Dean Pees new Atlanta DEF Co-ordinator

Majic said:

In my opinion this is what we should be doing not going backwards. How creative are we actually going to be? Are teams going to zone in on our weak spots? How multiple will we actually be? My main concern is that we draft/sign players that are not able to play multiple schemes.

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This is what Nolan just tried to do...

Majic said:

The Falcons fans on very pleased with the hire, because Pees has done it before and had success

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Thats good to see fans optimistic but if that experiment looks anything likes ours, they will turn on that quickly.

I'm not against a hybrid/multiple defense but Nolan obviously couldn't get it done with the lack of talent we have overall.

And I really could care less about the Falcons or their fans being happy about their coordinator. I'm not taking a shot at you but we've heard all this coach speak before. If he doesn't succeed they will want to run him out of town just like we did to our previous coordinators.

Future said:

This is what Nolan just tried to do...

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I'm trying to make 2 points guys:

1) Nolan's approach (and McCarthy's) was correct but based on the results he wasn't the guy to carry out what should have been a long-term strategy. Someone else should have replaced him but with a better track record of teaching. However the strategy was correct

2) The new Atlanta H/C is going in a different direction after seeing what Quinn has left behind.

Majic said:

Yes, but I don't believe we should scrap the philosophy. Just go about it in a different way

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i totally agree. i understand the pandemic played a part and not being able to meet and restricted workouts etc. i was disappointed that the players didn't take a bit more accountability and just asked nolan to dumb it down. i'm wondering if it's a combination of nolan and some of the players inability to pick stuff up.

Majic said:

Arthur Jones wasted little time in replacing Dan Quinn's scheme in Atlanta and has tempted Dean Pees out of retirement. I thought this quote from Pees was interesting

In my opinion this is what we should be doing not going backwards. How creative are we actually going to be? Are teams going to zone in on our weak spots? How multiple will we actually be? My main concern is that we draft/sign players that are not able to play multiple schemes.

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This is what Mike Nolan attempted to do with our guys and it proved to be too complicated to implement during a COVID19 season with no offseason program and the only contact was virtual. What are the NFLPA reps advocating for 2021? Another offseason with no offseason program and the only contact being virtual. If you don't want to go "backward" then why do the same thing we did last season and expect different results. Dan Quinn is just implementing something we know works for our guys.

This is from the Belichick school of defense, play whatever, just get smart players. The test he administers the night before a game might weed out some of the Cowboys and other players as well.

I remember the struggle Landry had with his Flex. The challenge was replacing instinct with thinking. That was not an easy task back then. It was see man with ball, get man with ball. The Flex was see man with ball, wait for man with ball.

I wonder how much of Nolan's problems were the lack of buy in, the lack of belief that he was putting them in their best situation to be successful. That was Ryan's problem. He was going to run his D regardless of whether his players could play it or not. He had players that didn't even know which packages they were in.

I like big, fast, strong but I love smart.

JoeKing said:

This is what Mike Nolan attempted to do with our guys and it proved to be too complicated to implement during a COVID19 season with no offseason program and the only contact was virtual. What are the NFLPA reps advocating for 2021? Another offseason with no offseason program and the only contact being virtual. If you don't want to go "backward" then why do the same thing we did last season and expect different results. Dan Quinn is just implementing something we know works for our guys.

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Man, he better because these players are going to be on their 3rd DC in 3 years and hopefully Quinn learned from what Nolan tried to do.

Now, how he's going to improve the tackling? That is another challenge because these players don't like to hit at practice. I wish the NFLPA had been around when I played in high school because my HC loved him some pad popping. At first, for a 150lb CB, that was not fun. Until I caught onto proper technique, the purpose of his drills.

Majic said:

Arthur Jones wasted little time in replacing Dan Quinn's scheme in Atlanta and has tempted Dean Pees out of retirement. I thought this quote from Pees was interesting

In my opinion this is what we should be doing not going backwards. How creative are we actually going to be? Are teams going to zone in on our weak spots? How multiple will we actually be? My main concern is that we draft/sign players that are not able to play multiple schemes.

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On himself????

Sounds a lot like Nolan.......

CouchCoach said:

This is from the Belichick school of defense, play whatever, just get smart players. The test he administers the night before a game might weed out some of the Cowboys and other players as well.

I remember the struggle Landry had with his Flex. The challenge was replacing instinct with thinking. That was not an easy task back then. It was see man with ball, get man with ball. The Flex was see man with ball, wait for man with ball.

I wonder how much of Nolan's problems were the lack of buy in, the lack of belief that he was putting them in their best situation to be successful. That was Ryan's problem. He was going to run his D regardless of whether his players could play it or not. He had players that didn't even know which packages they were in.

I like big, fast, strong but I love smart.

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Great post

can dean pee us a new gm while he's at it.

RodeoJake said:

What's this? No Pee jokes?

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Well, that all Depends.

Falcon fans are always overly optimistic. To them all the moves they make are gold until they bust. They do got a nice soccer stadium though.

CouchCoach said:

This is from the Belichick school of defense, play whatever, just get smart players. The test he administers the night before a game might weed out some of the Cowboys and other players as well.

I remember the struggle Landry had with his Flex. The challenge was replacing instinct with thinking. That was not an easy task back then. It was see man with ball, get man with ball. The Flex was see man with ball, wait for man with ball.

