Falcons Officially Hire Dan Quinn As Head Coach

Update:

The Atlanta Falcons have officially announced the hiring of Dan Quinn as their new head coach.

“I am grateful for this opportunity, and I am excited to be the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons,” Quinn said. “This felt like the right fit from the beginning, and I want to thank Mr. Blank for his resolve as this was an extended and complicated process. My goal is to build upon the foundation that has been laid here and to play a physical brand of football as we build a championship caliber team.”

Owner Arthur Blank released a statement regarding Quinn:

“This is an exciting day for the Atlanta Falcons franchise and our fans,” said Blank. “Dan is a talented football coach who has a deep and diverse history in the game, which will serve us well. As we got to know Dan during the interview process, it became clear that he has a definitive plan for our football team and what it will take to win on a consistent basis. He also has a proven ability to develop players by maximizing their individual strengths. For these and many other reasons, Dan became our top pick, and I’m confident our players, staff, fans and community will be proud to have him represent the Falcons.
 
“I would like to personally thank Seahawks coach Pete Carroll for his patience and support during our head coach search,” added Blank. “I’m sure the Seahawks will be sorry to see Dan leave, but no one has been more supportive of this opportunity for Dan than Pete.”

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ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the Falcons have reached a five-year agreement with Seahawks DC Dan Quinn to be their next head coach.

According to Schefter, Quinn is expected to fly to Atlanta at some point on Monday.

Meanwhile, Ian Rapoport confirms the agreement and adds that the Falcons will officially announce Quinn as their new head coach on Tuesday.

Rapoport mentions that Kyle Shanahan will be the team’s offensive coordinator and Richard Smith will takeover as defensive coordinator.

This should come as no surprise whatsoever given that this has been the expectation for several weeks now.

The fact that Quinn and the Seahawks were still in the playoffs prevented the Falcons from officially reaching an agreement. It was clear that Quinn was getting the job, as the Falcons wouldn’t be waiting around for any other candidate.

Atlanta’s defense is in bad shape, but Quinn has shown in the past that’s capable of getting a lot out of young players, so it will be interesting to see what the defensive unit looks like in 2015.