Dirk Koetter named Falcons’ new offensive coordinator
Dirk Koetter, formerly of the Jacksonville Jaguars, agreed to terms to become the Falcons
Dirk Koetter (Associated Press)
new offensive coordinator on Sunday, the team confirmed.
Koetter is set to talk to the media on a conference call at 11 a.m. Monday.
“I am very pleased to add Coach Koetter as our offensive coordinator,” Falcons head coach Mike Smith said in a statement issued by the team. “Dirk is a veteran offensive coach who will bring years of NFL experience as an offensive coordinator as well as a fresh set of ideas to our offense. He is bright, he understands the intricacies of the vertical passing game, but he also wants to be able to run the football which is very important in the NFL. I look forward to working with Dirk and have tremendous confidence that he will be a great addition to our team and our coaching staff.”
Koetter, 52, was Jacksonville’s offensive coordinator from 2007 to 2011. He will replace Mike Mularkey, who left to become Jacksonville’s head coach. AJC columnist Jeff Schultz has checked in already on the hire.
Falcons coach Mike Smith and Koetter were Jacksonville’s coordinators in 2007. Smith was hired to take over the Falcons the following season.
Smith is high on Koetter’s work and with how running back Maurice Jones-Drew led the league in rushing while the Jaguars had a rookie quarterback and an anemic passing attack. The Falcons running attack posted big numbers, but struggled in short yardage situations. Missing Pro Bowl fullback Ovie Mughelli certainly hur their short-yardage attack.
Koetter was head coach in the college ranks at Boise State and Arizona State. The Sun Devils’ vertical passing attack helped him land the offensive coordinator position with Jacksonville.
At Arizona State he had four winning seasons and went to four bowl games.
Thanks to @CavemanGamer who tweet us this link. It’s an interview with Koetter from July 2011 on XandOlabs.com.
–D. Orlando Ledbetter, The Atlanta Falcons beat blog
Get instant updates on Twitter at AJCFalcons and you can join the Facebook Fan page at AJC Falcons.
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
559 comments Add your comment
Luke
January 15th, 2012
5:04 pm
While Dirk is better then B. Schottenheimer not sure if he is better then Bratkowski…Jags may have gotten the better deal..
Dirk Koetter
Jags 2007 OVERALL OFFENSE RANK: 7 Rushing Off 2//Passing Off 17
Jags 2008 OVERALL OFFENSE RANK: 20 Rushing Off 18//Passing Off 15
Jags 2009 OVERALL OFFENSE RANK: 18 Rushing Off 12//Passing Off 19
Jags 2010 OVERALL OFFENSE RANK: 15 Rushing Off 3//Passing Off 27
Jags 2011 OVERALL OFFENSE RANK: 32 Rushing Off 12//Passing Off 32
Bob Bratkowski
Sea 1995 OVERALL OFFENSE RANK: 13 Rushing Off 3//Passing Off 22
Sea 1996 OVERALL OFFENSE RANK: 19 Rushing Off 5//Passing Off 24
Sea 1997 OVERALL OFFENSE RANK: 3 Rushing Off 13//Passing Off 1
Sea 1998 OVERALL OFFENSE RANK: 23 Rushing Off 22//Passing Off 24
Cin 2001 OVERALL OFFENSE RANK: 23 Rushing Off 18//Passing Off 23
Cin 2002 OVERALL OFFENSE RANK: 18 Rushing Off 21//Passing Off 13
Cin 2003 OVERALL OFFENSE RANK: 13 Rushing Off 13//Passing Off 12
Cin 2004 OVERALL OFFENSE RANK: 18 Rushing Off 17//Passing Off 17
Cin 2005 OVERALL OFFENSE RANK: 6 Rushing Off 11//Passing Off 5
Cin 2006 OVERALL OFFENSE RANK: 8 Rushing Off 26//Passing Off 6
Cin 2007 OVERALL OFFENSE RANK: 10 Rushing Off 24//Passing Off 7
Cin 2008 OVERALL OFFENSE RANK: 32 Rushing Off 29//Passing Off 30
Cin 2009 OVERALL OFFENSE RANK: 24 Rushing Off 9//Passing Off 26
Cin 2010 OVERALL OFFENSE RANK: 20 Rushing Off 27//Passing Off 13
SirReal
January 15th, 2012
5:07 pm
@Rivercard I hear ya. I really do and don’t neccessarily disagree…but for now I’ll just wait and see the product on the field before I can give my true analysis. Honestly for me, this DC hire is the most pivotal. We’ll see who they decide to pair with him. The picture will be a lot clearer for me then.
