Bob Bratkowski agrees to be new QB Coach
Bob Bratkowski has agreed to become the Falcons new quarterbacks coach. (Associated Press)
Bob Bratkowski, the son of former Georgia standout Zeke Bratkowski, has agreed to become the Atlanta Falcons new quarterbacks coach, according to sources familiar with the negotiations.
“Obviously it’s a quality organization from the top down,” Bratkowski said when reach by phone. “It’s a winning organization. Obviously to coach a quarterback like Matt Ryan and be on a quality staff in the NFL is very attractive.”
The Falcons defeated the Bengals last season at the Georgia Dome.
“Anytime you win as many games as they have over the last three years they are doing a lot of things extremely right,” Bratkowski said. “That’s easy to be attracted to.”
Bratkowski served as the Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator from 2001 to 2010. He is credited with developing quarterback Carson Palmer.
He was fired after the 2010 season and Palmer has since requested a trade from the team.
Bratkowski played wide receiver in college at Washington State.
He coached in the college ranks at Missouri, Weber State, Wyoming and Miami.
He made the jump to the NFL in 1992 with the Seattle Seahawks. He became their offensive coordinator in 1995.
He also coached with the Pittsburgh Steelers before taking the offensive coordinator position with the Bengals.
Zeke, his father, played quarterback for 14 seasons in the NFL, seeing action for the Bears, Rams and Packers.
–D. Orlando Ledbetter, The Atlanta Falcons beat blog
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161 comments Add your comment
New name 4 the new guy
February 13th, 2011
11:59 am
To fairly evaluate Matt, we need a WR corp like the Packers.
Greg
February 13th, 2011
12:28 pm
Quit it, the man is a Falcon now, let’s support him! Welcome aboard Mr. Bratkowski.
JSS
February 13th, 2011
12:38 pm
Larry
February 13th, 2011
7:22 am
“Hopelessly ignorant are you goobers (particularly the perpetually cancerous negativity from “JSS” and his domestic partner, “Matt CHOKE Ryan”) that are criticizing this selection.”
Hey Larry, UPS called, your Bedford Forrest tag was delivered to the wrong address. You just can’t stop licking your wounded pride yet! Keep on “snarky,” you couldn’t bust a grape!
I laughed at the use of the term: “developed” and “Carson Palmer.” The knee is an excuse. Brady came back from it. Palmer was given more weapons and shriveled under the weight.
nes
February 13th, 2011
12:42 pm
Hat–You are right on the money, Palmer first requested a trade! I agree with Fortune in that with a tougher schedule and another poor draft, the falcons will finish 8-8 at best. Turner is getting slower and a year older, Snelling is same type runner but without the durability and power of Turner. Without an addition of a fast halfback who can reach the outside corner on sweeps or simple draw plays up the middle for yardage, we are in trouble. On offense: Douglas, Finnergan, running backs Norwood and Smith all need to go. The new offensive line should be Valdez at left tackle, Baker at right tackle, Johnson and blaylock at the guard spots, and Hawley/McCluer at center. That is if Hawley is as good as TD says he is!!! Laughs! i bet he doesn’t ever start at center. On Defense:Peterson disappeared in the second half of the season last year and is no longer a starter in my opinion and should be relegated to back up status. Draft OLB/DE Houston from Georgia for speed and power off the edge that is sorely needed. Draft a BIG run stopper for the middle in later rounds. Use the rest of the draft picks to get Super Fast WR and another slot receiver, then the best players available. Please sign an experienced Cornerback and Safety from free agency, can’t wait on rookies to get experience, we need to win now.
ATL Observer
February 13th, 2011
12:44 pm
We just hired him as a QB coach, not an OC, so I’m not sure everything that happened in Cincy completely applies. Does the QB coach suddenly direct the entire playbook?…..
Prof
February 13th, 2011
12:55 pm
Again – POOR WRITING FROM Ledbetter.
He stated: “The Falcons defeated the Bengals last season at the Georgia Dome.” – BEFORE he mentioned that Brat came over from the Bengals. That’s a failure of basic journalistic rules.
D – GET AN EDITOR ALREADY OR QUIT!!!
