The Atlanta Falcons are expected to retain head coach Dan Quinn, but he is reportedly likely to make some “significant changes,” including firing offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian.
Tom Pelissero of NFL Network broke it down on Tuesday, noting a potential replacement for Sarkisian could be former Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell, who has ties to Quinn.
There’s a strong possibility of significant changes to Dan Quinn‘s #Falcons staff, including replacing OC Steve Sarkisian. One name to keep in mind: ex-#Seahawks OC Darrell Bevell, who actually spent a few weeks in camp working with Atlanta‘s defense. pic.twitter.com/2zg3iNlW5N
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) December 18, 2018
What’s interesting is that Atlanta’s offense has actually been much better this year than it was in 2017. Sarkisian was justifiably roasted on many occasions last year for his inability to get the offense to perform. But this year he’s done a much better job.
Julio Jones got off to a cold start in the scoring department, but he’s been on fire of late and now has six touchdown passes.
Matt Ryan has put up 4,307 yards with 30 touchdowns and just six interceptions this year, completing nearly 70 percent of his passes.
The team’s red-zone offense has been much improved this year, too. After ranking among the league’s worst in 2017, Atlanta is converting a touchdown nearly 64 percent of the time, up from 49 percent last year and ranking 11th in the league.
Given the way Atlanta has tanked this year, changes were inevitable. However, one wonders if bringing in Bevell would make things better, or worse.