Falcons Linked To Adam Gase, Dan Quinn Early In Coaching Search

The Falcons have requested permission to interview a pair of coordinators for their newly created head coaching vacancy, and they continue to be strongly linked to recently fired Jets head coach Rex Ryan.

The 49ers, Falcons and Jets have requested interviews with Seattle defensive coordinator Dan Quinn. More overtures could be coming

— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) December 29, 2014

The #Falcons are requesting permission to speak with #Broncos OC Adam Gase, source says. Moving quick.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 29, 2014

Quinn and Gase are two ends of the spectrum. Quinn is a well-regarded defensive mind who has done excellent work in Seattle, nurturing superstars and scheming in such a way that even relatively average players stand out. He has a lot more talent on the West Coast than he'd have to work with in Atlanta, but he'd be a strong statement hire for a team looking to bolster an annually lackluster defense.

Gase, meanwhile, is the mastermind behind a productive Broncos offense. There will be a lot of noise made about Gase's job being easy thanks to Peyton Manning, and that was certainly true in 2013. It's worth noting that he's still done a nice job with the Denver offense, and that he's shifted his gameplan away from the lights-out passing attack that characterized last season's Super Bowl team and toward a more effective ground attack as Manning has scuffled. He's a bright mind, albeit not a seasoned one.

Rex Ryan needs no introduction, but there's no concrete report of the Falcons reaching out to him just yet. We'll keep you posted as we learn.

FalconsM5 will bring you a more comprehensive list of coaching candidates in the near future. What are your thoughts on these three candidates?