Theismann links Schottenheimer to Falcons on 680TheFan
Brian Schottenhiemer was the offensive coordinator the past six seasons for the New York Jets. By Kathy Willens, AP
Could Brian Schottenheimer, formerly of the New York Jets, be the Falcons new offensive coordinator?
NFL Network’s Joe Theismann, who knows Schottenheimer from his days coaching with the Washington Redskins, linked him to the Falcons in a radio interview this morning on 680TheFan’s morning show, the Rude Awakening with Chris Rude, Sandra Golden and Perry Laurentino.
Here’s part of the interview:
“[Brian] felt like he was saddled and limited by what Mark Sanchez can do in New York,” Theisman said. “Mark is really not that good. He’s a hard-working kid. He wants to be good. But he doesn’t understand the game of football the way Matt does.
“You have to play the position with the knowledge of where you are on the field, what the score is in the game. What [you] can do. What [you] can’t do. What are the things that are required of me. Really, the only route that Mark throws effectively is the quick post. He’s going to have a whole lot more to work with, with Matt Ryan.”
They asked him to clarify his comments.
“I’ve [unaudible] Brian was going to be the offensive coordinator.”
The Falcons have stated that they would do their search privately, but we have a call into them to see if they’ll comment on Schottenheimer. (Expecting a no comment).
We have calls into the Theismann to see if he will expound on his knowledge of the Atlanta search.
Either way, I’m going to revise my working list of candidates to replace Mike Mularkey. Smith said he wants a balanced attack and doesn’t believe you can be one-dimensional.
1. Dirk Koetter
2. Brian Schottenheimer
3. Terry Robiskie
4. Hue Jackson
5. Brian Billick
*Removed: Mike Martz, the architect of the “World’s Greatest Show of Turf.” He’s chillaxing at his home in San Diego. If his phone rings, he’d answer it. Word is that he’d be interested in talking about the post.
–D. Orlando Ledbetter, The Atlanta Falcons beat blog
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259 comments Add your comment
Michael M.
January 12th, 2012
1:44 pm
Life long Falcons fan here………………that’s what they usually do, fire who they have and then get too hasty and wind up much worse off than before, once in awhile they do well with someone for a couple of years and then its back to the drawing board…………just speaking the truth here !
ole richie
January 12th, 2012
1:46 pm
regardless of who we get to fill the coordinator positions, there will always be someone to complain.
Michael M.
January 12th, 2012
1:50 pm
yep always going to be the complainers
Know it All!!!
January 12th, 2012
1:50 pm
Doesn’t Mike Smith have a ring from his time with the Ravens?
PantherCJ
January 12th, 2012
1:54 pm
Wow really? Matt is below average?! You guys are crazy. Matt Ryan will be elite in this league with correct coaching and limitations lifted on him. Coaches place limits on him. With the correct coach he will excel!
Know it All!!!
January 12th, 2012
1:54 pm
Look it up people Mike Smith got a ring with Ravens in 2000, he coached linebackers for his brother-in-law Brian Billick
Eric C.
January 12th, 2012
1:54 pm
Opie — “How much proof do you delusional bloggers need to realize Mularkey and Van Gorder were not the issues to our conservatism.”
I wonder about this as well…no way to know for sure, but Mike Smith is incredibly structured and disciplined coach…to a fault it seems.
Recall the 2008 game at NO with the Falcons down 29-24,
under 4 minutes left and a 4th down on their 30-something yd line, they opted to punt and never got the ball back…not to much surprise.
If they had gone for it and not made it…the defense still has to hold them and the worst they would give up is a long FG attempt to possibly make it an 8 pt game. Otherwise, NO would either score a TD or run out the clock…which is no worse than what happened.
That call was the first of several that led me to question Smith’s conservative play-calling.
What is maddening is that he is taking more risks on 4th down…but in the wrong situations and with the wrong plays called.
waynester
January 12th, 2012
1:59 pm
Billick has a sweet deal already. He’s was still being paid by the Ravens due to an awesome (for him) contract extension BAL gave him just before he was dumped in 2007. The contract was through 2010, so this may no longer be the case, but all this time, he’s been able to “double dip” so to speak, making $$ from the network and keeping his profile high, just in case he wanted to go back to the sidelines. His name continues to pop up every season, even now, he’s being connected with lots of teams searching for HCs…
Michael M.
January 12th, 2012
1:59 pm
I
Jarrett
January 12th, 2012
2:02 pm
Regardless of what Coordinators are brought in, I stand by Mike Smith 100%. It took me a few days to shrug off that pathetic performance but I am ready for an even better 2012 season. Usually I look forward to the Draft but I don’t think I will pay much attention to that this year (Everybody knows why).
ws
January 12th, 2012
2:03 pm
I don’t see where he would be better than what left for Jags!
