NFL Coach Of The Year: Dan Quinn?
September 7th, 2015
Joe sees that mighty Sports Illustrated and TheMMQB.com chief Peter King is calling this morning for a massive Falcons revival and first-year coach Dan Quinn to be named NFL Coach of the Year.
Joe can’t help but think of how that could reflect on Lovie Smith.
Quinn is a first-year head coach, who inherited a team that was poor in the trenches. Yes, he was blessed with a real quarterback and arguably the best wide receiver tandem in football, but is that enough to best the Buccaneers?
If the Falcons win the division, as urinal picture-taking, video game-playing, Taylor Swift-listening, pickpocket-thwarting, Bucs-uniform-frowning, Allie-LaForce-smitten, Big-Ten-Network-hating, pedestrian-bumping, olive oil-lapping, popcorn-munching, coffee-slurping, fried-chicken-eating, oatmeal-loving, circle-jerking, beer-chugging, cricket-watching, scone-loathing, college football-naïve, baseball-box-score-reading, NPR-honk, filthy-hotel-staying, fight-instigating, barista-training King claimed in his column this morning, then what does that mean for Lovie?
Joe comes back to what Team Glazer said earlier this year, that 2015 is a season about “growing.” The Bucs can’t get outplayed by the Falcons, and finish in last place again, and be considered a team that grew.
Defending NFC South champ Carolina has a healthy quarterback for a change, along with a stout defense, plus it’s hard to imagine the Saints taking another step backwards this season.
Lovie has got to find a way for the Bucs to grow within the division. No excuses. A 6-10 finish and third place isn’t too much to ask.
September 7th, 2015 at 7:58 am
Quinn was DC at UF just 4 years ago and it’s no surprise that was Muschams’s best year. He then goes to Seattle and they go to two SBs. No coincidence. I fully expect Atlanta to rise and Seattle to settle. Will be tough on us.
September 7th, 2015 at 8:02 am
Joe, you need to be asking the same question you have been the past 2 years!!!
How can the Bucs win with the 4th best coach in the division????
September 7th, 2015 at 8:14 am
What about all the Lovie Loyalists who say it takes time? If quinn installs a new d and wins the division in year 1 it blows that excuse up and has to put Lovie on notice to clean out his office.
If first time Head Coaches in NY, ATL and San Fran win more than Lovie he’s a goner
September 7th, 2015 at 8:32 am
@Realist,
From what I have been reading, I think the Falcons potential resurgence is Quinn’s ability to find hidden talent. Much has been written about how well your boy, Adrian Clayborn, is doing
September 7th, 2015 at 8:35 am
The real frightening part of Joe’s post:
“Lovie has got to find a way……”
September 7th, 2015 at 8:35 am
If Atlanta has a kick ass D in this guys first year than Lovie needs to go. There would be ZERO excuses for it.
I expect Matt Ryan to regress this year but if Adrian Claiborne gets double digit sacks this year than someone needs to be shown the door.
September 7th, 2015 at 8:38 am
Bet Quinn doesnt use the “tampa 2 takes time to learn” and has clayborn blowing up the bucs CFL ready OL
September 7th, 2015 at 8:43 am
I am getting sick of reading that 6 wins is PROGRESS. 6 wins is terrible.
What’s? Since the bar is so low we grade the Bucs on a different scale?
This is the thought process that is ruining our schools.
September 7th, 2015 at 8:55 am
@Harry
I have no doubt that Adrian Slowborn will look better in Atlanta. They are running a 4/3 -3/4 hybrid front. Most of us have always said that with his weight back that he was always a 3/4 DE! watch the stunts and twists, they will run with him and the OLB (Vic Beasley ). The same thing that Coach Schiano ran, But most called a college system because it was not the beloved Tampa 2 that seems to be the only defense that is understood in Tampa!
And if he can stay healthy, half of his stats will come from the Bucs! remember in all those practices where the O-line made Slowborn look good!
September 7th, 2015 at 9:04 am
Let’s not annoint Quinn just yet…..the last time I checked the Bucs and Falcons are tied for the division lead 0=0.
Or…if you’re the Realist….the Bucs and Falcons are tied for the divison cellar 0-0.
