The Atlanta Falcons have finally done what many have been expecting for quite a while now. They have fired coach Dan Quinn and general manager Thomas Dimitroff. Quinn and Dimitroff in Atlanta formed a duo that took the Falcons to a Super Bowl in 2016 and helped earn Matt Ryan an MVP award, but ever since that appearance they have been going backwards, culminating in an 0-5 start to the 2020 season. That start, coupled with a couple of epic collapses this season led to Atlanta owner Arthur Blank losing faith in them to keep the team at the standards they had set for themselves.
BREAKING NEWS: General Manager Thomas Dimitroff and Head Coach Dan Quinn have been relieved of their duties, effective immediately.
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) October 12, 2020
Dan Quinn, hired in 2015, initially started off well in Atlanta. He took them to the Super Bowl in only his second year on the job as Matt Ryan blossomed into an MVP quarterback, but once offensive coordinator Kyle Shannahan left to become coach of the 49ers the offense never found that same level of success. That, alongside the deterioration of the defense the last few years, has caused many to question his coaching ability. This came to a head this season when the Falcons had a pair of the most demoralizing collapses in back-to-back games.
Dimitroff on the other hand has been a bit of a staple in Atlanta. Hired in 2008 as the GM he built the team into the playoff contender it was and had it on the rise, but as the team tried to recover from their Super Bowl loss he failed to continue to add the talent, particularly defensively, needed to win games and stay at that level.
A new era of Falcons football will be beginning soon, which might be for the best.