I wonder how much of Nolan's problems were the lack of buy in, the lack of belief that he was putting them in their best situation to be successful. That was Ryan's problem. He was going to run his D regardless of whether his players could play it or not. He had players that didn't even know which packages they were in.

I like big, fast, strong but I love smart.

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This is similar to the Ryan firing.

Dumbing it down for guys that would rather sell sunglasses than learn a scheme.

Bottom line is you can't run a complex scheme with dummy players.

Meanwhile many of them hold degrees from academically acclaimed universities.

John813 said:

Well right now it's just talk. If he doesn't get the talent to run a 3-4/4-3 look effectively he'll have performances like Mike Nolan.

Atlanta has some talent here and there on their defense, but their edge rushers have been a weak spot ever since Vic Beasley's rookie year(IIRC). They may lose Neal to FA, and some of their recent drafts have looked like ours.

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and they no longer have the underachieving Takk McKinnley who was disgruntled and traded in mid season. Ironically he was one the Cowboys had big interested in drafting in 2017, albeit before we drafted
the bust from Michigan in Taco Charleton.

Notably they still have 3 tech DT Grady Jarrett, who is definitely not a 2 gapper in any scheme. And he and LB Deion Jones are their best players,
..even Jones is not a 3-4 LB that would be taking on centers and OGs.

EJK24 said:

If we pulled a 71 yeard old coordinator out of retirement to coach here, no one would be happy to hear that. Remember the Monte Kiffin debacle?

I get that you are talking more about being multiple then the actual coach but Nolan wanted to do a lot of the same things and we failed miserably.

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you're right. I probably wouldn't have.
and that includes Wade Phillips who is apparently still out there. A 75 year old well heralded DC who has had the defense of 2 different NFL teams in the SB in the last five years.
And has made it known that he still wants to continuing coaching as DC, but yet he is still out there on the streets .
Anyone wanna take a guess or wonder why ?

wanna be a good coach? get good players.

Majic said:

I'm trying to make 2 points guys:

1) Nolan's approach (and McCarthy's) was correct but based on the results he wasn't the guy to carry out what should have been a long-term strategy. Someone else should have replaced him but with a better track record of teaching. However the strategy was correct

2) The new Atlanta H/C is going in a different direction after seeing what Quinn has left behind.

Click to expand...

- New Falcons HC Arthur Smith is very familiar with Bees from Titans stint, so of course he would want to re-connect and entrust with one from his previous team. (sound familiar ?)

With Nolan being a veteran experienced DC, what was expected is that he was qualified to handle implementing a new scheme in limited time.
Common sense should tell you that one cannot imploy all these different looks and various disguises in by zoom cam with no OTAs, no preseason games and limited snap training camp

- But without questioning the Nolan scheme itself, it was foolish to try to force it all down the players throat’s by season’s start.
Worse off is how it took so long to a coaching staff to finally adjust, ..how long did it take for Nolan to get outta coaching booth and get on the sideline
and better motivate & communicate with your players, try to make your presence felt and lessen the mass confusion and mutiny.

- And we saw how it was an utter mess from the DL,..LBs and secondary with blown coverages, missed tackles, mass confusion,
horrific run gaps and collapse until either he finally figured it out or someone else at the top of the coaching staff or management had to tell him)
that it would be best to pull back all the extremes and complexity, and better simplify it to lessen confusion that has the players playing faster and more reactive.

- I do find it interesting that we’re keeping Al Harris George Edwards and Scott Curley as leftover coaches …..

quickccc said:

- New Falcons HC Arthur Smith is very familiar with Bees from Titans stint, so of course he would want to re-connect and entrust with one from his previous team. (sound familiar ?)

With Nolan being a veteran experienced DC, what was expected is that he was qualified to handle implementing a new scheme in limited time.
Common sense should tell you that one cannot imploy all these different looks and various disguises in by zoom cam with no OTAs, no preseason games and limited snap training camp

- But without questioning the Nolan scheme itself, it was foolish to try to force it all down the players throat’s by season’s start.
Worse off is how it took so long to a coaching staff to finally adjust, ..how long did it take for Nolan to get outta coaching booth and get on the sideline
and better motivate & communicate with your players, try to make your presence felt and lessen the mass confusion and mutiny.

- And we saw how it was an utter mess from the DL,..LBs and secondary with blown coverages, missed tackles, mass confusion,
horrific run gaps and collapse until either he finally figured it out or someone else at the top of the coaching staff or management had to tell him)
that it would be best to pull back all the extremes and complexity, and better simplify it to lessen confusion that has the players playing faster and more reactive.

- I do find it interesting that we’re keeping Al Harris George Edwards and Scott Curley as leftover coaches …..

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Yeah, Nolan up in that booth while the players were confused as all get-out constantly for multiple games sealed the deal for me.
Like how lazy, both physically and intellectually, are you?

John813 said:

Well right now it's just talk. If he doesn't get the talent to run a 3-4/4-3 look effectively he'll have performances like Mike Nolan.

Atlanta has some talent here and there on their defense, but their edge rushers have been a weak spot ever since Vic Beasley's rookie year(IIRC). They may lose Neal to FA, and some of their recent drafts have looked like ours.

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Yes we heard new looks under Nolan and even players talked about this. It didn't materialize.