September 7th, 2015 at 9:06 am
Muschamp was horrible at UF, taking that program’s offense into the gutter. What a stupid hire. I think the Bucs will beat Atlanta once.
September 7th, 2015 at 9:09 am
Wow, all you guys are so pesimistic, calling for Lovie’s head already. That is a bit premature and a waste of time (cause its not going to happen yet). This is the dawn of a new season, you better be positive and psyched for the season now else you might miss your only opportunity. You might as well wait for the first loss to bring out the pitch forks.
September 7th, 2015 at 9:09 am
Imagine, a coach fitting a scheme to its best players, Instead of crowbarring players into a scheme!!!! I know that this is something that bothers Joe, But for some reason when it comes to Lovie, Joe shrinks away!!!
But for some reason, the Lovie Loyalist (The Sheep) thinks it takes years to “build the lasting contender”! That is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow to them!!!
September 7th, 2015 at 9:27 am
Works for SI AND listens to Taylor Swift?? Automatically makes him the most irrelevant sports writer in history! Who cares what he has to say.
September 7th, 2015 at 9:53 am
first off, Ill go on record right now and call the Falcons one of the worst NFL teams this season.
Not only did they fire their BEST coach in Falcons history, but in turn they lost their Offensive Coordinator in Koetter too.
Dan Quinn has been a coach for decades, he is only NOW getting attention because of being the Defensive Coordinator for the Super Bowl seahawks, even though he did not creat that defense, Jaguars HC Gus Bradley did.
If not for that, Quinn would be an obscure footnote, in the 2 decades of coaching as assistants, Defensive Coordinators, Defensive Line Coaching, he accomplished nothing of note until going to Seattle to take over a turn key operation. Atlanta will be lucky to win 5 games, and will go backwards until Arthur Blank hires a real coach.
September 7th, 2015 at 10:17 am
plus it’s hard to imagine the Saints taking another step backwards this season.
Really? They lost Brees top target! They lost the best player they had on the defense that was worse than ours! Payton seems bored and ready to escape.
And they clearly had locker room issues last year. I do not give much credence to PS records but the Saints went 0-4!!! I can EASILY imagine them taking a step back.
As for the Falcons they are “wild card” (not playoff just metaphorically) in the entire mix. We know Carolina will be decent not great…Atlanta…who knows.
Their OL was worse than ours…their defense was not frightening…Quinn of course will improve there..and they have Matty Ice and two awesome targets.
I think Atlanta is the team to beat this year in our division. I also believe that our entire division with the possible exception of N.O. will improve this year.
September 7th, 2015 at 10:18 am
Gus Bradley didnt create that defense its what muschamp and saban have been running for 10+ years with components of the beloved out of date tampa 2…. buc realist is spot on because the dan quinns and bradleys have created a hybrid look to get athletes on the field, the “edge rusher”… schiano had the bucs defense in same mold… attacking aggessive D not like lovies passive tampa 2 that has gone the way of the wishbone
September 7th, 2015 at 10:19 am
@Bucsstop
Great points!
September 7th, 2015 at 10:21 am
King also picks Mariota to win offensive rookie of the year. You know, the kid the buc’s skipped over because he’s not a vocal leader. Remember that BS?
September 7th, 2015 at 10:46 am
@Tony, Realist, tmax and Dallas
What about all the Lovie Loyalists who say it takes time?
Depending on a what a coach inherits it generally DOES take time. Andy Reid showed in KC that you can go from 2-14 to 11-5 in his first year. I’m surprised you guys are throwing that up to we “Lovie loyalists That actually happened. At this point Quinn has achieved NOTHING except in your fevered minds…hoping that someone can do something to embarrass Lovie and back your point of view. Reid however would have been a valid example. He has scoreboard.
As for Lovie Loyalist I suspect that would mean me and I get that because of my constant defense of his body of work against some people…Realist!…who use all manner of hyperbole to trash him.
Let’s be clear then what Lovie Loyalist =
In my case at year it’s simply respect for one of only 50 coaches who has EVER made it to a Super Bowl. He had a run in Chicago that NO Tampa Bay coach has ever enjoyed!! That’s scoreboard not my or Realists opinion.
Having said that…Lovie failed last year….absolutely failed. I made a point last week asking all of you if you’ve ever had a bad year in your career. I had one year as a radio station program director that still embarrasses me. But I had enough success to offset the bad years. Last year Lovie sucked! I think all of us..even the loyalists agree with that.
