Dean Pees doesn't need to flash two Super Bowl rings to earn your respect. His reputation precedes him. That'll happen naturally after 40-plus years in coaching, with so many of them spent as one of the NFL's best defensive coordinators.
He has led the Patriots, Ravens and Titans through golden eras highlighted by deep postseason runs. His defenses have been excellent in the only metric that truly matters: preventing points. Pees has eight top-10 scoring defenses in 12 seasons as coordinator thanks in part to a creative, effective scheme that's somewhat hard to pin down.
3-4 or 4-3? Classification isn't pertinent when adaptability and unpredictability seem to be a scheme's greatest strengths.
Blitzes come from everywhere. Pre-snap alignments suggest one thing, then defenders do another. Tape from a previous game may not foreshadow what's happening in the next one. In short, dealing with Dean must be confusing as heck for a quarterback. Oh, and his former players love him.
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Coaxing Pees out of retirement was as important as anything new Falcons brass have done this offseason. That's why he's the right guy to help a Falcons defense that has fallen on hard times.
And, yeah, I know. That's not a fresh take. It has certainly been said between the time head coach Arthur Smith brought Pees back and now, likely more than once.
It has become so apparent during my Falcons crash course that it had to be restated from a megaphone on a mountaintop. This deep dive started when I took over as Digital Managing Editor on June 1, initially using OTAs and minicamp to focus on roster construction. The NFL offseason has gone church-mouse quiet since, with coaches and players alike relaxing on white-sand beaches before training camp starts later this month.
The down period has provided time to examine Falcons schemes, especially while impatiently waiting (taps foot, checks watch) for moving trucks to cross the country. Arthur Smith's offensive system seems effective and efficient. Pees has a real knack for maximizing roster strengths, which is all you can ask from a coordinator.
Coaches typically deflect praise like this with a common refrain.
Players make plays. Execution over everything.
In other words, no call works unless the players make it effective. There's truth to that, but coaching them up well and putting them in position to succeed will go a long way in helping this Falcons defense improve.
Pees will certainly take advantage of an athletic linebacker corps featuring Deion Jones and Foye Olukuon. He has a pair of smart, veteran safeties in Erik Harris and Duron Harmon. That will help Pees' plays run well. Creative blitzes should energize a pass rush that sagged last year and didn't do enough to help teammates on the back end.
Building this defense up will take some time, so let's temper expectations in this first season. Just having Pees in red and black, rocking a headset, will make this unit better. When the Falcons gain the financial flexibility to be bigger players in free agency, when Terry Fontenot gets another crack at the NFL Draft and if position coaches can develop young talent on the roster, Pees system will look better and better.
Having access to it is a coup in itself, and should help the Falcons both now and in the future.
Atlanta Falcons have named Dean Pees defensive coordinator. Pees previously coached at the Tennessee Titans, Baltimore Ravens and New England Patriots.
Houston Texans free safety Ed Reed, left, hugs Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Dean Pees before an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 22, 2013, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)
New England Patriots defensive back Herana-Daze Jones (27) listens to instructions from defensive coordinator Dean Pees, left, during the first session of NFL training camp at the Patriots' football facility next to Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., Thursday morning, July 30, 2009. (AP Photo/Robert E. Klein)
New England Patriots defensive coordinator Dean Pees watches his squad stretch during football practice at Gillette Stadium, in Foxborough, Mass., Thursday afternoon, Jan. 17, 2008. The Patriots will play the San Diego Chargers in the AFC Championship game at Foxborough Sunday afternoon. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)
New England Patriots defensive coordinator Dean Pees sits by himself at a table during a media availability at the team's hotel in Scottsdale, Ariz., Thursday morning, Jan. 31, 2008. The Patriots will play the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII in Glendale, Ariz., on Sunday. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)
New England Patriots defensive coordinator Dean Pees, left, talks with linebacker Junior Seau (55) during the NFL game against the Denver Broncos in Foxborough, Mass., Sunday, Sept, 24, 2006. The Broncos defeated the Patriots 17-7. (AP Photo/ Robert E. Klein)
Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Dean Pees looks on during an NFL Super Bowl XLVII practice on Friday, Feb. 1, 2013, in Metairie, La. The Ravens face the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII on Sunday, Feb. 3. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Dean Pees, center, speaks with players at an NFL football minicamp practice, Wednesday, June 17, 2015, in Owings Mills, Md. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Dean Pees watches pregame warmups before the 2017 NFL week 9 regular season football game against the Tennessee Titans, Sunday, Nov. 5, 2017 in Nashville, Tenn. The Titans won the game 23-20. (Paul Spinelli via AP)
Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Dean Pees, center, leads players through an NFL football training camp practice in Owings Mills, Md., Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2017. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Dean Pees has a laugh during pregame warmups before the 2015 week 13 regular season NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, Dec. 6, 2015 in Miami Gardens, Fla. The Dolphins won the game 15-13. (Paul Spinelli via AP)
Tennessee Titans defensive coordinator Dean Pees watches players warm up during an organized team activity at the Titans' NFL football training facility Wednesday, May 30, 2018, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Tennessee Titans defensive coordinator Dean Pees (right) talks to Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo before the game against the Kansas City Chiefs during the NFL AFC Championship football game, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2020, in Kansas City, MO. The Chiefs defeated the Titans 35-24. (Paul Spinelli via AP)
Tennessee Titans defensive coordinator Dean Pees instructs players during an organized team activity at the Titans' NFL football training facility Wednesday, June 12, 2019, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
This is a 2018 photo of Dean Pees of the Tennessee Titans NFL football team. This image reflects the Tennessee Titans active roster as of Wednesday, February 21, 2018 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)
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