Atlanta Falcons: Can Dan Quinn Fix the Team’s Problems?
- Atlanta Falcons Duke Riley (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
The Atlanta Falcons suffered their worse loss of the season, going down 41-17 in Pittsburgh against the Steelers. What can be done, if anything to right the ship before it’s too late?
The Atlanta Falcons are in dire straights. For the third consecutive week the Dirty Birds defense allowed 37 points or more. They have allowed more than 40 points in two of the last three games. Missed tackles and blown assignments have become the norm for Atlanta.
On the other hand the Atlanta Falcons offense has done their best to keep the team in games. Sunday’s game snapped a three game streak of scoring over 30 points for the Falcons.
The concerning thing about the offense is, they allowed quarterback Matt Ryan to be sacked six times. He is now on pace to be sacked more times than he has in his career for a season. Something must give. Changes must be made.
Middle Linebacker
On the defensive size of the ball, Duke Riley has been a colossal disappointment, taking over for injured fellow LSU Tiger Deion Jones at middle linebacker. Riley has been the Falcons’ biggest culprit of missed tackles all season long. Duke, a third round pick in 2017, just hasn’t taken the leap that he should have.
Pro Football Focus ranks Duke Riley tied for 77th of 82 qualifying linebackers. Only four linebackers have been worse. His grade is a horrific 39.3 of a possible 99.9 for the season. For comparison, Bobby Wagner of the Seattle Seahawks leads NFL linebackers with a grade of 89.7.
To put it plainly, Duke Riley’s play has not been worthy of an NFL starter, and is barely worthy of an NFL player at all. The Atlanta Falcons must bench him immediately as the first step to fixing the defense.
The middle linebacker is often responsible for defending running backs out of the backfield. This has been a gigantic problem for Atlanta. The Falcons have allowed a running back to catch more than ten passes for more than 100 yards twice this season. That’s unheard of in the NFL.
Moving strong side linebacker De’Vondre Campbell (62. 0 PFF grade) could help slow down opposing running backs out of the backfield. The problem is he’s the best defender the Atlanta Falcons have for defending tight ends. It would defeat the purpose for the team to patch one hole, only to open another.
Linebackers Kemal Ishmael (48.7) and Foyesade Oluokun (43.3) haven’t played great in limited snaps, yet their performances still represent an upgrade from Duke Riley. Newly signed Bruce Carter played five snaps on Sunday and could be more involved moving forward.
There are a few free agents still available as previously mentioned in this article. Some of the available veterans don’t fit Dan Quinn’s desire for speed, however their awareness and instincts would be extremely helpful for the Atlanta.
Brian Cushing, Kevin Minter, Lawrence Timmons, Navarro Bowman, Karlos Danby, and Jerell Freeman are all unsigned. Each player mentioned has starting experience. The Atlanta Falcons would be wise to call all of these gentlemen and hold a workout for those who are interested in playing this season.
The best option for the Atlanta Falcons at this point would be a trade. There will be more quality and younger players available on the trade market, though it’s unsure exactly what linebackers are available.
Falcons’ general manager Thomas Dimitroff would be wise to talk to the Seattle Seahawks, Jacksonville Jaguars, and any other teams that run a cover three scheme similar to Dan Quinn’s. However Atlanta should not mortgage the future by trading a pick higher than a fourth rounder.
So far the only NFL trade rumors have been involving running backs. Running back Tevin Coleman’s name as surfaced as a possible target for the Philadelphia Eagles who lost their starting running back Jay Ajaiy for the season. Maybe Coleman could be parlayed into defensive help.