Falcons relax
February 13th, 2011
1:13 pm
Man some of you have your panties in a bunch. You can’t criticize palmer and think this was a bad pickup. People forget that Palmer was a top 5 qb before getting injured and bengals had a top 10 offense almost every year. Palmer has gotten worse due to injuries and poor ownership decisions. This to me a pretty good pickup considering we could still have musgrave. Its cool. I trust TD. Now just get a new o-line that can pass protect for ryan and get megatron next year in free agency and its smoothe sailing from here on out. We need to draft Pouncey at C this year.
loyal falcon
February 13th, 2011
1:24 pm
Great hire! Before all of the injuries Carson was a great QB and he’s still not the worse now. I think Bratkowski will do a great job.
Scott
February 13th, 2011
1:28 pm
Who? Never heard of him.
JSS
February 13th, 2011
1:47 pm
Falcons relax
February 13th, 2011
1:13 pm
“People forget that Palmer was a top 5 qb before getting injured and bengals had a top 10 offense almost every year. Palmer has gotten worse due to injuries”
“Top 5″ where? Was he better than Brady? McNabb? Peyton Manning? Steve McNair? Brett Favre?
OK, enough of the famous “AJC Falcons Blog Revisionist History!” Carson Palmer did not start his rookie season. His 2nd NFL season (2005) was not his career year (the year he injured his knee). In ‘06 he threw for 4,135 on a career high 575 attempts. Since then, his QB rating has fallen into the mid to low 80% range and his TD production into the mid to low 20’s …
If you call that “developing?” That’s “Top 5?” Well good luck with that!
quick
February 13th, 2011
1:59 pm
If he’s good enough for the ATL coaching and management he’s good enough for me….but what do I know?
quick
February 13th, 2011
2:05 pm
nes…statistically nexts years Falcon schedule is easier than this past year…just saying
jasonrhere
February 13th, 2011
2:13 pm
For those of you who think Carson has never been the same since the injury, you’re right, he hasn’t. But, you have to consider, especially as offensive coordinator, it was Brat’s responsibility to see to the development of Carson past the injury. And, he failed miserably. Yes, I do blame Carson for a lot. But, you have to blame Brat a lot, also, since he was the main offensive guy in charge. And, he couldn’t do a thing with the QB after his injury. And, now, he is going to coach your QB’s! I feel sorry for Matt Ryan. I just hope this guy doesn’t get a hold of the play calling for you. You think you have an uninnovative offense now? Wait till you see this guy’s offense schemes.
The U
February 13th, 2011
2:39 pm
Good thing he’s the qb coach and not the OC
Explicit
February 13th, 2011
3:09 pm
This signing reminds me a bit of the Paul Boudreau signing. A coach comes from a team that had a bad season and nobody wants him and seem to think that he is automatically a bad coach because of where he came from. Boudreau came from the Rams and a terrible O-line and I think that we can all agree that he has done a fine job with our O-line. Better than the previous coaching legend Alex Gibbs.
Coach Bratkowski is not the Bengals and I think he is going to fit in very well with the rest of the professional classy staff that has this team on the right path.
Also it would seem that if Mularkey had left then Musgrave who was unproven would have been the man to step in as the OC. Perhaps if Mularkey leaves now we have a proven OC who can step in. Seems like an upgrade to me but only time will tell.
JKA
February 13th, 2011
3:33 pm
Uh, guys…..the QB coach does not call the plays; the job usually involves helping the QBs prep for opponents, and monitoring and supporting technical aspects of the position (foot work, dropback depth, progressions etc). Based on that, I’d say Bratkowski’s experience should allow him to be effective….I’m pretty sure he was NOT the problem in Cincy, when you look at the big picture.
Finally….go back at look at Musgrave’s resume some time; there are a lot of successes AND a lot of failures as well….same as most NFL coaches, including many on Smitty’s current staff. Let’s give Brat a chance……
Cedrick
February 13th, 2011
3:34 pm
WTH are these fools doing??? Have they not watched Carson Palmer the last 3 or 4 years!!!! The smae Carson Palmer that could not hit a WIDE open WR to save his life last year but blamed the wr’s for not catching his POOR passes!! Can you say the Falcons just took a step back
Ron CHoke Mexico
February 13th, 2011
3:46 pm
Welcome to the team Coach.
Ron CHoke Mexico
February 13th, 2011
3:47 pm
Guys he’s just a position coach, why all the gloom and doom?
tim
February 13th, 2011
3:55 pm
HEY STEVE C………I’m well aware that every team has a QB coach…you ever heard of a joke?
Don’t get your panties in a wad.
