Wow, what a game…what a beating! It was everything we wanted in an NFC Championship game, including our team winning BIG in front of our fans and our guys leaving in good health. The Atlanta Falcons are going to the Super Bowl!
This about sums up our team’s confidence right now. Rookies and all.
Please share your thoughts about this tremendous time in our city!
The Falcons Cage 
So there’s a possibility we may be looking at Dwight Freeney or Chuck Smith as DL coach and Raheem Morris as DC?
I’m pretty good with any of those alternatives.
I wouldn’t mind seeing Chuck Smith brought in but he has no game planning experience, plus he is doing very well as the top defensive guru in NFL pre-Draft training.
JWW – Convinced Chuck or Dwight would be a guaranteed improvement and, they may not even need to pick fights w/ players as a skilled coaching technique!
Falcons considering Marquand Manuel for defensive coordinator position
8:24 AM ET
Vaughn McClure
ESPN Staff Writer
The Atlanta Falcons are strongly considering secondary coach Marquand Manuel as the next defensive coordinator, sources told ESPN on Wednesday.
The move would follow the Falcons’ decision to re-assign or even part ways with defensive coordinator Richard Smith after sources told ESPN that head coach Dan Quinn started taking more control of the defensive playcalling during this past season.
The 37-year-old Manuel, who played eight seasons at strong safety, has drawn praise from Quinn for his hands-on approach in developing the secondary. Although Manuel has not been a coordinator, he did interview to become the defensive coordinator of the Jacksonville Jaguars last January.
Manuel also was the assistant secondary coach in Seattle while Quinn served as the Seahawks’ defensive coordinator.
http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/18644200/atlanta-falcons-considering-marquand-manuel-defensive-coordinator-position?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
Wouldn’t have been my first choice, but what do I know. Gotta trust Quinn knows what he wants in a DC and DL coach.
Then again, Marquand was with Quinn in Seattle and who better to run his defense and knows how he wants it ran?
Chop – Agree. It “looks like” MM is certainly the front-runner for DC. At any rate, looks like an upgrade was/is needed for the position and let DQ concentrate on being a HC (inc. overriding called plays when appropriate and enhanced 4th qtr. decision-making)!
At least now I can stop mocking Bryan Cox Jr. to the Falcons as a late round favor. He’s not a bad player, just not HWP’d to any position.
I have no problem with the defensive coaching reshuffle. From what I’ve read, I get the impression that there were season-long leadership problems we didn’t know about. If so, it’s best not to let them fester and continue. I’m pleased to see, again, that Dan Quinn will not hesitate to make corrections. So far, his “corrections” have resulted in team progress.
The defense was puzzling to me all season. Although I was very impressed towards the end, I couldn’t understand the pattern of slow starts in regular season games. Maybe Quinn did. Maybe this shuffle is a response he couldn’t make midstream without exacerbating the problem.
Regardless, I think Quinn’s sights are on our defense now. Not a moment too soon.
POST WRITERS…
I will be adding a new post very soon to turn the page on this past season and move on to analyzing college prospects and NFL Free Agents.
If anyone wants to add a post soon or already has one in the works, please let me know either here or on the post writers tab above. I am ready to get into the draft and free agency but if someone wants to revisit the SB carnage or to wax poetic on the 2016 season, let’s see what you got.
John, I just sent my post to Arno. He is loading it in the next few hours. It will give us a new thread and let you have a few days to work on your post,
JWW– Coop just sent me a post. I can send it to you, but if no objections, I can put it up in the next few hours. I’m back in a place where I can help out in the Cage again.
Time out! Time out!
Before we go any further, let me say a BIG DARRYL STARKS “THANK YOU” to Arno, JWW, Coop, and all the others who have not only kept the Cage alive, but make it such a pleasure to visit. Thanks for your efforts! Thanks for your company! Thanks!
GM – Arno and JWW deserve all the credit. What they have taken from D3’s amazing years of work has been incredible. I am the occasional writer.
Not a problem. Absolutely, go ahead with the post. I will go back to my old job as a contributor and emotional strength coach! I will contact you when I have something organized or perhaps we can do another writers’ schedule like last year. Thanks Arno.
Thanks so much for filling in, JWW, and most of all for your continued contributions. What the Cage is all about!
Interesting!
http://sportsnaut.com/2017/02/dan-quinn-says-doesnt-regret-calls-made-stretch-super-bowl-li/
Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn was in command of the biggest Super Bowl meltdown in history, but he remains convinced he made the right calls down the stretch.
“Dan Quinn said he doesn’t regret the calls after reviewing the Super Bowl film. He regrets the outcome of those plays,” ESPN’s Vaughn McClure passed along.
It’s hard to take this comment at face value. Atlanta’s defense was absolutely shredded during the second half of Super Bowl LI and into overtime. Tom Brady was surgical after a rough start, and it was clear New England made necessary adjustments to combat what the Falcons were doing early. Conversely, it was clear Atlanta’s coaching staff was behind the eight ball during that critical stretch — a stretch that saw the Falcons blow a 25-point lead.
In addition to the defensive meltdown that occurred, the Falcons made the huge mistake of only running the ball five times in the second half, despite the fact that Devonta Freeman was red hot running the ball.
Clearly, mistakes were made from a coaching standpoint. Still, it’s easy to understand why Quinn doesn’t want to admit his calls, and those of his coaching staff, were a big reason why the Falcons lost the Super Bowl. That said, it’s always better to face the truth rather than hide from it
Just like Smitty did not regret running Turner up the middle…..
I guess you gotta dance with the one that brought ya.
New post by Coop.
https://thefalconscage.wordpress.com/2017/02/08/glimmer-of-light/comment-page-1/#comment-51586
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In deference to our tremendous Head Coach, I will believe whatever he says to this point. Quinn still has the locker room, even after that gigantic sh:t sandwich, so he still has me.
Without being specific, we all know there were 5 or 6 plays that could have gone the other way for us…IF: if Ryan throws that ball away and Bryant gets a shot at that 50+ yarder, if we get a non-call on several crucial holding penalties (both Offense & Defense), if Devonta adjusts and chips Hightower just a bit, if a tipped ball goes to our Defender and not to their TE on 3rd-down, or if Edelman drops that lucky godd*mned catch…we win that game! I may be wrong on a few of these but I hope you see my point. Sure, maybe the play-calling was this and that, but WE HAD IT and all we had to do is make a stop here or not hold a guy there and we wouldn’t have had to worry about any comeback. Ugh, I’m falling into that hole again….