NFL Rumors: Atlanta Falcons’ Firing Of Dan Quinn Is ‘All But Finalized’
The Atlanta Falcons are reportedly set to fire Dan Quinn after the team’s disastrous start to the 2020 season.
Jeff Schultz of The Athletic reported on Sunday that the decision is nearly finalized, and that Quinn’s firing would be announced on Monday.
“The Falcons’ firing of Dan Quinn has been all but finalized and an announcement could come Monday or Tuesday, a source told @TheAthletic,” he tweeted. “The Falcons have started 0-5 for the first time since 1997 and Quinn is 14-23 since 2018.”
The Falcons lost to the Carolina Panthers to fall to three games out of first place in the NFC South. They suffered a series of crushing losses to kick off the season, blowing fourth quarter leads of 15 points or more in consecutive weeks to fall to 0-3.
Falcons' firing of Dan Quinn is "all but finalized," per @jeffschultzATL
Announcement could come Monday or Tuesday pic.twitter.com/otxFObluIR
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 11, 2020
As The Falconholic noted, there had been reports surrounding the Falcons that Quinn needed to turn the team around last week against the Green Bay Packers and on Sunday against the Panthers in order to save his job, but they instead continued to sink.
“The Dan Quinn era in Atlanta will be better evaluated with some distance, but it will be remembered for its stellar highs (a Super Bowl the Falcons almost won, a 2017 season that was one play away from a NFC Conference Championship berth) and all-too-frequent lows, including second half collapses in 2015 and 2018 and putrid starts in 2019 and 2020,” the report noted, adding that while Quinn was beloved in the locker room and touted for his leadership, it will not be enough to save his job.
If true, this would be the second firing in an NFL season that has seen some sharp disparities between the top teams and bottom-dwellers. The Falcons became one of three winless teams, with another 11 teams only having one win going into Sunday’s contests. The winless Texans sacked coach Bill O’Brien last week, just a year after he led Houston to the divisional round in the playoffs.
As The Falconholic reported, the team’s first 0-5 start since 1997, which also comes just a year after the Falcons stumbled to a 1-7 start, is likely not enough to save the former Super Bowl coach from the chopping block. The report noted that the consecutive poor starts had likely worn out the patience of owner Arthur Blank.
The Falconholic added that defensive coordinator Raheem Morris is likely a top candidate to take over as interim coach for the Falcons. The franchise has not given any official indication about sacking Quinn.