Staff0
February 13th, 2011
4:10 pm
Anybody know the specific duties of a QB Coach? Also, is there overlapping of the duties of the QB Coach and the OC? Tx.
clay
February 13th, 2011
5:02 pm
he will open up the playbook. they threw the ball alot and down the field
marcus
February 13th, 2011
5:25 pm
some of these guys on here know nothing about football when developing a player a coach can only do so much for that player after why’ll a players true talent must take over palmer was in the same position as ryan when he first came in the league after the knee and shoulder problems his game look flat the only thing the went wrong with the bangels is their head coach and did you guys watch the game againest the us this year we almost gave that game away
Brandon
February 13th, 2011
5:25 pm
Enter your comments here
Brandon
February 13th, 2011
5:32 pm
I don’t mind the negative comments, but some are just trying to be negative instead of speaking from facts. One fact I know is that I never saw a qb coach reverse a Qbs progression, either way Matt Ryan will learn something new and get better. All we need is a consistent running game and a few tuneups on Defense, mainly our defensive line(excluding Abraham) and we are a Superbowl contender. Not tryin to be positive or negative, stop posting with your emotions little girls and use your brain!
JSS
February 13th, 2011
6:05 pm
Brandon
February 13th, 2011
5:32 pm
“I don’t mind the negative comments, but some are just trying to be negative instead of speaking from facts. One fact I know is that I never saw a qb coach reverse a Qbs progression,”
Oh yeah? Exhibit one: Matt Schaub, year 2010 season. QB coach in question: Greg Knapp. Go and look it and tell us what your findings are… Exhibit Two: Chad Henne, year 2010 season. QB coach in question: David Lee (in conjunction with Dan Henning).
Brent
February 13th, 2011
6:08 pm
Wow the so called Atlanta Falcons fans would make the baby Jesus cry. So many of you know so little about football. I really wish half of you would just stick to the Braves. I cannot believe how negative the fan base is. This team got obliterated a few seasons ago when their QB and former number 1 draft pick went jail. Then, they hired a new coach. This coach then shaped the team to his image and drafted/hired players to fit his system. That coach then quit in the middle of a season and abandoned the team leaving them with some of the worst contracts in the NFL (Anderson and Ovie come to mind) and crippling the team for years to come. Mike Smith came in and did the impossible. This team has had THREE winning seasons in a row. Smith knows what he is doing. His process works, but it is going to take some time to fix years of bad management, bad drafts, and bad contracts. You people act as if we are the Lions. I cannot believe how many of you crap over this whole season. It ended in disappointment, but it is a testament to this coaching staff that we got as far as we did with all of the holes on this team. You don’t win in the playoffs because you have a good QB, 1 good WR, 1 good TE, 1 good DE, 1 good LB, and 2 pretty good CBs and the rest of your team is stop gap solutions put in place after the worst colossal melt down a team has ever had.
RINGLESS in ATL
February 13th, 2011
6:14 pm
Won’t matter…the FAILCANTS will NEVER win a championship….they are just like the VIQUEENS….joke of the NFL and NFC South….
Brent
February 13th, 2011
6:28 pm
Please crawl back in your hole… the joke of the NFC South is obviously the defending super bowl champs who lost to the worst team in the HISTORY of the NFL play offs.
Ron Choke Mexico
February 13th, 2011
6:34 pm
Hey ringless the joke of the NFC South won the NFC South this year you idiot!
Football Fan Site » Falcons add depth to coaching staff
February 13th, 2011
6:41 pm
[...] quarterbacks coach. More importantly perhaps, they have a new backup offensive coordinator. They reportedly have hired Bob Bratkowski as their quarterbacks coach. That’s an important role, and Bratkowski will take over helping [...]
Ron Choke Mexico
February 13th, 2011
7:24 pm
Brent,
Amen Brother.
Smiling Jack
February 13th, 2011
7:59 pm
Once again moronic Falcon bloggers jump out with negative opinions and judgements. Is there ablog online anywhere that one can read and post opinions that are not so caustic, critical and that doesn’t reveal so much ignorance and ill will? It’s a good thing professional management of the Falcons ignore fan blogs on the AJC! Go Falcons! Some of us appreciate your efforts and applaud them!
nes
February 13th, 2011
8:04 pm
Are Coach Smith and Brats related? They kinda resemble each other!!!
