’s position on where success starts: “It’s about the players, but it’s about our role to see how far we can take the guys. That’s what I love about coaching: How far can we take a guy from where he is now to where we think he can go?”
How big of an impact can a new coach realistically have with questionable personnel?
“You see it around the league each year that guys can have an impact right away,” he said. “There’s so much more that goes into it than just coaching. Connecting with players. Defense is where my background lies, but the head coach orchestrates a bit of everything. The head coach is really where we get the vibe thing.”
Seattle players say Quinn is a great communicator. He seeks their feedback, understands how to motivate. He knows how to utilize strengths. It sounds pretty basic.
“You see the numbers from the last two years,” defensive end Cliff Avril said. “Obviously he knows what he’s doing. I think he’ll be a great head coach.”
Simplicity works for the Seahawks. They don’t run a blur of complicated defenses or crazy blitzes. They play straight up and punch you in the mouth — and they play fast.
“It’s not what we play, it’s how we play it,” he said. “Fast and physical is our style. We feel like because we don’t do so many different things we’re able to play fast and freely in our mind.”
When the NFL cracked down on tacklers who lead with the helmet, Seattle coaches studied rugby, where tackling begins with the shoulders and the head is turned to the side.
“There was nothing that would slow us down from playing a physical style,” Quinn said. “Hit the strike zone: shoulders to knees. Hit them absolutely as hard as we can. Just like throwing fastballs in the strike zone. Bring it.”
Media Day wound down. I told Quinn, “Maybe I’ll see you next week in Atlanta.”
He smiled. For a moment, his thoughts weren’t on Tom Brady.
