Report: Atlanta Falcons cutting ties with athletic performance manager AJ Neibel

The Atlanta Falcons started tweaking their coaching staff immediately after the Super Bowl. It’s not an uncommon practice and you shouldn’t read into it. That said these changes are coming fast and furious. Today Vaughn McClure broke news of another coaching change.

“Athletic performance manager” isn’t exactly a euphemism for strength and conditioning coach. That’s because at Flowery Branch, the head strength and conditioning coach served under Neible. (For what it’s worth, Neible started with the Falcons the year after those sketchy prescription drug emails were sent, so there’s no reason to infer any connection to those shenanigans.) He’s held his current position for three seasons, so he is a holdover from the Mike Smith regime.

It’s a logical time to make this move. The off-season programing will kick off in the not so distant future, and his replacement will want to get started immediately. Jesse Ackerman is the current “head strength and conditioning coach.” One wonders whether he’d be a logical replacement for Neibel. Ackerman started with the Falcons last February. He also has a University of Florida connection, so I’m quite sure he’s on Dan Quinn’s good side.

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