Michael M.
January 15th, 2012
5:07 pm
A lot were laughing at the Jags the other day too……………so much at laughing .huh
Karl
January 15th, 2012
5:08 pm
This is a GREAT move. I’m officially excited. Definitely getting season tickets now!!! Woo Hoo!!!
Michael M.
January 15th, 2012
5:08 pm
Can you believe this though its like swapping guys..shaking head here
Waffle House or Bust
January 15th, 2012
5:10 pm
Smith has Blank by the balls. Mr. Blank has made the mistake of becoming friends with coach Smith which equals failure. Just like the line in Jerry Maguire – IT’S SHOW BUSINESS NOT SHOW FRIENDS.
.
This offseason was the perfect time to start fresh by letting Smith go. New buddies hired will not solve anything. I predict 8-8 next season and very boring.
BIOMASS
January 15th, 2012
5:12 pm
Well, Dan Reeves thinks the guy is a great offensive mind. So, it was a good hire.
ClevelandAve.Turk
January 15th, 2012
5:12 pm
Give the guy a chance. He may be what we needed. Look at how larry drew has helped the hawks. he wasnt as big name either.
BIOMASS
January 15th, 2012
5:13 pm
(eyes roll)
ClevelandAve.Turk
January 15th, 2012
5:14 pm
right on sireal
JoeBrave
January 15th, 2012
5:15 pm
Dirk who? Dirk Dobber?
curious
January 15th, 2012
5:16 pm
Just when you think the Falcons couldn’t get any dumber, they do this and totally redeem themselves.
Zon
January 15th, 2012
5:16 pm
Bafflingly disappointing pick. Way to motivate the fan base there Blank and Dimitroff! I can’t even fathom the meeting, “Hmmm…let’s see who was the worst ranked OC in 2011? Let’s hire him!!!!!” Seriously, with so many candidates available, the thinking to go with the person who ran the worst ranked offense in 2011 is mind boggling. Moreover, I don’t want to hear excuses about Gabbert this year, etc, as the Jax offense was at bottom of the pile the other years this guy was there too. It’s like the Falcons went out of their way to to shove losing in our face. I’m done. Go Panthers.
truthbtold
January 15th, 2012
5:16 pm
I told Ya! As long as Mike Smith is coaching – The only thing the Falcons will be good for is running the ball, to run out the clock. They don’t want to throw the ball down the field. The Jags don’t have an explosive passing game, they run the ball with Maurice Jones-Drew and lose. This is what we get to fix our offensive woes? Jacksonville Jaguar bred offense? What a freakin joke! This is just more of the same Mike Smith 20 yard line to 20 yard line kick a field goal mentality. Drew Brees threw the ball 61 times in the Saints loss to San Francisco yesterday. You can’t score enough points running the ball in today’s league to be competitive. Look at the Falcons and the Broncos (ground based attack offense). That old conservative – scared to put points on the board mindset that Mike Smith has – will continue to get the Falcons embarrassed. If the Falcons had a lead like the Patriots had at halftime against the Broncos, they would have started trying to run out the clock the entire 2nd half. The Patriots let Brady play until the end of the game, and he was throwing the ball toward the end zone the entire time. Arthur Blank, you better get rid of this soft coaching staff, and get some creative thinking behind the offensive pieces you have put together.
ClevelandAve.Turk
January 15th, 2012
5:17 pm
I know we all wanted a big name guy to heal us from these embarassing defeats. but just wait till he show what he can do with OUR team .Blank is a BILLIONARE. He didnt get that wat by making bad choices.
Waffle House or Bust
January 15th, 2012
5:18 pm
Atlanta pro teams accept failure like the state of Florida accepts child molesters.
Tony B
January 15th, 2012
5:20 pm
I guess the guy that Art Shell hired years back as OC of the Raiders that used to run the Bed & Breakfast wasn’t available. So we got the next best out of touch guy we could find.
Michael M.
January 15th, 2012
5:21 pm
The playoff run is over with…lol…I sound like one of the Aint trolls and not trying to be either !
dave
January 15th, 2012
5:24 pm
Booooo! Why settle for a mediocre hire like that, Falcons? WHY? Koetter’s offenses at Jacksonville have gotten worse every year he has been OC.
