Falconsroach7
Starter
Coming off a 6-10 season, you've completely turned this team around, leading them to a 13-3 record and the #2 seed. How exactly has this been accomplished?
Quinn: Coming into Atlanta, I knew this team had talent. They were definitely the team I wanted to coach. It's all about utilizing the young guys, like Hageman, that weren't properly played in Mike Smith's scheme. Players like Vic, who had 10.5 sacks, and Tevin who just absolutely imposed his will this season. We obviously put Ryan in a system that made him comfortable, and he and Julio were on the same page all year long. Our offense really clicked. Defensively, like I said, shede and Vic really performed well, but trufant established himself as a #1 corner while Jalen Collins had a great rookie season. Justin Durant and brooks reed really brought some stability at outside linebacker as well, helping us in run support and pass coverage. Ultimately, it was a whole team turnaround.
It was a very competitive division this year, which was a big surprise considering how poor it was just a year ago. How did you maintain that focus all year and pull away near the end?
You know, the Panthers and bucs are top notch squads. Likewise, the saints were a very solid football team. They weren't jokes or weak competition; they brought it every game and each round it was a new set of challenges we had to overcome. I think it came down to grit. We showed some toughness in each game to pull out some really tough W's, and those close ones really make an impact, build up confidence. We know those teams are challenges in the postseason, so they're definitely not off our radar, but we did a good job in the regular season finding victories.
Can you speak a little bit more about some of the defensive players that truly became elite in your opinion?
Trufant is our defensive leader. With 10 picks, he showed he's a force to be reckoned with. He's a shutdown CB, no receiver could explode against him and he's our biggest asset. I really liked the play of ish at SS. He's a ballhawk, and he's got some good instincts in the run game. I've already sung the praises of Ra'shede and Beasley, but Collins, once again, stuck out to me. As a rookie, you're gonna get burned, and he did, but he limited those mistakes and capitalized on opponent's mistakes, racking up a ton of picks. I think our secondary is trending upward, especially highlighted by those last pair of games in which neither cam nor drew could really get much going against us.
What looked weak to you this season? What could use improvement?
I'm not a guy to name drop or blame guys. We can improve in every facet. I think, specifically, we need to work on keepin matt upright in the pocket and preventing big pass plays. We're opportunistic, but consistency can elude us, and that needs to come to an end if we want a championship.
A superbowl win is, clearly, the goal here. Do you think the team can do it this year?
I believe we have work to do still, but I have complete faith in this squad. We're resilient enough to beat anybody in this league. I think if we limit the turnovers and keep everything in front of us, we can win it all.
Any final words on the season, as you look forward to the postseason and the future?
It's a great first step. You never wanna be complacent. Like I've said many times, there's always work to do. We're aiming for a SB, and I think we have a solid foundation to build a powerhouse team here. Ryan, jones and Coleman on offense are a trio to fear while trufant and Collins solidify the secondary and our front 7 gets after the QB and stops running backs. We're gonna address some things come the offseason, but we've got a great base here to do something special.
Quinn: Coming into Atlanta, I knew this team had talent. They were definitely the team I wanted to coach. It's all about utilizing the young guys, like Hageman, that weren't properly played in Mike Smith's scheme. Players like Vic, who had 10.5 sacks, and Tevin who just absolutely imposed his will this season. We obviously put Ryan in a system that made him comfortable, and he and Julio were on the same page all year long. Our offense really clicked. Defensively, like I said, shede and Vic really performed well, but trufant established himself as a #1 corner while Jalen Collins had a great rookie season. Justin Durant and brooks reed really brought some stability at outside linebacker as well, helping us in run support and pass coverage. Ultimately, it was a whole team turnaround.
It was a very competitive division this year, which was a big surprise considering how poor it was just a year ago. How did you maintain that focus all year and pull away near the end?
You know, the Panthers and bucs are top notch squads. Likewise, the saints were a very solid football team. They weren't jokes or weak competition; they brought it every game and each round it was a new set of challenges we had to overcome. I think it came down to grit. We showed some toughness in each game to pull out some really tough W's, and those close ones really make an impact, build up confidence. We know those teams are challenges in the postseason, so they're definitely not off our radar, but we did a good job in the regular season finding victories.
Can you speak a little bit more about some of the defensive players that truly became elite in your opinion?
Trufant is our defensive leader. With 10 picks, he showed he's a force to be reckoned with. He's a shutdown CB, no receiver could explode against him and he's our biggest asset. I really liked the play of ish at SS. He's a ballhawk, and he's got some good instincts in the run game. I've already sung the praises of Ra'shede and Beasley, but Collins, once again, stuck out to me. As a rookie, you're gonna get burned, and he did, but he limited those mistakes and capitalized on opponent's mistakes, racking up a ton of picks. I think our secondary is trending upward, especially highlighted by those last pair of games in which neither cam nor drew could really get much going against us.
What looked weak to you this season? What could use improvement?
I'm not a guy to name drop or blame guys. We can improve in every facet. I think, specifically, we need to work on keepin matt upright in the pocket and preventing big pass plays. We're opportunistic, but consistency can elude us, and that needs to come to an end if we want a championship.
A superbowl win is, clearly, the goal here. Do you think the team can do it this year?
I believe we have work to do still, but I have complete faith in this squad. We're resilient enough to beat anybody in this league. I think if we limit the turnovers and keep everything in front of us, we can win it all.
Any final words on the season, as you look forward to the postseason and the future?
It's a great first step. You never wanna be complacent. Like I've said many times, there's always work to do. We're aiming for a SB, and I think we have a solid foundation to build a powerhouse team here. Ryan, jones and Coleman on offense are a trio to fear while trufant and Collins solidify the secondary and our front 7 gets after the QB and stops running backs. We're gonna address some things come the offseason, but we've got a great base here to do something special.