JTH
January 12th, 2012
2:04 pm
One scapegoat for another? NO thank you.
Falconitis
January 12th, 2012
2:05 pm
Still love that fact that Falcons have turned into winners and I think it is great that we expect more. We all should and should the Members of the Falcons.
Jeff Jagazinski as someone suggested is well worth a look. He got a bad deal when he left BC and seems to have paid the price for quite a while. He is an offensive mind and could bring the Falcons offensive up to date and maybe bring a surprise element as well.
Matt Ryan highly overrated
January 12th, 2012
2:10 pm
Schottenheimer what has he done? nothing as to winning. just another good lo boy with friends looking for the cash!!! Is he a winner I don,t see it!!
abby normal
January 12th, 2012
2:12 pm
If the Falcons do not fix the offensive line, it won’t make much difference who the OC is. Ryan is lucky he did not get injured this past season.
DC Dirty Bird
January 12th, 2012
2:13 pm
Not a fan of Schottenheimer. I would love to see Brad Childress or Hue Jackson. Chilly would bring a WC offense that Ryan could flourish in. Jackson’s brand of offense may be the mix of run and pass that Smith can live with that includes a better vertical passing game than we’ve seen from Mularkey.
Burnt Weenie Sandwich
January 12th, 2012
2:15 pm
It doesn\’t matter who the Falcons hire. A year from now, most of you will be bitching about how dumb they are and how much smarter you are. It\’s like that with EVERY coordinator they hire.
None of you know more than those in the sport. Yeah, they make mistakes, but compared to some of the dumb ideas I see here, it\’s far better.
Now get out of your parents basement. Fantasy season is over. Time to find a girl friend…..Even an inflatable is a step up for most of you.
Matt Ryan highly overrated
January 12th, 2012
2:15 pm
PantherCJ
January 12th, 2012
1:54 pm
Wow really? Matt is below average?! You guys are crazy. Matt Ryan will be elite in this league with correct coaching and limitations lifted on him. Coaches place limits on him. With the correct coach he will excel!
Link Report this comment Now that you must not can see ! play off any win? NO that is the only standard You may like him but the only thing you have to show is fool gold. TWO point you are clue less!! Not how you feel but just the facts! loserin the playoffs ,the real game!!
Mack
January 12th, 2012
2:19 pm
How many times have OC and DC been replaced on a team without replacing the HC? I don’t like the fact that Smithy seems to be getting a pass. Clock management and situational calls have been suspect sense day one. I would like to see a Mckay type transition for Smith. Hire OC/DC coordinators with strong personalities i.e. ex-head coaches. Then Smith could focus on the HC job and we could evaluate him on his preformance as such. If he is not guy then we can promote a in-house guy to take his place.
With all the recent wussy rule changes I think it’s time to adapt. IMO 3-4 is the new “best” scheme. If the Falcons were to change to a 3-4 the time is now. The running game will always be important but the league seems to want to be “pass happy”. I also think with the current rules there is no real reason to keep a return specialist. This could easiliy be covered by a decent back up RB if the rules stay as is.
I would love to have a “west coast” offensive scheme and an aggressive ball hawking defense. This type defense will give up a few big plays but we did that with the soft zones we played this year.
Lack of emotion and focus seemed to kill us this year. Makes me wonder if we are losing intensity by trying to hard to get “character” guys. I know this is a balancing act just thought we looked flat in way too many games this year.
I think the Smith era has won 2 out of every 3 games that ain’t bad. Do you Think King Arthur was talking about Smith when he said he didn’t want to throw out the baby(smith) with the bathwater (MM/BVG)?
Jarrett
January 12th, 2012
2:19 pm
Anybody who says Matt Ryan is below average is an idiot. They are just mad that he hasn’t won in the postseason. Well guess what, I am mad about that too but I don’t think he’s a bad QB. He had almost 4200 yards and 29 TD’s. I thank those are d&%m good numbers. Go put that in your pipe and smoke it.
pigskin punk
January 12th, 2012
2:19 pm
@Opie loved the reference to Vanessa Delrio. I’d like Hue Jackson to come back. Good playcaller.
Great Falconi
January 12th, 2012
2:26 pm
I watched the presser yesterday, DOL. I heard what was said. This team is absolutely NOT going to be a power running game-oriented team next season. The shift began this season. (Dimitroff and Smith both talked about how the team’s offensive philosophy was changing.) For whatever reason, Mike Mularkey couldn’t handle it. The next OC will be someone who is more inclined to have Ryan spread the ball around and use all of his running backs more often. That’s where this team is headed and such a philosophy provides the Falcons with their best chance for success.
