Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn's formula for Super Bowl success
Friday 3 February 2017 10:00, UK
The Atlanta Falcons second year head coach Dan Quinn is on his way to the Super Bowl for the third time in four seasons.
Quinn was the defensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks during their back-to-back Super Bowl appearances in 2014 and 2015.
He has coached on the NFL's biggest stage and shut down one of the most prolific scoring offences the league has ever seen. He is now prepared to take on the challenge as a head coach.
Quinn has created a championship mentality in Atlanta that reverberates throughout all levels of the organisation. He has brought in offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan to produce the best offence in football. As a former defensive coordinator, Quinn has played a huge role in developing a young defence that consists of eight starters who are in their first two years in the NFL.
This has been a proven formula for success as the Atlanta Falcons will look to defeat the top ranked New England Patriots in what is sure to be an exciting Super Bowl LI.
A championship mentality starts with players buying into the coach's philosophy, and when a coach has won a championship, it inspires every person working under them to buy into their system. Quinn's system has created a level of confidence that is inspiring his young players to give their all this season, in the hopes of winning a Super Bowl.
This added confidence in the system motivates each person to work harder. It pushes players to get extra reps after practice, or to study film with their coaches. It cultivates a self-perpetuating sense of competition throughout the organisation.
Players buying into a coach wins games, but assistant coaches buying into a system wins championships. Shanahan has bought into Quinn's plan for the Falcons future by agreeing to become his offensive coordinator.
Shanahan has bolstered the team's already productive offence with the additions of receiver Mohamed Sanu, running back Tevin Coleman, guard Andy Levitre, and four-time Pro Bowl centre Alex Mack. These additions over the last two seasons have made the Falcons the most feared offence in the NFL.
Atlanta's offence leads the NFL this season, averaging an astounding 33.8 points. The team also finished second in total yards (averaging 416 yards per game), third in pass yards (averaging 295 yards per game), and fifth in rushing yards (averaging 121 yards per game).
Quinn has tried to replicate the success he had in Seattle by investing five draft picks in the defence during the last two drafts. The Falcons starting defensive unit consists of four rookies and four second year players.
Coach Quinn has played a pivotal role in developing the young defence. He trusts in his player's intuition to make adjustments when reading an offence and to go slightly out of coverage if their instincts tell them to. He wants his players to move fast and without delay. This mentality instils a confidence in young players to trust in themselves and make the play by any means necessary.
Quinn played against the Patriots in his last Super Bowl appearance and lost in heart-breaking fashion, as the team threw a game ending interception on the one-yard line. In that game his defence allowed Patriots quarterback Tom Brady to pass for 328 yards and 4 touchdowns.
If he wants to be successful in the Super Bowl, he will need to keep his defence off the field as long as possible and limit Brady to a maximum of 3 touchdowns. If the defence can hold the Patriots to under 25 points, then the Falcons NFL MVP candidate Matt Ryan will stand a solid chance at winning the Vince Lombardi trophy for the first time in the franchise's history.
