11 Best young coaches in the NFL
By Robert Judin
4. Dan Quinn – Atlanta Falcons Head Coach (44-years-old)
Okay, this is the last Seattle Seahawks connection, I promise. We all know how Dan Quinn not only kept the Seahawks’ defense afloat but also took it to new heights after Gus Bradley took the head-coaching job in Jacksonville.
But let’s dive into Quinn’s history. His NFL coaching days started with the San Francisco 49ers as a defensive quality control assistant in 2001. Quinn was promoted to defensive line coach for the 49ers before moving on to coach the defensive lines for both the Miami Dolphins and New York Jets from 2005 to 2008.
He then coached the Seahawks’ defensive line before becoming the defensive coordinator of the Florida Gators for the 2011 and 2012 seasons. He returned to Seattle as the defensive coordinator in 2013 and 2014, and now we find Quinn taking over an Atlanta Falcons team that finished 6-10 and in third place in the NFC South last season.
Quinn has surely moved around quite a bit, but the guy knows how to maximize an opportunity.
He’ll have the added benefit of Matt Ryan tossing bullets to Julio Jones and Roddy White. Quinn’s main task now is to rebuild the Falcons’ defense, which gave up 6,372 yards of offense last year.
Atlanta was ranked No. 26 in points given up per game with 26.1. The Falcons were ranked No. 21 in rush defense and No. 32 in pass defense last year, so Quinn has his work cut out for him. But that could be why he spent his first-round draft pick in 2015 on Vic Beasley, who practically majored in pass rushing at Clemson.
Quinn could easily return the Falcons to the top of the NFC South and into the playoffs.
Next: 3. Jason Garrett