Ichabod
January 12th, 2012
2:31 pm
There seems to be a disconnect here. If Smitty is a Pound & Ground guy, how did our OL become weaker every year. Since the success of an offense is the OL, why did they not address this first with the drafts and FAs? Are we looking for an OC that is equally good at managing the run as he is the pass? Couldn’t be many out there that are equally good at both, and I assume that we are not going to emphasize the run over the pass in this league.
Hurt Kurbstreit
January 12th, 2012
2:32 pm
How about Dirk Dingler?
D'ville Phil
January 12th, 2012
2:40 pm
Yeah, D-Led…..you said my list was “plastic-bag garbage” – at least my list addresses the Falcons problems. If Mike Smith insists on getting an Offensive Coordinator that will effectively be “Mularkey 2.0″ which is what Brian Schottenheimer and Dirk Koetter will be – then it will be THE END of Mike Smith. Honestly, what is the point of bringing in another coordinator that has all the same deficiencies of Mike Mularkey? Mike Smith needs to come into the 21st century of passing offenses – or he will be out of a job before 2013 rolls around. Its not often that a coach that loses his OC and DC in the same season – and survives himself – gets a 2nd chance – and that is what Mike Smith is getting. All of the Falcons assets reside in the passing game – to not take this opportunity to make your most important player – Matt Ryan – better, that would be foolish……You are also being foolish D-Led.
I couldn't help but to post this time!!!
January 12th, 2012
2:40 pm
IF THE FALCONS CONSIDER ANY OF THE ABOVE WITH MAYBE THE EXCEPTION OF BRIAN BILLICK THEY DESERVE TO BE PLAYING FOR THE 1ST PICK OF THE 2013 NFL DRAFT. (YES, I’M TALKING LOUD AND I STARTED TO CHANGE MY FONT TO RED)
Dennis Green-Former NFL HC
Brian Billick- Former NFL HC and OC
Mike Martz- Former NFL OC and HC
Mark Leach- NCAA Head Coach Tulane
Gus Malzone- NCAA Head Coach Arkansas State
David Shaw- NCAA Stanford
Tommy
January 12th, 2012
2:41 pm
I have heard that Alabama was talking to him,but I would think the Falcons pockets are deeper?
JSS
January 12th, 2012
2:41 pm
And Ichabod finally asks the magic question… Because your GM thinks that he is Belichick Jr. and can pull an O-line out his behind via technique and scheme. It ain’t working…
JSS
January 12th, 2012
2:49 pm
Why would any OC worth a dime tie themselves to a coach who put him self on the hot seat like Smith has? These guys are looking for stability as much you can have in the NFL environment. The Hue Jackson’s and Schottenheimer’s of the world have been in the bad side. Jackson has nice little severance package for his dismissal, there are better ways to go…
SirReal
January 12th, 2012
2:56 pm
WILL PEOPLE STOP WITH THE MIKE MARTZ REQUESTS!! THAT OFFENSE HAS NOT WORKED SINCE THAT GREAT TEAM. HOW WAS IT IN DETRIOT? WHAT ABOUT SAN FRAN? ASK CHICAGO HOW THEY REALLY FELT ABOUT IT. YALL ARE KILLIN ME. HE IS NOT A GOOD FIT AND WITH OUR LINE HIS OFFENSE WOULD BE DISASTROUS!!!
kirkfish
January 12th, 2012
2:57 pm
Mike Bobo, …….please.
Ken Strickland
January 12th, 2012
2:58 pm
Smitty said he wanted the OFF to be more balanced and not so one dimensional. I’m not so certain he actually knows what he’s saying. The Packers, Saints and Patriots have been pretty successful without utilizing a balanced OFF. Having a rushing OFF that’s primarily focused on running up the middle, and seldom to the outside, refusing to effectively utilize screens, swings, and your RBs as receiving options, and refusing to do this for 5 seasons, is about as one dimensional as you can get.
Utilizing a zone DEF almost exclusively, and playing the same zone in the same way in every situation, is also extremely one dimensional. He also needs to grasp that his OFF and DEF will continue to be inconsistent and under productive, in relation to it’s overall talent, as long as he continues to let everyone know what he’s doing, or intends to do, and when. He has to stop being stuck on stupid.
Based on ABlanks total disappointment over another playoff embarrassment, and what he said recently about expecting to win a Superbowl, this will likely be Smitty’s last yr as HC if this team doesn’t make an impact in next yrs playoffs. I’m hoping he’s finally gotten it through his thick head that he has to relinquish total control to his OC and DC, and allow them to elevate the OFF and DEF into the 21st century.