JSS
February 13th, 2011
8:19 pm
Brent
February 13th, 2011
6:08 pm
“You don’t win in the playoffs because you have a good QB, 1 good WR, 1 good TE, 1 good DE, 1 good LB, and 2 pretty good CBs and the rest of your team is stop gap solutions ”
Ha ha, Tom Brady, Troy Brown, Jermaine Wiggins, Willie McGinest, Tedy Bruschi, Ty Law, and Terrell Buckley are flashing their Super Bowl rings at you!!! Ha ha!!! Take that and reexamine your “ignorance” comment!
Falcons add depth to coaching staff | Play your Axe
February 13th, 2011
8:32 pm
[...] quarterbacks coach. More importantly perhaps, they have a new backup offensive coordinator. They reportedly have hired Bob Bratkowski as their quarterbacks coach. That’s an important role, and Bratkowski will take over helping [...]
Ron Choke Mexico
February 13th, 2011
9:44 pm
Smiling Jack. speak the truth brother
Bull Dogs and My Life :D : Breaking News: Atlanta Falcons Hire New QB Coach!
February 14th, 2011
12:14 am
[...] Here is the link. [...]
Keith
February 14th, 2011
12:20 am
Ya know those of you that don’t like or want to support the Falcons why don’t ya move on to the band wagon for the the Saints or the Packers, any other team that has won, do we have a winning tradition, no not yet, but we finally have the foundation in place to develop it. I for one am not going to change my colors and I will support what this management is doing, as a couple of fans have said he is being brought in to fine tune Ryan not rework him. I truely don’t understand comments like “Falcants”, you might have been able to say that a little as 10 years ago. I truley believe Mr Blank wants a winner for the city and is doing what is needed to bring us a championship. Yes you have every right to criticize the team, but if your gonna do that then at least have a real reason to back up your decision to open your mouth. as I said before if you have the knowledge or the experence then go ahead give your justification if not then let the coaches do what they do. One person ask do coaches make mistakes … absolutley, has TD made some bad choices in the draft sure, the Falcons have made mistake before, one major one comes to mind, initials B.F. every staff makes bad calls, even Mel kiper (I can’t believe they passed on the guy) makes bad decision. What matters is that they learn from it.
Sunday NFL News Wrap
February 14th, 2011
2:13 am
[...] Bratkowski agrees to be new QB Coach (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) Bob Bratkowski, the son of former Georgia standout Zeke Bratkowski, has agreed to become the [...]
Falcons add depth to coaching staff
February 14th, 2011
5:39 am
[...] quarterbacks coach. More importantly perhaps, they have a new backup offensive coordinator. They reportedly have hired Bob Bratkowski as their quarterbacks coach. That’s an important role, and Bratkowski will take over helping [...]
Jeremy
February 14th, 2011
8:12 am
I like this hire. I haven’t agreed with all the decisions made in Atl but have learned to trust these guys. They know what they are doing. To get a OC with sveral top 10 offencive seasons to be a position coach is awesome. It’s not like he will be calling any plays or coming up with a game plan he’s just a QB coach.
PoopingonHaters
February 14th, 2011
9:11 am
Enter your comments here
PoopingonHaters
February 14th, 2011
9:13 am
What’s the big deal? He’s a QB coach that’s worked with Carson Palmer, Warren Moon, are those bad QBs? Matt Ryan has been here long enough to know what to do and he’s very smart with the football. I doubt a different QB coach will cause him to start throwing picks. As long as he isn’t making dumb decisions then we’ll be fine. A new coach isn’t going to force him to do that so if your a real Falcon fan, just sit back, shut up, and see what happens. This just may take Ryan to the next level.
Bob Who?
February 14th, 2011
10:37 am
@ dandydawg, You got his info From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. You don’t know a clue about him. How many championships he got with the Bengals developing Carson Palmer? None!
Bob Who?
February 14th, 2011
11:09 am
You are a dummy.
Blood& Guts
February 14th, 2011
12:11 pm
I can’t believe this is the best that’s available.
Saints Rule
February 14th, 2011
12:55 pm
In 2011–the Saints will be back in form and easily win the NFC. The falcons may make the playoffs, but as a wild card and they will go out in round 1 again. Look for NO and New England in the Super Bowl shuffle.
Bratkowski officially joins Falcons to coach Ryan, QBs | World news
February 14th, 2011
1:17 pm
[...] a quality organization from the top down. It’s a winning organization,” Bratkowski told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on [...]
ctfalconsfan
February 14th, 2011
1:53 pm
Nice choice. It’s good to have a long standing coach with a good bit of OC experience under his belt. Hopefully between him amd Mularkey we can put a high powered offense on the field.