ATLANTA (AP) Closing another disappointing season but buoyed by a strong finish, the Atlanta Falcons announced Friday they are keeping coach Dan Quinn in 2020.
Owner Arthur Blank also decided to retain general manager Thomas Dimitroff for next season, though there will be organizational changes that restore President and CEO Rich McKay to a more prominent role in the football operations.
Blank made the decision before the Falcons (6-9) head to Tampa Bay for the season finale Sunday, removing Atlanta from the list of teams that might be heading for a coaching change.
The Falcons also announced that Raheem Morris will replace Quinn as defensive coordinator.
”I understand our fans’ disappointment and frustration because I’ve felt every bit of it as well. That said, our focus must be on giving our franchise the best opportunity to win next year and beyond,” Blank said in a statement.
In the end, the longtime Falcons owner chose stability over change.
Blank has a good relationship with Quinn and clearly was impressed by changes the team made during a midseason bye week, notably shifting Morris to a role overseeing the secondary and assisting with defensive play-calling.
”I have long believed that continuity in leadership is very important across all our businesses,” Blank said. ”The football team is no different in that regard.”
Quinn and Dimitroff will now report to McKay, with Blank retaining oversight of football operations. McKay will become the direct conduit to the owner on all football-related matters.
Quinn apparently saved his job with another encouraging finish. The Falcons are 5-2 over the second half of the season after a 1-7 start, taking a three-game winning streak into their game against the Buccaneers.
Last season, the Falcons won their last three games to finish 7-9.
Quinn has a record of 42-37 as he completes his fifth season as Atlanta’s coach. During the 2016 season, he led the team to only the Super Bowl appearance in franchise history, where the Falcons infamously squandered a 28-3 lead in the second half before losing to the New England Patriots in overtime.
Atlanta made a second straight playoff appearance in 2017, reaching the divisional round of the NFC playoffs before losing to the eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.
But the team has slumped to losing marks the last two seasons, plagued by injuries and questionable personnel moves, leading to thousands of empty seats at $1.5 billion Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
”Over the last two seasons our results on the field have not met our standard or the expectations of our fans,” Blank said.
”After weighing several factors, including our team’s statistical turnaround and our players’ focus and effort the second half of the season, I feel the decision to retain Thomas and Dan, with Rich providing close day-to-day oversight of the football operation, will provide the timeliest route for the Atlanta Falcons to return to contention in 2020 and beyond.,” the owner added.
McKay is a former general manager with both the Falcons and the Buccaneers, but he was bumped upstairs when Dimitroff was hired as GM in 2008. McKay largely concentrated on business operations, including the complex plan that led to the opening of the team’s new retractable-roof stadium in 2017.
”Every year we evaluate all our football operations and this year I have asked Rich to work closely with Thomas and Dan over the next couple of weeks to conduct a top-to-bottom review, inclusive of structure, processes, resourcing and personnel to identify whatever changes are necessary to enable us to compete consistently at the highest level,” Blank said. ”In my time as owner, and particularly since 2008, we have been one of the winningest teams in the NFC, ranking fourth in wins and across the NFL, tied for seventh in wins, and that remains the only acceptable result for us now and in the future.”
The promotion of Morris to defensive coordinator follows a restructuring of the coaching staff during a midseason bye week with the team mired in a six-game losing streak.
Quinn had taken over as defensive coordinator coming into the season, hoping his hands-on presence would lead to major improvement. The move backfired, but the team has shown significant improvement on defense since Morris moved to that side of the line after serving as receivers coach.
While Quinn had retained the coordinator title, he largely ceded the play-calling duties to Morris and linebackers coach Jeff Ulbrich.
The moves paid big dividends. The Falcons, who were ranked 31st in points allowed after Week 8, have ranked in the top 10 in most statistical categories over the last seven games.
Morris was Tampa Bay’s head coach from 2009-11.
No decision was announced on other possible staff changes, though there has been speculation about the future of offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter.
Led by Matt Ryan and Julio Jones, the Falcons had a record-breaking offense during their Super Bowl season with Kyle Shanahan directing the offense.
He left after that season to become head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, and the Falcons haven’t come close to matching the offensive production of their 2016 season. Steve Sarkisian served two seasons as offensive coordinator before Koetter, another former Buccaneers coach, took over this season.
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