BOOOOOO!
ClevelandAve.Turk
January 15th, 2012
5:24 pm
Hay people read the piece the just posted on sb nation / atlanta on dirk kotter. it will give you some insight on this guy.
ClevelandAve.Turk
January 15th, 2012
5:25 pm
sb nation atlanta i meant
A.J.
January 15th, 2012
5:26 pm
I dont know what to say about this, but TD knows what he is doing so let’s give it a try. Maybe he can turn Matty in a elite qb and take this offense to the next level. Whatever happens though i still be a fan. Guys u have to admit this era of falcon football is better than any other era. Think about it this team(in the smitty/TD era) has gone to playoffs in 3 of the last 4 years. Now granted our performance in those games werent ”great” but we still went to the playoffs, so let’s be grateful. Forever this franchise couldnt win back to back seasons, in the smitty/TD era we did that. Forever this team couldnt get to the playoffs on consistent basis, again in the smitty/TD era we did that. The first step for franchise has been accomplished and now the step comes. Smitty/TD turned this team around in such a short amount of time they have us thinking super bowl. We are close but not there yet it takes time to build a super bowl type team.We’ll get there, we will, have patience. It’s all apart of the process guys, have patience that is key in the process.
ClevelandAve.Turk
January 15th, 2012
5:29 pm
smitty and ryan and turner and white have gave us a winning team like we atlanta fans have never had. give sum credit to smitty. come on . weres our graditude
ClevelandAve.Turk
January 15th, 2012
5:30 pm
smitty isnt perfect and ryan is no elway. but hes done what chandler and revves coulnt. four winning seasons
ClevelandAve.Turk
January 15th, 2012
5:31 pm
Reeves i meant
ClevelandAve.Turk
January 15th, 2012
5:33 pm
im a FALCONS fan to the core. GO DIRTY BIRDS………dueces
LeifsJohnson
January 15th, 2012
5:37 pm
Do the Atlanta Falcons and the Georgia Bulldogs secretly have the same Wizard of Oz behind the curtain conducting the football operations? Between Bobo and now Koetter the ineptness will continue. I am so over watching this franchise and the futility will continue under this clown. Great hire Smith, Dmitroff and Blank. Way to really show us that you want to win! I will go and bang my head against the wall some more because another mediocre season awaits us in 2012!! Can we hire Special Ed for the QB Coach! Yay!
THIS HIRE IS AWFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
January 15th, 2012
5:39 pm
now we can go 4-12 like jacksonville /this stinks/better get a good defensive coordinator to hold the score down ,cause we won’t be scoring!
ATL Observer
January 15th, 2012
5:39 pm
This is the single most exasperating hire I’ve gone through as a fan. Even more than Petrino.
There were SO many options out there. And what’s worse, not only did we get this letdown hire, we take a whole week to decide on a guy that would have still been on the market two months from now.
I don’t know what happened in the last year…management made mistakes before but came by them earnestly. But this? This is just flat out LAZY.
dirk digler
January 15th, 2012
5:48 pm
what’s coach smith’s deal, does he need some jacksonville coach to hold his hand, looks like he’s insecure to be by himself, so he surrounds himself with familar people.
rivercard
January 15th, 2012
5:50 pm
ATL Observer- I think you hit it. Lazy and uninspired – just like the team. TD and Smith are drawing a check til they get blown out.
tre
January 15th, 2012
5:56 pm
Yo the falcons are stupid. What happened to the green bay qb coach just stupid.
ZACK
January 15th, 2012
6:06 pm
GET STARTED PACKING GRANDPA MIKE SMITH! YOU AND THIS ORGANIZATION ARE JOKES! YOU WILL NOT GET ANOTHER PENNY FROM ME. YOU DAMN LOSERS!!!
steven A.
January 15th, 2012
6:08 pm
Dirk who? Might as well hied John “freaking” Doe. Right now only something of “Tebow-like-proportions can help this SORRY coaching staff. Need a bunch of Rice-Montana-Roger Craig like superstars to OVERCOME this “one-and-done crew.” Someone who can win in spite of ineptness!!!
steven A.
January 15th, 2012
6:12 pm
Early PREDICTION “Mike Smith will be interviewing for defensive coordinator jobs this time next season.” You heard it here 1st. He is closer to Dave Campo than Jim Harbough.
steven A.
