Falcons head coach Dan Quinn enjoyed the view from Tuesday's introductory press conference. Although technically seated a little above the crowd of reporters who were asking him questions, he was as close to the action as possible, the way he prefers it.
The view was closer than Quinn experienced the past two seasons, leading the Seattle Seahawks as their defensive coordinator from high above the field in a coaching booth.
"I do coach with a lot of energy," Quinn said. "It's been hard on me in the press box, but that was the best way for me to help our team the last two years. Part of the fun is being around the guys and having the energy to do that, so I anticipate much of the same."
During his team's Super Bowl seasons in the last two years, Quinn led the Seahawks defense by getting the best out of the players he coached, designing and playing to their strengths and teaching them how to improve their craft. Such leadership produced jaw-dropping numbers in the 2013-14 seasons, including allowing an average of just 271 yards of offense per game, 15 points per game, holding opponents to an average of 91 rushing yards per game as well as a Super Bowl title in 2013.
New Falcons head coach Dan Quinn got a look at his new office and took a tour of Falcons headquarters in Flowery Branch on Tuesday morning before his introductory press conference in the afternoon
Atlanta Falcons Owner & Chairman, Arthur Blank
Falcons Owner & Chairman, Arthur Blank, addresses the media after announcing new head coach, Dan Quinn
Atlanta Falcons General Manager, Thomas Dimitroff, Owner & Chairman, Arthur Blank, head coach, Dan Quinn and President & CEO, Rich McKay
While known as a defensive-minded guru, don't sleep on Quinn's offensive philosophy, which is sure to include plenty of wide receiver Julio Jones, who he praised for being a relentless competitor who attacks the ball and leads on and off the field. The Falcons new head coach went on to further detail the types of players he wants in his locker room.
"One of the words you'll hear me use through the years here is 'grit,' " Quinn said. "Sometimes, a person who has grit has to overcome some things and has passion for what he does and is not going to let a setback dictate his circumstances. Those guys with grit, who want to fight and want to compete and want to battle and find others ways to do it, those are the guys I've connected with the most. There's a lot of unique guys on each team and that's for us to celebrate, their uniqueness, and find out what each guy does best for our team and feature it."