I certainly hope Smitty is retained as our HC after next season, because it would mean the Falcons had another successful regular season, as well as a very successful playoffs. Go Smitty, go Falcons!!!!!!!!!
Jimmy Crack
January 12th, 2012
3:01 pm
2 bit ajc blog can’t even upload a couple of sentences without having a heart attack…
Brian
January 12th, 2012
3:02 pm
The Oriental Lickmiester from the Far East would be a good fit as the OC. He has a proven track record of pleasing and loves to score.
Kurt
January 12th, 2012
3:15 pm
The Choice should be Todd Haley.
Ed
January 12th, 2012
3:20 pm
Brian Schottenheimer and Matt Ryan would be a terrific match.
Falconidiot
January 12th, 2012
3:22 pm
Have the Jets ever had any offense?
M10
January 12th, 2012
3:23 pm
Getting B.Schottenhiemer would be like hiring M.Marlarky all over again,he’s not the answer.M Smith wants to be a ground and pound team but the league is becoming a more passing league and the sucessful teams are more explosive that helps having a very good to an elite Qb something the Falcons dont have.Ryan in my opinion is avg but the offense only goes as far as the Qb takes them.There should’nt be any reason why this offense should’nt be more sucessful with the weapons they have on offense,they dont have the best O-line in the league but they werent the worst eithier.Ryan is the problem!
bob dylan
January 12th, 2012
3:23 pm
Joe Theismann is a effing imbecile. Anything he says, the Falcons should do the opposite. I wish he would stop being an analyst and break his stupid leg again.
Noneya
January 12th, 2012
3:25 pm
I don’t think he is much different than Mularkey. I like Todd Haley. We should at least bring him to talk.
Listen to the Falcons Season Wrap Up Here…
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/cpstylin/2012/01/12/falcons-season-wrap-up
jarvis
January 12th, 2012
3:33 pm
What’s Dennis Green up to?
Blue
January 12th, 2012
3:52 pm
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Early Cuyler
January 12th, 2012
3:53 pm
At least one of the Ryan haters slipped up and let the cat out of the bag.
“Matt Ryan highly overrated” showed his true racist nature calling Shottenheimer ‘just another god ol boy’. That’s the problem with haters–they’re hateful to the bone. If Ryan had dark skin, he’d be their hero. With his numbers, he’d be one of the “elite”–instead they hate on him because he’s a white guy.
Coach
January 12th, 2012
4:03 pm
Am I the only one that finds it funny that we would be getting rid of mularky and getting b.s.?
GA-USMC
January 12th, 2012
4:03 pm
I actually wouldn’t be surprised if they did hire Billick, all he talks about is how Coach Smith is his Brother-in-law
Hiring Schottenheimer to replace Mularkey would be a massive mistake | Falcons Focus – Atlanta Falcons Blog, Opinion and Analysis
January 12th, 2012
4:08 pm
[...] This is what has me all hot and bothered: “[Brian] felt like he was saddled and limited by what Mark Sanchez can do in New York.” “Mark is really not that good. He’s a hard-working kid. He wants to be good. But he doesn’t understand the game of football the way Matt does. [...]
Laughing Out Loud
January 12th, 2012
4:11 pm
Don’t you just love all these so called fans who threaten “if the Falcons do this or that, they can kiss all the fan support goodby? Don’t you just laugh at the jerks who say, “I’ll never buy a ticket again,” “cancel my season tickets” etc….shows just juvenile some fans are. But, don’t stop…I need a great belly laugh at your asine comments each day! LOL! x 50
indeed
January 12th, 2012
4:17 pm
“Who the Falcons hire for OC makes little difference until Dimitroff gets a clue as to how to go about assembling an O-line that doesn’t consistently get shoved back into Ryan’s face, can open a tiny hole on 4th and 1 and can give the QB more than the blink of an eye to to scan the situation and, regardless of distance, throw any kind of downfield ball.”
/\ this!
that said, i agree with truth teller – Jackson at OC and Spagnuolo at DC is a winning combination!!
Laughing Out Loud
January 12th, 2012
4:18 pm
Stupid, Ryan is not the problem. The offenseive line was the problem…They can neither contain defensive pass rushing nor open holes for the running backs. It’s that simple. Falcons pass rushers could not put pressure on their oppoosing offensive lines. It’s that simple…STUPID! I’m getting tired of laughing!
Laughing Out Loud
January 12th, 2012
4:20 pm
Pardon the spellling error: offensive line was the problem.