2015 Atlanta Falcons: Rundown of 8 Candidates for Head Coaching Vacancy
The Atlanta Falcons fired Mike Smith and have been looking for his replacement since the dismissal. They have brought in multiple quality candidates. They have also brought in a couple of guys who shouldn't have been considered for the most important job in Atlanta.
But, when it comes to doing due diligence for the best possible fit, it's always better to have more candidates than less. Atlanta has some great talent to work with in Matt Ryan, Desmond Trufant, Julio Jones and Jake Matthews. If the Falcons can get the right coaches to maximize their impact players' roles, they could be a winner again sooner rather than later.
Former Jets HC Rex Ryan
1 of 8
One of the biggest names the Falcons could get is Rex Ryan. He's proven to be a successful coach when his defensive players buy into his scheme and his offense controls the ball and scores some solid points. Atlanta already has an offensive identity figured out, but defense needs a ton of work. Ryan being a top defensive mind will only help the Falcons fix their issues on that side of the ball.
Despite the idea that Ryan may not be a perfect coach for Atlanta due to failures in New York, the Falcons have all of the tools for him to succeed once again. They have the best quarterback he would have ever had in Matt Ryan. They have a great cornerback in Desmond Trufant and a pair of large, talented defensive linemen in Ra'Shede Hageman and Paul Soliai.
Ideally, Rex would be the primary person in charge of who the first-round selection would be. He would know exactly who to handpick at No. 8 overall for the primary pass-rusher the Falcons haven't had in years. The only question that comes with Rex is how he turns his offensive failures into offensive successes. Getting Matt a coordinator he can trust would be of utmost importance.
Verdict: Good candidate for Atlanta
Former Bills HC Doug Marrone
2 of 8
Doug Marrone would be a horrible candidate for the Atlanta Falcons. For a team that believes that "Good is the enemy of great," they need to see that Marrone epitomizes the idea that he would be good at best for a couple of years before ultimately failing like Mike Smith did.
His offense can be creative when he has a top-level quarterback, but Atlanta needs someone who can fix both sides of the ball. That man is not Marrone. He inherited a great defense from his predecessors that has looked great this past season due to Jim Schwartz pulling every ounce of potential out of it.
Marrone has never gotten the Buffalo offense to the heights that would have lifted the team to a better record than just 9-7. When looking for a coach who could take them to the next level, the Falcons need to run far and fast from Marrone. He's nothing but a talented offensive coordinator at the NFL level.
Verdict: Bad candidate for Atlanta
Broncos OC Adam Gase
3 of 8
Adam Gase is a brilliant offensive mind that seemingly gets propped up because of the talent that Peyton Manning has. However, he's been on the path to becoming a head coach in the NFL for a couple of years now. Manning may have made him look better as a coordinator, but Gase has head coaching ability.
His ability to be a head coach stems from his ability to work with his best players and bring the most out of their abilities. Gase was more than willing to tell Manning to take a back seat to a running game once he realized that the best way to preserve his aging quarterback for the playoffs was the C.J. Anderson show.
By utilizing zone blocking from his quick, albeit talented offensive line, Gase made sure that his offense played to its strengths to win as many games as possible. More than that, he showed an adaptability that meant the Broncos didn't have to rely on Manning 100 percent. Atlanta could use that.
Verdict: Great candidate for Atlanta
Patriots OC Josh McDaniels
4 of 8
Josh McDaniels is a huge name being bandied about for the Falcons' new head coach. He's known as an offensive mind that helped Tom Brady reach his highest level of potential. He's also known as the man who screwed up Denver's franchise by trading up to draft Tim Tebow with a first-round pick.
McDaniels has the potential to become a great head coach if he's in the right situation. The right quarterback isn't an issue for the Falcons with Matt Ryan in the fold. The issue would be fixing the defense with the right coordinator and mixture of talent.
The biggest issue with McDaniels as the Falcons head coach comes from his relationship with Thomas Dimitroff and Scott Pioli. Atlanta needs to have a great team, but the only way to do that is to separate their ideas into newer and better ones than what the "Patriot Way" has led them to. The only way to do that is to bring in a fresh new face.
