Boy, for a guy who couldn’t agree to a deal with the Falcons until yesterday, Dan Quinn sure has worked fast to assemble his staff.
The team announced a number of coaching hires, including the previously reported coordinator jobs.
Kyle Shanahan will serve as offensive coordinator, Richard Smith as defensive coordinator, and Raheem Morris as assistant head coach/defensive passing game coordinator.
They also named Bobby Turner running backs coach, and Mike LaFleur as offensive assistant, while retaining special teams coordinator Keith Armstrong, defensive line coach Bryan Cox, tight ends coach Wade Harman, wide receivers coach Terry Robiskie and assistant special teams coach Eric Sutulovich from the previous staff.
Having Smith and Morris lends plenty of experience to the defense, though Quinn will doubtless have a heavy hand on that side of the ball. Smith has more than 25 years in the NFL, the last four coaching linebackers for the Broncos. Morris only has 13 years in the NFL, but he was a head coach in Tampa Bay, before his last job as defensive backs coach in Washington.
Turner was also last with Washington, and his experience is something the Falcons could certainly use to balance their offense.
Keeping Armstrong was big for Quinn, as he’s built the Falcons into a strong special teams group, even as their defense has been hit by injuries in recent years, tapping into the depth the kicking game has to draw from.