All I am saying is his long body of work deserves respect and he should get a chance to recover this year. He was out of football..perhaps he needed to regain his touch.
He DID change. He’s a defensive guy who drafted offensive players the past two years. He gambled his entire legacy on a first round draft pick of #3. That took cojones. He hired an OC famous for flinging the ball and 4 vertical.
He DESERVES some respect and a chance this year.
I think we have 8-8 talent. But I believe we’re due to get some luck and will win 10. With 8-8 talent if Lovie doesn’t win at least 6 this year then I’ll jump off the bandwagon! Of course injuries and MRSA may change that but he should win 8…6 is my bottom figure to remain supportive.
September 7th, 2015 at 10:48 am
Didn’t that Peter King pick the Bucs to win the division last year?
Plus, does Joe think that the Bucs have at least the third best QB in the division this year? JW3 so far has 0 TDs and 2 INTs with <50% completion percentage, and QBR of 52.7 in preseason.
tickrdr
September 7th, 2015 at 11:07 am
Peter King picked Lovie to be coach of the year last season.
September 7th, 2015 at 11:11 am
If Quinn goes abive 500, its going to be due to inheriting Matt Ryan, Julio Jones and Roddy White! Lovie inherited Revis, Mccoy and David and other than an aging VJax, the cupboard was bare on offense. So you cant compare Quinn’s situation to Lovie’s. They’re different. To say Lovie should be fired based on the success of another coachs success his first season is really generalizing the situation, and we get enough of that from the media. I will judge Lovie as the season goes. Then at the end of the year, I put together his two years of work here and debate and discuss it until about the draft. But blanket statements make it obvious some almist have an agenda. They would rather Lovie lose so they’re rigjt than have Lovie succeed and prove them foolish. And what the hell kinda fan thinks like that. Its people like that are why our fan base is the biggest joke in sports. And im fing sick of it. I just want the Bucs to beat Tenn so bad just so everyone will shut up for a week! The national media, fans of other team, esp in Tennessee and even a few of our own fans on different Bucsites all talk all this spit about our coach, our qb the fan in me just wants the Bucs to win week one so bad.
September 7th, 2015 at 11:25 am
Chip Kelly got a 4-12 eaglessquad to backto back 10 wins Lovie has failed at every movie he has made heavy lies the head
September 7th, 2015 at 11:26 am
Largo Buc is right, Do not compare another coaches success as a bad reflection on Lovie. Lovie’s failures as a coach stand on their own!!!!
September 7th, 2015 at 11:39 am
My point is if Lovie a seasoned Super Bowl coach can’t get more out of his team than 3 first year head coaches that means he is not the right coach for this team
September 7th, 2015 at 12:04 pm
Tony
OK we accept your point. Our response would be you’re being a kneejerk fan.
One season does make a career.
Time will tell not our typing. I’m not sure how this will all work out. But I do believe there are three coaches who are interesting this year. I’m going to watching to see just how good or perhaps great their careers might be…
One of course is Lovie…but Jeff Fisher and Andy Reid are in the same position. Athough at this point I give the edge to Reid.
Somebody mentioned Chip Kelly as a genius who turned around the Eagles and compared his success to Lovie! BWAAAHAAAA
Yes Kelly took over a team that had AN OFF YEAR winning only 4 before he arrived. That was one freaking year!!! Before that..8-8…10-6..11-5.
Kelly did not take over a franchise that had suffered through two incompetent coaches..a franchise QB melting down..a locker room full or MRSA…he simply had to correct ONE year..not an entire decade of sucking. NO comparison.
September 7th, 2015 at 12:15 pm
Ya sucks to be chip kelly who has his team on verge of the NFC championship id rather be lovie and staring at a 6-10 record at best…. kelly gutted andy reids team, had no QB and won w foles and sanchez…. chip kelly > LOVIE
September 7th, 2015 at 12:16 pm
But isn’t Lovies career built on one super bowl year? If our seasoned HC can’t win more than less experienced coaches what good is he?
