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Kyle Shanahan: The Importance of Offensive Accountability

By Jonathan Savitske

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Atlanta Falcons Offensive Coordinator Kyle Shanahan addressed the team’s recent offensive struggles at training camp on Thursday afternoon.

Kyle Shanahan has placed a significant emphasis on offensive accountability thus far at training, preaching personal responsibility on the part of his players. Shanahan was quoted today at the end of the Falcons’ fifth practice by stating:

"“[Accountability is] a big part of our program. [Football] means the world to someone, so you try to find out why they fumbled. Was it a lack of concentration? Was it a technique issue? What was the problem? It’s your job as a coach to find out what the problem was and see how you can help them. It’s the player’s job to not let it happen again, and if it happens too much, you have to go in a different direction.”"

-= Related: Devonta Freeman Takes Charge of 5th TC Practice =-

The Atlanta Falcons offense has dealt with a litany of individual mistakes so far at camp. Last season, those little mistakes on offense cost the Falcons, and Kyle Shanahan has taken it upon himself to drive home the importance of offensive intelligence. Kyle Shanahan continued to drive home this belief after practice:

"“You just have to address it, stay on guys. Nobody wants to fumble; nobody wants to turn it over. It’s not that you have to grab them or yell at them or anything. It means as much to them as it does to you.”"

This is quite different from the concept of “toughness” that was the mantra of Mike Smith‘s final training camp in 2014. Shanahan isn’t saying that you have to be like the Detroit Pistons of the 1980’s, but just to play smart and to play with the desire to win. He is taking a methodical approach to address the deficiencies of the offense both last year and so far at camp.

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With the introduction of a more balanced offense and a zone-blocking scheme in 2015, Shanahan is already leaving his mark on the Atlanta Falcons. Last week, quarterback Matt Ryan stated that he preferred a balanced offense with an emphasis on the run game as opposed to the pass-heavy strategy that former OC Dirk Koetter employed for the past two seasons.

With Devonta Freeman primed to become the primary ball carrier for the Atlanta Falcons in the coming season, the offensive line must take note of the mistakes they make in training camp to remediate the issues before the beginning of the season.

It is good to see an offensive coordinator emphasize accountability on a team that in the past couple of seasons made too many excuses. Kyle Shanahan is winning over both his players and fans so far at the Falcons 2015 training camp.

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