Verdict: Bad candidate for Atlanta
Lions DC Teryl Austin
5 of 8
When it comes to someone who could bring in a perfect scheme for the Falcons' current personnel, Teryl Austin has to be at the top of the list. He runs a great mix of zone and man coverages throughout his entire defense and loves to run press-man coverages with his cornerbacks.
Austin also loves to blitz out of multiple looks and rushes three rarely. This would be a stark contrast from the three-man rushes that the Falcons continually saw from Mike Nolan in 2013 and 2014. Austin's ability to run multiple coverages and blitzes will only help the pass rush in 2015.
The questions that come with Teryl Austin are about who his offensive coordinator is going to be. However, he has connections to multiple different coaching trees, including the Mike Holmgren one. That could mean a switch to a West Coast offense. This could be ideal for Atlanta's great yards-after-catch ability from its receivers and Matt Ryan's excellent short accuracy.
Verdict: Great candidate for Atlanta
Seahawks DC Dan Quinn
6 of 8
Dan Quinn is by far the least qualified man on this list. That seems a bit weird to say with the inexperienced Teryl Austin listed, but Quinn has only been a defensive coordinator in the pros for two seasons, and both of them came under a guy who already had his scheme in place.
Sure, the Seahawks made a couple of small changes, like adding a bit more press coverages to their defense in early 2013, but Quinn hasn't been the man who should be considered responsible for such a change. Head coach Pete Carroll is the primary brains behind that operation.
As a cautionary tale, the Falcons need to look at the Patriots once again in this situation. Carroll is the Belichick here, establishing one of the best football teams year in and year out. Quinn is just a coordinator along for the ride who will get a job based on Carroll's intelligence.
Verdict: Bad candidate for Atlanta
Cardinals DC Todd Bowles
7 of 8
Todd Bowles is the one man the Falcons could say fit the description that Arthur Blank laid out to a T: a great leader with a great ability to motivate the players under him. Someone who is decisive, flexible and adaptive. And someone who can develop the talent that the GM gives him. Basically, everything that Mike Smith was unable to show he was.
This is everything that Bowles has shown to possess in Arizona. His defense plays hard for him. He's able to show that he has the decisiveness to make the calls when necessary, like playing Tyrann Mathieu over veteran Rashad Johnson. He has shown the willingness and ability to develop young talent like Alex Okafor. He's shown that he's adaptable by coordinating his scheme around injuries suffered.
The question here is whether Bowles can bring in a great offensive coordinator who can do what he will be able to do for the defense. Bowles has some connections to current Falcons special teams coordinator Keith Armstrong and could keep him on board. Offense would be the only question, but Bowles seems like he'd be adaptable enough to figure out what works best around Matt Ryan.
Verdict: Excellent candidate for Atlanta
Falcons STC Keith Armstrong
8 of 8
As crazy as it sounds, Keith Armstrong is the best candidate for the Atlanta Falcons head coaching job. With Alex Marvez of Fox Sports breaking the news that the current Falcons special teams coordinator was interviewed for the job, Atlanta might have already interviewed its best candidate. An issue here is that too many people are claiming he's nothing more than just a Rooney Rule candidate.
By claiming that, it's showing that they are completely demeaning his abilities as a real candidate for the job. Honestly, his mix of abilities as a special teams coordinator and experience as a positional coach on both sides of the ball gives him a great mix of experience as someone who could motivate every player. Out of all of the candidates who have been interviewed, Armstrong might be the dark horse.
But he's the one who should get it. Much like John Harbaugh of the Ravens, Armstrong is a very motivational guy who doesn't put up with players' garbage. He knows enough about both sides of the ball to be extremely effective as a head coach. The only question that comes from hiring Armstrong is who he would bring in as coordinators and assistants.
Verdict: Best candidate for Atlanta
All stats used are from Pro Football Focus' Premium Stats (subscription required), ESPN.com, CFBStats or NFL.com. All combine and pro day info is courtesy of NFLDraftScout.com. All contract information is courtesy of Spotrac and Rotoworld.
Scott Carasik is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He covers the Atlanta Falcons, college football, the NFL and the NFL draft. He also runs DraftFalcons.com.
.jpg?w=480 "Ravens Steelers Football")
.jpg?w=600 "Could Leafs Trade for McDavid in 2027? 🤔")
.jpeg?w=600 "Updated Stanley Cup Playoffs Bracket")