It’s not unreasonable to expect a coach with much more experience to out coach first time head coaches. It’s year 2 of Lovie lets see some results. I’m sick of the losing
September 7th, 2015 at 12:18 pm
It won’t impact Lovie at all because the falcons already had an established offense and qb. Plus I think the falcons are posers and Dan Quinn is is the worst coach in the division. The Bucs will be 8-8 and with a little luck will be 10-6, it happens every year teams win games they shouldn’t and lose games they shouldn’t.
The Bucs will beat the teams they should but lose to a team that will be better than expected. They will also win 2 games they should lose
September 7th, 2015 at 12:46 pm
@Dusty
staring at a 6-10 record at best…
At best? Because you say so Dusty? i hope you won’t be offended if i don’t take anybody’s..Peter King…Gruden…JBF posters word as gospel before the first game is played.
@Tony
But isn’t Lovies career built on one super bowl year?
This is what I’m referring to when I talk about irrational Lovie hate. Do you really believe that?
The answer of course is NO. That was ONE season just like last year was ONE season. In 9 years Lovie had 5 winning seasons, 1 .500 season, and 3 losing season including his first year when he only won 5. His 5 winning season included 4 double digit wins and 3 seasons where he won 11 of more.
Hate Lovie all you want but your facts do not match your hate. In addition your opinion does not coincide with the vast majority of the league..front office and players who have respect for Lovie. As bad as it got last year Lovie never lost his locker room because there are NO JBF posters suiting up for the Bucs.
AGAIN…if Lovie doesn’t win at least six with this team I’ll join all of you and just assume Lovie is past his prime. By any FAIR measure however Lovie deserves a shot this year without all the doom and gloom.
September 7th, 2015 at 12:50 pm
@Dusty
verge of the NFC championship
Scoreboard Lovie!!! He didn’t get to the “verge”..he actually won an NFC Championship.
Chipper has two ten win seasons. Lovie won 11 or more three different seasons.
When you can claim actual scoreboard and not opinion get back to me
September 7th, 2015 at 1:15 pm
St Pete- I’m not doom n gloom yet but it’s almost to that of Lovie can’t start getting some results this season. Nothing personal against him I just can’t envision his way being the right way if he can’t win more than unproven first year head coaches.
He can only live off of past success for so long…
No excuses Lovie, time to win
September 7th, 2015 at 1:32 pm
NOT HAPPENING. So Peter King and the rest of you delusional Quinn fans can just HANG IT UP. Unlike our Dirk Koetter, Quinn has NO-ONE who can make soup out of sh!t. Anyone see the bird’s 3rd preseason/dress rehearsal game?? Quin had to pull Matty Ice in series 2 I think because he feared for his life…Atlanta didn’t just trade for the Tiatans free agent O-linemand regret from last season for nothing….Quinn’s o line looks like it could be worse than ours was LAST YEAR EVEN. And his defense mirror’s what seattle’s has been doing for 2 years now but without seattle’s players so PUT IT ON THE RECORD NOW, ATl, 4-6 wins TOPS.
September 7th, 2015 at 1:46 pm
St. Pete,
Raheem had half the budget Lovie works with. Couldn’t waste $300, Lovie burns 30 million! No big free agents, new to coaching. Still won 10 games and McCoy was hurt that year!
September 7th, 2015 at 2:35 pm
@carl’s toe
Rah and Dom wasted a lot of money in the first year, You don’t remember because most did not even make it to opening day, just like the Offensive Coordinator that year!!!
September 7th, 2015 at 2:45 pm
StPete
So if we give you lovie is a decent regular season coach which means absolutely nothing if you fail in the post season. how do you justify his embarrassing 3 playoff wins in 11 seasons as a head coach especially when 2 of then came nearly ten years ago in a single season. his last playoff win was in 07. His horrendous personnel moves coupled with poor playoff record is exactly why I have no respect nor hope he will restore the bucs to contenders. I don’t care if the team wins double digit wins yet fizzles in the playoffs. I guess we have different measuring sticks. I don’t want to wait 3 years through 10-6, 8-8 or 9-7 seasons with one and done and no real chance to compete. Lovie will be a career losing coach at the end of this season with a pathetic 3-3 playoff record after a 12 year career. Please raise your standards.
Hope your enjoying your retirement sir. Much respect but Lovie blows.
