Three Takeaways From Falcons Win Over Saints

2. Dan Quinn Is Coaching For His Next Job

Dan Quinn has been a dead man walking for some time now. Everyone, including me, thought he would be canned after the Seattle loss that had the Falcons at 1-7 on the season. Alas, Arthur Blank stuck with his guy, electing to let him finish out the season. After yesterday’s win, I would be somewhat shocked to see Quinn get the sack in the middle of the season, however, I still predict that ax will fall once this season is concluded.

Going into Sunday’s game, news broke that Dan Quinn had relinquished the defensive playcalling to Jeff Ulbrich and Raheem Morris for the rest of the season. The move shouldn’t have come as any surprise, considering how bad Quinn has been as the Defensive Coordinator all season. What was surprising was how well the Falcons defense played yesterday, holding the Saints to 9 points and no touchdowns. Ulbrich and Morris will handle the defensive playcalling for the rest of the season, bringing hope back to this once highly touted defense.

Now, giving up playcalling duties might not sound like Dan Quinn campaigning for his next job, however, with how bad his defense was playing anyone calling plays other than him will benefit the team. Dan Quinn is a very talented defensive coordinator, or he was at one point, so it’s safe to assume he will have a new job coaching defense next season. The more wins the Falcons can pile up, the better it looks on Quinn. While I don’t see Quinn doing anything to save his job in Atlanta, I do see him posturing for the future at this point.