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We do not expect too many offseason discussions this year. The Atlanta Falcons have a few players that probably won’t return, there was no historic loss, there is no new stadium, and there is not a whole lot of opportunity for changes.
The biggest question was whether or not Dan Quinn decides to keep his struggling offensive coordinator, Steve Sarkisian. It was a bad year for the offense compared to 2016. We saw issues with play calling, execution, creativity, and personnel. After the Falcons were unceremoniously bounced from the playoffs after putting up an anemic 10 points, many considered him on the hot seat.
Quinn tossed some ice water on that hot seat, and is expected to return for 2018.
Clearing up one lingering question post-2017 (if it's even a question): #Falcons OC Steve Sarkisian is expected to return for 2018 with full confidence of coach Dan Quinn and his staff.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 16, 2018
Wow, with full confidence. I suppose this is the correct public line (even if it is leaked to the media and not the official word). For better or worse, Sarkisian will be calling plays.
If we remember 2015, Kyle Shanahan was on the hot seat but some know-nothing bloggers (mainly me). There were player-only meetings, unspecific complaints to the media, and of course, Roddy White going in on Shanahan after getting cut. We had plenty of complaints, like continuing countless plays that never worked, the first three offensive plays against the Indianapolis Colts, player usage, and the complete collapse of the offense after week 6. The offense was seemingly allergic to points, and lost to Matt Hasselbeck! Matt Hasselbeck scored more points that the Falcons! Ryan had his worst career as a pro, and tossed a huge number of interceptions. Guys seemingly fumbled left and right.
Maybe 2017 wasn’t nearly as bad. Quinn moved good buddy Raheem Morris over to the offensive side of the ball, in part to improve the relationships and general workings of the offense. It would make sense if Quinn adds a quarterback coach with pro experience calling plays, so be on the lookout for the likes of Darrell Bevell or Jedd Fisch to get floated for those positions.
With another year working on execution, and maybe another veteran coach on the offense, we could see another big improvement from the offense.