September 7th, 2015 at 3:26 pm
Dan Quinn is another DC/Head Coach that knows nothing about offense, and that will be his downfall. I don’t understand the hire, he will be no better than Mike Smith. When you hire Kyle Shanahan as your OC, you don’t know much about the NFL. The Atlanta Falcons has switched from a 4-3 to a 3-4 defense, they don’t have the players to be successful. Peter King is the same person who picked us to win the division last season. I’m picking us to win the division this season, I don’t think the Falcons will be in the picture. We should run away with this division, like Secretariat ran away from the field at Belmont.
September 7th, 2015 at 3:51 pm
@Tony
I just can’t envision his way being the right way
What’s actually kind of funny is that last year I was with you Lovie bashers.
I believed “his” way was no longer the right way because the league has changed.
When Lovie said he could take a top ten d and good special teams and win 10 that made me sick because I saw the return of Dungy/Gruden ball. I don’t want to pound the rock and let the D win 17-14 games. I want some freaking excitement. And when he went with McCown…puke.
BUT..he CHANGED! Change is one of the hardest things to achieve because of our human nature. Lovie has drafted offensive players in the past two years…put his legacy on the line trying to get the franchise QB he’s NEVER had..Lovies record was better than Belicheats until Brady showed up..Lovie signed an OC known for his passing game…in short..Lovie has done everything I had hoped for in the off season. Will it pan out? We’ll see.
TMAX Lovie went to the Superbowl with freaking Rex Grossman!!! He lost to his mentor Tony Dungy who had Peyton Manning!!! Are you freaking serious.
Do you suppose if we simply made ONE SWAP…Manning for Grossman that game would have turned out differently.
Here’s the question Tmax. Why doesn’t the league agree with you? NOBODY in the NFL feels like you. You must have “special knowledge”.
September 7th, 2015 at 4:09 pm
@Tmax
Hope you know I still luvs ya! I do not challenge your football expertise and I especially do not challenge your fan credentials…I realize you’re simply sick of losing. 30-70 will do that to you.
But you remind me of my cousin Jimmy. When I was young growing up in Greater Cincinnati we didn’t have a pro team and so we were always fed the Browns games much as the Dolphins were Tampa’s team until the Bucs.
So Paul Brown gets the boot from Cleveland and brings us the Bengals. All of us…about a half dozen guy cousins roughly the same age and all sports nuts were thrilled to have our own NFL team to cheer. All but my cousin Jimmy.
He remained a Browns fan. To this day he is the family contrarian.
I respect contrarians…the world would be boring without them so keep on bringing it…:-)
September 7th, 2015 at 4:55 pm
st pete you seem delusional…. what has lovie done in tampa that has made you feel he is the right man to lead tampa to the promised land? He hired an OC? had tedford not gone ill hed still be the OC just like warflop and the special teams coach…. ive never cheered for another team…. i suffered through bennett, perkins, and williamson and these bucs remind me of that crap… bucs had a #1 qb too…only way lovie can change anything is win and that aint happening this year… he better concentrate on week one because the slide after that will be long and miserable….jameis is a bright spot but lovies expertise is defense… and its sad to say longing for schianos defense is better than what the bucs are now….
September 7th, 2015 at 5:06 pm
The Dolphins were not this Tampan’s team before the Bucs.I always pulled for them to lose. Am I here or m i m i ami.
September 7th, 2015 at 5:28 pm
@Dusty
st pete you seem delusional…. I most certainly do! LOL But I’m a big proponent of the late Robin Williams who advised it’s more fun to go through life full tilt bozo. IMHO anybody who thinks they know how this season will turn out is probably delusional. My father was a 7th grade dropout who earned his living as a bookie. I’m actually pretty balanced when it comes to the difference in cheering, believing and betting! There’s no team in the league I’d bet on right now. Maybe after a half of a season we’ll get to see as teams start showing their real 2015 form. Last year is long gone and the PS is largely meaningless. We’ll see which teams are good and bad when the games start counting.
@Bucsfan37…Who did you root for before the Bucs. I just assumed Tampans were Dolphin fans before the Bucs because they were the only show in Florida and let’s face it Don Shula may be the greatest coach of all time.
