If you're going to look backwards, it might be a hard sell. I will say this, his time in Atlanta, which is what most people seem to be harping on, they were grossly deficient of talent. If I'm remembering correctly, they had scraps on their dline and a bare cupboard on the back end. Atlanta put everything into their offense.
Looking forward, since he and McCarthy are friends and have coached together before (MM was Nolan's OC in San Francisco) I have to think they're on the same page in regards to analytics. This tells me Nolan is adaptable to change like MM and wants to scheme for each opponent individually instead of just saying, "this is what we do, line up and win your battle." He's an aggressive guy who holds his player accountable. He's run multiple defensive fronts, some times in the same game. His onus is getting to the QB. If we give him the talent to do that, I think he will be successful.
I think we will see a defensive heavy draft, while maybe grabbing a little depth on the OL. I wouldn't be surprised if they make a run at keeping Quinn and Collins.
I'm excited and I expect results from this marriage. If they're not there, I don't think Jerry will have much patience. That may be the best part about this staff--Jerry is not emotionally invested. MM got five years, but he won't see the end of that without a deep playoff run in my opinion. They won't make a deep playoff run without a good defense.
Strap in, cause lots of changes are coming.
