Falcons: “Brotherhood fell on deaf ears”

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Dan Quinn

Former head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, Dan Quinn, had several popularized slogans during his tenure. “In Brotherhood” was amongst the most infamous. But when did the “brotherhood” die? 

Michael Silver of The NFL Network spoke with a former Falcons player to pinpoint the answer to that question, and here’s what he learned.

“The brotherhood died after that Eagles playoff defeat, wasn’t the same after that. Got cold in the building, it was time for a change. The message was falling on deaf ears.”

The Falcons followed up their 2016 Super Bowl season with a hot 4-1 start to 2017. However, they quickly flatlined and finished the season on a 6-5 run. They did manage to upset the reinvented Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card Round but ended up falling one play short to the eventual Super Bowl champs the following week.

That Divisional Round loss to the Eagles was also the last time the Falcons had a record above .500. In 2018 and 2019, Atlanta started out 1-4. And of course, they are now 0-5, which led to the dismissal of Dan Quinn and Thomas Dimitroff earlier this week. 

The player who Silver spoke to is unknown; however, it could be many upset former Falcons that were let go, ranging from Vic Beasley, Devonta Freeman, etc. The respect Quinn had amongst his players is largely what bought him the 2020 season. They fought hard in the final half of 2019, finishing 6-2, even publicly stating they were playing hard for Quinn’s job. However, as we now know, that momentum was not carried across seasons. 

I wouldn’t go as far as to say Quinn lost the locker room. This seems more like a potentially disgruntled former player lashing out. We’ve seen multiple guys on the current team post their respects to Quinn and Dimitroff on their way out. Although, it is fair to say that the former regime’s message was no longer getting through to the players, leading to a dreadful result each Sunday. 

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