September 7th, 2015 at 6:43 pm
well st pete fan knowing yrou father was a bookie you should be pretty well aware of future best and win totals for the season and its a great way to get a jump on teh new year if you hit the rights teams and their totals….despite all the blabbering by the “know it alls” last year, I took the bucs under, Im taking it this year and 8 other totals including the eagles and check with me in january
September 7th, 2015 at 8:08 pm
Dusty
Good luck! No snark I’m being serious. I never consider my “opinion” over somebody who puts their money where their mouth is.
My father used to love to go to Keeneland before the Derby and then Churchill Downs the week of the Derby but not the Derby. River Downs our local track ran bad horses. My father taught me that good horses run according to form. In KY that means all the spring races leading up to the Derby. The stables that field Derby horses also ship in their other horses, generally pretty good animals. They ran according to form.
I don’t see any form in the NFL until the season is pretty well underway. Right now it just seems like a lot of speculation. #3 could play well…he could suck.
By week 8 we should have a pretty good idea.
September 7th, 2015 at 9:58 pm
Very true i really want jameis to do good…. ill take a loss on my bucs bets anyday….
September 8th, 2015 at 11:25 am
Here is the difference between Lovie supporters and Lovie bashers…
Bashers assume the team will do poorly this year and blame it all on Lovie before it even happens.
Supporters say, let’s wait and see what happens first.
Supporters understand more about the development of the team, the limited ability to plug holes quickly, and the roles that Lovie and Licht each play.
September 8th, 2015 at 11:51 am
Here are the things counting against the Bucs this year:
Quarterback is a rookie gunslinger. They tend to throw a lot of picks and make plenty of mistakes in their first year (see Andrew Luck).
Left Offensive Tackle is a rookie. It will take at least 2 years for him to truly come into his own, but hopefully he can at least pull his own weight by mid season.
One of our Offensive Guards is a rookie. It will also take him at least 2 years for him to truly come into his own, but hopefully he can at least pull his own weight by mid season.
Our Right Offensive Tackle is a backup because our starter, who wasn’t even great to begin with, is injured.
Our Offensive Center is the same guy that cost us games last year.
Our Defensive Free Agent Veteran signings all have injury histories except maybe two of them.
We have a very, very tough schedule. Very tough. You would think, being the worse team in football, that we would be given a slightly easier schedule, but nope.
The reason the weaknesses exist:
The team addressed what they could in the draft. When there are so few picks to work with, you do your best. In the Bucs case, they got a franchise Quarterback, a Tackle, Guard and a middle linebacker…successfully. Considering teams are lucky to have success with 50 percent of their picks, that’s not bad at all.
Still. Limited picks.
The flip side is free agency. The Glazers said it plain. Lovie said it. Jason Licht said it. YOU BUILD THROUGH THE DRAFT when you want a lasting contender. With limited picks, that takes time. Free Agency was used to temporarily plug holes on the cheap…as it should be. Yes, most of the veteran signings have injury histories. Too many (that’s on Jason Licht, but I’m sure you will all blame Lovie).
We had ten years of crap football. You cannot fix that in 1-2 years. It’s at least a 3 year fix.
The FALCONS have not had ten years of crap football. No matter how much you haters wish to bark like dogs, there is no getting around that. The Falcons are already more developed and have more established talent. So sure, the Falcons have the ability to turn things around quicker. Lovie’s job isn’t dependent on that ability within the Falcons organization.
THE GOOD NEWS
This team is heading in the right direction. We are only a year away from completing the process. That’s it. By this time next year, our Tackle, Guard and Quarterback will be much more developed. We will have our starting center. Odds are the RT will be filled by a free agent. That will fix the offense.
Next year, the draft can finally focus on defense. Spend a couple picks on defensive ends and the defense is fixed.
The rest is quality depth.
One year. That’s all.
So with the tough schedule and developing rookies, we only win 5-7 games this year? It will be worth it because THEN we will have a lasting contender.
September 8th, 2015 at 11:55 am
@StPeteBucsFan
Brett Favre sucked. At first. His coach nearly benched him multiple times during games because he kept throwing reckless picks. He was the ultimate gunslinger, and he took a lot of chances.
My point in bringing this up is that week eight is about a season too soon to tell is Winston is good or not. He could pull a Favre and suck in his first season, and then become great in his second season because he learns from his mistakes and has time to process them.