The Falcons didn’t hire Dan Quinn just to coach. They hired him to rescue the franchise. They granted him final say over the 53-man roster. They allowed him to report directly to owner Arthur Blank. On the day he took the job, Quinn became the most powerful Falcons coach since Dan Reeves, who arrived having been a head coach in two cities and taken three teams to the Super Bowl.
By way of contrast, Quinn had never been a head coach. He was a Hot Guy, yes, having served as the ragingly successful defensive coordinator on the NFL’s best team.