Atlanta Falcons: Coach Quinn Deserves Credit for Adjustments
Foye Oluokun Steps Up
When pro bowl linebacker Deion Jones went down with injury, second year man Duke Riley immediately replaced him in the starting lineup. Riley struggled immensely in his new role, and the Falcons defense deteriorated.
Two weeks ago coach Quinn made an adjustment. He moved Duke Riley back to his normal role as the third linebacker and replaced him in the middle, with rookie linebacker Foyesade Oluokun out of Yale.
The move has paid instant dividends as the Falcons have allowed only 29, 20 and 14 points in their last three games. This comes on the heels of three consecutive games in which the Dirty Birds’ defense allowed 37 or more points. All three games ended in defeat for Atlanta.
Foye Oluokun played a career high 40 snaps in the 34-29 win over Tampa Bay. He had a career best 10 tackles to lead Atlanta.
The following week against the Giants, Oluokun played another 38 snaps. He responded with another 6 tackles, second on the team, and a quarterback hit. Most importantly, he held sensational rookie running back Saquon Barkley to just two catches for nine yards.
Covering running backs had been a major issue for the Falcons during the three game losing streak. Carolina running back Christian McCaffrey and New Orleans running back Alvin Kamara combined for an unacceptable 29 catches for 226 yards alone.
Pro Football Focus gave Foye a career high grade of 79.5 (out of 99.9) for his work against New York, in Atlanta’s 23-20 victory.
Foye Oluokun followed that up with another great game against the Redskins. He set a new career high with 50 snaps played. He tied for the team lead with six tackles.
Foye had a tackle for a loss, and another quarterback hit against the Redskins. He was a major factor in holding running back Adrian Peterson to only 17 yards on nine carries.
Oluokun impressively allowed only four catches for just 29 yards in coverage, in a game in which Washington had to throw a lot playing catch-up. He earned a PFF grade of 73.0 for his stellar play in the Falcons 38-14 win.
Not only has Foye played well, Duke Riley has responded remarkably with great games in his last two outings, with reduced snaps. Pro Football Focus awarded him a career high grade of 83.0, for his play against the Giants in 26 snaps. He nearly matched that grade, earning a mark of 82.7 in 22 snaps against the Redskins.
Duke Riley has looked so much more confident and sure of his assignment, without having the added responsibility of calling the defense. He is covering well, and it’s even translated to better tackling. Dan Quinn certainly deserves the credit for moving Riley to a more reduced, specialized role.