Rehiring Dirk Koetter checked all the boxes for Falcons HC Dan Quinn

After a 7-9 season full of injuries and shenanigans worth forgetting, we knew the Falcons front office would take drastic action to right the ship. While Thomas Dimitroff and company weren’t willing to put an end to the Quinn Era, they were ready to revamp the coaching staff. Enter Dirk Koetter: former Falcons offensive coordinator, former Buccaneers head coach, and current Falcons offensive coordinator.

Odds are Koetter takes a more measured approach during his second stint with the Falcons, tempering his pass-happy disposition. And we’ve explaining his hiring from our perspective already. But how did Quinn see it? Why was it a logical move from his vantage point? Quinn addressed these and other questions during the NFL’s spring meetings last month.

“I’ve coached against him for a long time but haven’t had a chance to coach with him. Going against him has been challenging. Through the years, that kind of balance, he knows how to attack.”

OK, so Quinn likes his style. We knew that. But how will they work Koetter into the scheme the Falcons installed back when Kyle Shanahan was refusing to run the ball in the Super Bowl running the show?

“As we go through the offseason, there are certain things we would like to add into the run game. When you do that, something else has to come out. You don’t just keep getting to add because you don’t get the volume of practice that you need at certain things. We’re definitely tweaking some things but I’ll say this. The philosophy of how we play isn’t changing. We’re still a zone team ...”

The Falcons refused to let franchise quarterback Matt Ryan dictate how they replaced Steve Sarkisian, but his familiarity with Koetter didn’t hurt. In fact, according to Quinn, it was a shortcut they couldn’t pass up.

“[It] was a factor, knowing that there was not some relationship building that has to take place where they could cut through the niceties and get to work. Matt’s had a good space in his career where he knows some of the concepts that he really likes and is able to articulate some of those concepts and things that are really important to him to Dirk.”

Aggressive play calling? Check. Willing to leave the current scheme in place? Check. Familiar with the franchise quarterback? Check. As Quinn describes the hiring process, this was a no-brainer. Perhaps you had a different offensive coordinator mind. And to be sure, a healthy skepticism of Koetter isn’t illogical. But it’s now clear why Quinn cast his vote for Koetter.

Your thoughts, Falcoholics?