The Atlanta Falcons are entering a bounce-back season with a brand new coaching staff and the pressure is high. Dan Quinn is coming off a championship team with the Seattle Seahawks and the pressure is on to prove himself as a head coach in Atlanta. While there is no real concern with Quinn, all eyes are on offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan who is coming off two tough stints with the Washington Redskins and Cleveland Browns. With stability at the quarterback and wide receiver positions, will Shanahan truly shine in Atlanta?
Early returns on the offensive coordinator are very positive as several Atlanta veterans took time to praise Shanahan and the system he is installing. For the first time in several seasons, Shanahan has stability at the quarterback position and proven wide receivers to work with. The Falcons are hopeful that this works in their favor as quarterback Matt Ryan is already impressed with what he has seen.
"First and foremost, he has a ton of experience," Ryan said via the team's official website. "He's a young guy, but he has a ton of experience. I've enjoyed working with Kyle so far and Matt LaFleur, our quarterbacks coach, as well. I think there's been really good collaboration on the offensive side. We've got a lot of work to do, a lot of time and effort to put in. The first couple of days have been really, really good."
One thing Shanahan will be dealing with is a position battle at the running back spot. Atlanta is going with youth in the ground game this year as second-year pro Devonta Freeman and rookie Tevin Coleman will battle things out in training camp following the departure of Steven Jackson. According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Freeman has a leg up in the battle simply because he has a year of experience in the league, but Coleman should not be ruled out as a contender. According to Roddy White, he is excited for the new offense to feature the run game more.
"I just don't think we're going to go out there and throw it 30, 40 times a game like we did in the past," White said, via the AJC.com. "I'm not saying that we didn't like that, but it's going to be different. We have to get back to our old (style) where we run the football. Play-action passes and convert on third downs."
With Julio Jones not expected to hold out as contract negotiations continue, the Falcons will get started right away once training camp begins. Shanahan has some pressure on him to prove that what happened in Washington and Cleveland will not be the story that plays out in Atlanta as well, but the confidence of players should put some worries to rest.
