Five Reasons The Atlanta Falcons Make The Playoffs In 2015

Feb 3, 2015; Flowery Branch, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons team owner Arthur Blank (left) and new head coach Dan Quinn pose for a photo during a press conference at the Falcons Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

New Head Coach, Defensive Scheme

Anything will be an improvement on whatever Mike Nolan called defensively last year.  His scheme was way too complicated for a young defense to master.  Guys were left flat-footed and out of position with the verbose pre-snap checklist required to play a 4-2-5 base package.  Who does that?  Last year’s Falcons could have played in the dime for every snap and would still struggle in pass coverage.

Dan Quinn looks to change all of it.  Somehow he was convinced to bring the Legion of Boom to the Dirty South.  I’m already hearing more football terminology than I ever did from Smitty.  LEO, SAM, Press Corner.  It’s better than “I thought he was moving around out there nicely”.  I don’t know what I’m more excited about with Coach Quinn’s defensive scheme, a pass rush that will put Top 30 NFL QB’s on their back or a pass defense that won’t cave on every third down.

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With a new coach comes new go-to phrases.  Coach Q’s are ‘absolute blast’, ‘it’s not what he can’t do, but what he can do’, and ‘plays with grit’.  Listening for the buzzwords in a press conference are almost as fun as the conference itself.  Let’s hope that playing with grit or anger or speed pans out, Coach Quinn.

Elite Passing Game

Besides Green Bay or Denver, is there a better QB-WR corps in the NFL than in Atlanta?  Matt Ryan, Roddy White, and Julio Jones are all perennial Pro Bowlers.  They’re all tough as nails (or screws in Julio’s case), too.  Even with a porous offensive line, a lackluster TE group, and weak running game the last two seasons, Ryan and company were always able to move the chains through a superior vertical and mid-range passing game.

Dec 21, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan (2) prepares to throw the ball against the New Orleans Saints during the fourth quarter at Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

If there is one consolation prize to the disappointing 2013-14 campaigns for the Atlanta Falcons, it’s that Matt Ryan has proven to the league that he is no doubt a top ten quarterback.  He threw for over 4,000 yards behind an offensive line that treated him like a rag doll.  That’s because Atlanta couldn’t run the football and the opposition blitzed the Falcons like Buddy Ryan was their defensive coordinator.

With Kyle Shanahan taking over as the new OC, the Falcons should be able to run the ball exponentially better with his zone blocking scheme.  Matt Ryan plays his best when he can get the linebackers to bite on a play-action fake.  Hopefully this year the NFC swallows it hook, line, and sinker.

Next: Fourth and Fifth Reasons Why Falcons Make the Playoffs in 2015