Falcons coach Dan Quinn was pleased with the debuts of his first-year coordinators during the exhibition opener at the Dolphins on Thursday, a 23-20 loss.
“It went well for both guys,” Quinn said Friday. “(Defensive coordinator) Marquand (Manuel) was on the field giving the signals through the headset or with his hands. (Defensive backs coach) Doug Mallory was on the sideline visiting with the (defensive backs). Next week, we’ll have Marquand in the press box. I want him to have that experience as well.”
Offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian called the game from the booth.
“With Sark, (he was) really clear in terms of his communication with me in his role,” Quinn said. “When we were on offense, I could hear the calls coming through. It was clear and that’s what I was hoping for from the first game.”
Manuel and Sarkisian replaced Richard Smith, who was fired, and Kyle Shanahan, who left to become the 49ers’ head coach.
“For a number of us, it was our first time coaching in a game together,” Quinn said. “I was pleased with the communication from them.”
Despite the loss, Quinn generally was pleased with the performance on the field.
“One of the things I was happy about was the regard for the ball that our offense showed,” Quinn said. “Defensively, we created two turnovers, but didn’t really have a shot to force some fumbles.”
