Dan Quinn is leading the defense once again, just for a different NFC team. The Atlanta Falcons' head coach decided after a 7-9 season to reassume duties as the defensive playcaller after firing second-year coordinator Marquand Manuel. Meanwhile, Quinn remains in search of both an offensive coordinator and special-teams coach after letting go Steve Sarkisian and Keith Armstrong, respectively.
As the story said, it's the second time that Quinn will take over the playcalling in Atlanta, something he did in Week 13 of the 2016 season, when he relieved then-defensive coordinator Richard Smith of those responsibilities. Of course, the Falcons went on to play in the Super Bowl that season, mainly because of the league's highest-scoring offense. But a renewed sense of defensive energy was felt under Quinn during that eight-game stretch in '16. The Falcons improved in scoring defense, red zone defense, sacks per pass attempt and interceptions per pass attempt.