FLOWERY BRANCH – Falcons offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter shared some of his vision for the team’s offense in a teleconference with the local media on Monday.
Koetter, 52, formerly of the Jacksonville Jagugars, was named to the post on Sunday.
Koetter met with quarterback Matt Ryan for about an hour last week. He told Ryan that he’s a proponent of the vertical passing game, running the football and that he’s been ordered by head coach Mike Smith to improve the team’s screen passing attack.
“Every team in the NFL knows that you have to be able to run it even when they know you’re going to run it," Koetter said. "You have to be able to throw it even when they know you’re going to throw it.”
Some contend that the Falcons, who finished 10-6 in the regular-season and were defeated in the wild-card round of the playoffs by the New York Giants, became too predictable on offense under former coordinator Mike Mularkey, who was announced as the new head coach in Jacksonville last Wednesday.
The offense finished ranked seventh in points scored (25.1 points per game), 10th in total offense (376.6 yards) and third in time of possession (32:05).
Ryan broke the single-season passing mark set by Jeff George in 1995 by throwing for 4,177 yards, but the unit struggled inside the opponents’ 20-yard line. The Falcons scored 31 touchdowns on 60 red-zone trips (51.6 percent), which was 13th in the league. Detroit led the league at 66.1 percent.
Last season, after veteran quarterback David Garrard was released on Sept. 6, the Jaguars went with inexperienced quarterbacks and finished last in the league in total offense, averaging 259.3 yards per game.
Koetter said he’ll combine the best parts of the two offenses.
“It would be foolish to not build on some of the things that Atlanta is already doing very well,” Koetter said. “Watching from afar, Atlanta played well in the no-huddle. [From] talking to Matt Ryan, that is something that Matt is excited about, so the no-huddle will certainly be a part of it; what percentage is still to be determined.”
The Falcons' offense struggled when blitzed last season. They didn’t have an effective screen or draw game to slow down defenses and had trouble connecting on deep passes to beat the blitz.
“I’m a big believer in the screen game and I don’t know anything about the issues [with pass protection,]” said Koetter, who has 25-years of play-calling experience. “Coach Smith has mentioned to me that he would like us to be a better screen team."
Koetter started his coaching career with Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid. They were the assistants on Vic Rowen’s three-person staff at San Francisco State in 1985.
Under Reid, the Eagles have been one of the better screen-passing teams in the NFL. He first used running back Brian Westbrook and is now using some of the same screens with LeSean McCoy. The Falcons rarely threw screens to running back Jacquizz Rodgers and when they did, the linemen had trouble blocking in space.
Koetter and Reid also coached together at Texas-El Paso and Missouri.
Koetter’s father, Jim, was a coach. The son notes that his father is among the influences in his coaching career, along with New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin, former Falcons coach Dan Henning (1983-1986) and former Oregon coach Mike Bellotti were influential in his coaching career.
Coughlin hired him at Boston College in 1994 and Henning retained him. He coached under Bellotti at Oregon (1996 to 1998) where former Falcons quarterback Joey Harrington was one of his standout players.
“I’ve been able to experiment and do a lot of things and come up with things that I like to do,” Koetter said. “Now, after five years in the NFL and working with some great coaches and great players, I think I’ve learned a lot. I’ve been able to study all of the best coaches in the NFL over the last five years. I feel like I’m prepared for this job and I’m looking forward to it.”
