Falcons coach Dan Quinn is fully vested in trying to improve the team’s pass rush.
After the team split into individual groups for technique work, Quinn, a defensive line coach by trade, took the defensive ends and outside linebackers to the back end of the field during the Falcons’s first OTAs — non-contact practice — of the offseason Tuesday.
His prized pupil, first-round draft pick Vic Beasley, who remains unsigned, was on hand participating in the group.
Quinn worked on the finer points of hand placement, takeoffs and developing signature pass-rush moves. The hands-on approach is something Quinn felt he could deliver to help the team improve.
“I knew that I was going to be true unto my own self and how I could best help the team,” Quinn said. “I knew, for me, that I wanted to be out on the field and coaching with the guys and being as involved as I could.”
During that session, Quinn worked with Beasley, O’Brien Schofield, Stansly Maponga, Kroy Biermann, Cliff Matthews, Malliciah Goodman, Tyson Jackson, Prince Shembo and Tyler Starr.
“I’ve been looking forward to these days where we get the whole team together,” Quinn said. “Now, we’ve had a camp with just the veterans. We had another camp with just the rooks. Now, to have everybody here, that’s where we get to the challenging part and try to find out all of the unique stuff that a player has.
“That’s what we do on the field as we try to get the guys, get the corrections right and find out the things that they can do best, and let’s just draw it out of them.”
The Falcons stressed third-down situations during the practice, and Quinn thought Beasley, Adrian Clayborn and Biermann stood out.
“The big thing that we’re going to preach is trying to move the quarterback off the spot,” Quinn said. “How many times can we get that quarterback to move. The speed, the effort and the way that we come off the ball, those are some of the things that you try to implement on third down.”
Those type of competition periods were hallmarks of the practices held by Seattle coach Pete Carroll.
“We had maybe eight plays of third-down competition at the end where it was win it or lose it, based on that down and distance,” said Quinn, who was Seattle’s defensive coordinator the past two seasons.
Quinn had 100 percent participation for his first OTA. Even wide receiver Roddy White was on hand.
“I’ve been thrilled by the attitude of the team, and you can see how tight these guys are,” Quinn said. “That’s a big factor, too. The more time that we all spend together, we get to know each other better and how to play off one another.”
While Quinn spends some hands-on time with the defense, his reach still touches the offense.
“Dan is pretty clear about what he wants,” quarterback Matt Ryan said “His messaging during meetings, his messaging when we get out here on the field, he’s pretty clear (about) what he expects from us.”
Running back Devonta Freeman, who took carries with the first-team offense ahead of rookie Tevin Coleman, believes the offensive players are receiving those messages.
“I’ve been on winning teams, a national championship team, championship teams a lot,” Freeman said. “The pace that we are going at and the competitiveness that coach Dan Quinn is trying to get out of us every day, is definitely like a Super Bowl.”
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