Adam Gase, Josh McDaniels, Todd Bowles, Rex Ryan, Teryl Austin, among others were preferred, in fact this article of head coach candidates for the Atlanta Falcons listed Dan Quinn as a bad fit for the Falcons.
Dan Quinn has led the Falcons to a respectable 36-28 record, their second ever Super Bowl appearance, and has never finished below 3rd in the NFC South. Meanwhile, Gase fizzled out in the head coaching gig he got, and is now in New York with the Jets.
Todd Bowles’ opportunity with the Jets didn’t work out and he’s now in Tampa Bay as a defensive coordinator, Rex Ryan lasted one year in Buffalo as a head coach, Josh McDaniels seem’s like the heir to the throne in New England, and Teryl Austin never became a head coach.