January 15th, 2012
6:17 pm
Mike Smith will prove that he is closer to Marv Levy than Chuck Knoll. This is disrespectful to Marv levy.
Sorry Marv.
Sid
January 15th, 2012
6:17 pm
Where do all those Bayou bitch bloggers go when they lose? Bunch of Peeshwanks.
Tim Collins
January 15th, 2012
6:22 pm
Jerry Glanville would fit right in as the DC
Paul
January 15th, 2012
6:22 pm
Great…he understands the importance of running the football.
Translation:
1st down: Michael Turner up the middle for 2 yards.
2nd down: Michael Turner up the middle for now gain
3rd down: Incomplete pass
4th down: Punt
Yep, I’m really excited for next season. Can’t wait. The Saints and Drew Brees are in REAL trouble now.
theGuyAboveMeIsAnIdiot
January 15th, 2012
6:23 pm
First, those of you blaming the Jags offense on DK are just having a knee jerk reaction to not hiring a splashy name. DK was known as an offensive genius who took bad teams and made them relevant in college football even without good players. He is one who turned Boise St. football program around. He also got ASU on the right track. You need to understand the history of the Jags before you make a judgment on this guy. His first year, they had a few pieces in place, but they have a lousy owner and even lousier attendance. You know, they are the team with the tarps covering entire sections of seats so they don’t count as empty seats. Can you name me a good Jags WR in the last 6 years? Leftwich, Garrard and Gabbert aren’t exactly stellar QBs, There is a reason no one was interested in Garrard when he was cut. Not even the Colts, Bears or Texans made a play for this guy when they were down to their 3rd string guys. He had poor work ethic and poor attitude.
DK is known as a guy who is great at gameplanning and film study. He is known as a guy who moves the ball in chunks through the air and supports that with a balanced run game and short passing game. He isn’t MM.
We have been to the playoffs 3 out of 4 years. They aren’t going to hire someone to totally scrap the offense and start over. They just needed someone to tweak our passing game and game plan. DK is a guy who can do that. I just think we should give the guy a chance
tiredoflosing
January 15th, 2012
6:27 pm
I sure do hope the falcon organization is watching the Packers/Gaints. This is how you play football.
James Smith
January 15th, 2012
6:32 pm
This new coaching selection seals it for me. I will NOT be renewing my season tickets. Fresh set of eyes – REALLY- from a coordinator that finished last in offense. I’ve had enough! Good luck Falcons, sounds like you’re going to need it.
Hobbler
January 15th, 2012
6:37 pm
Falcons are idiots. Bobo=Mularky=Koetter. I think I’ll switch to pull for the Saints next year. Rock bottom. Sad day.
rm
January 15th, 2012
6:41 pm
There is not a lot of thought in most of these posts. Funny though. I guess it is easier to complain. No one here has a clue about what their talking about. If you are only looking at his record at least look at the talent. It was horrible. The only weapon he had was mjd and he still lead the league. Give the guy a season before u use your vast football iq to bash him…unless you enjoy looking foolish which by reading these blogs most of you do.
rivercard
January 15th, 2012
6:57 pm
rm- If it is all a matter of talent then, does it really matter who we hire? Did he have no input into the talent. Have you ever seen limited talent get coached up? Excuses are like… well you know the rest
Sure he has to be given a chance, but “on paper” this is a bad hire
eddy
January 15th, 2012
6:58 pm
DK is a 4th and 1 specialist. The rest of the offense is a mystery to him!
BIRDSFLYHIGH
January 15th, 2012
6:58 pm
Be patient Falcon fans!!! This new hire had less to work with in Jascksonville! He’ll have more here but one things for show, Know excuses!!!
unbelievable...
January 15th, 2012
7:15 pm
Another Mike Smith lackey.It was hard to find an OC with a worst performance than Mularkey but the “process” was able to come through and find their man. I suddenly realize that Aurthur Blank is just as weak as Rankin Smith.
Michael M.
January 15th, 2012
7:19 pm
Looks like the Packers are being owned out there in the game……….so whats up, the time off and the Son of one of the Coaches passing have anything to do with it or are the Giants better than anyone thought ? We know the 49ers are for real and they are lickin their chops for either of these teams.
Charles
January 15th, 2012
7:35 pm
You guys need to chill, consider the total body of work, not just the last couple of years in Jacksonville. I have a feeling most of you will wind up eating CROW.