Rex Ryan a great fit for Atlanta Falcons on paper

The Atlanta Falcons missed out on the playoffs, rounding out an incredibly disappointing season with a 6-10 record, and back-to-back disappointing seasons and plenty of clock management blunders spelled the end of Mike Smith‘s time in the Georgia Dome. Although the Falcons did some nice things with Smith at the helm, his consistent mis-management of the clock and two straight disappointing years ensured that a frustrated Arthur Blank would make the axe.

Thomas Dimitroff has a great reputation in this league, and even though he deserves plenty of blame for the Falcons lack of success on defense, we later learned that Smith and Mike Nolan were responsible for the decision to go after big defensive linemen instead of talented pass rushers (since, you know, that’s what the Falcons actually needed).

According to the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Falcons will interview former New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan, who was also the victim of losing seasons and a lack of talent on the defensive side of the ball caused by terrible work from his GMs. Rapoport notes that Blank was a huge fan of Ryan’s back when they interviewed him before they ultimately hired Smith, and it appears that this could make him the leading candidate for the job. Ryan took two underwhelming Jets squads to the AFC Championship game after creating some amazing defenses, and he somehow guided the Jets to a respectable record last year despite a huge lack of talent on either side of the ball and a turnover-prone rookie quarterback.

Hiring Ryan won’t come cheap, of course, since it’s either the booth or a great head coaching situation for Ryan, but money shouldn’t be an issue when it comes to bringing on the best possible coach. It’s too hard to tell whether or not Ryan is the best option for the Falcons, but, on paper, it looks like he would be an excellent hire for this team. The expectation is for this team to make the playoffs, and that leads me to believe that adding a marquee guy like Ryan would be a great policy. They already have offensive weapons in place with Matt Ryan and Julio Jones, and while it would behoove them to add another piece, the main issues with this team lie on the defensive side of the ball.

The Falcons were the worst team in the NFL against the pass last season, allowing a league-worst 7.6 net yards per pass attempt, which is more than just unacceptable. Bereft of a pass rush or a legitimate secondary, the Falcons only truly impressive player on that side of the ball is shutdown corner Desmond Trufant, who would be a terrific building block for Ryan. We’ve had two examples of how good the Jets defense can be if Ryan is able to get his hands on a top CB, and nobody can question his ability to develop defensive talent, particularly up front. With Ryan at the helm, the Falcons defensive line could develop into one of the league’s stoutest three-man fronts, and he could get the most out of high-upside Minnesota product Ra’Shede Hageman.

There’s no guarantee that the Falcons will be able to hang onto Dirk Koetter, but it’s imperative that the Falcons make sure he has a strong offensive coordinator on his side. For the first time, Ryan wouldn’t have to worry about having the right quarterback, and that could make all the difference as he moves on from the Jets.

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When the Jets hired John Idzik, they kept Ryan as a hold-over, and there was a clear power struggle between both, and that became evident when Idzik inexplicably failed to sign a legitimate corner. This also reared its head when Idzik insisted on starting Geno Smith, whose play would basically make-or-break Idzik’s tenure with the Jets (his Week 17 performance was far too late for Idzik, who made two big moves at wide receiver to try and do whatever he could to get Smith to succeed).

The Falcons already have an established GM in place in Dimitroff, and the hope is that he would be willing to work with Ryan. During the interview process, I’m sure Blank, Dimitroff, and the rest of the organization will talk things over to make sure everyone is on the same page and comfortable with the head coaching hire. Power struggles are almost impossible to predict, but this shouldn’t be a big worry for either side. Dimitroff has shown that he has the ability to be an excellent GM in this league, and I have a feeling that Ryan will do a much better job of building the defense, meaning that he’ll actually value having legitimate pass rushers instead of stocking up on big DLs like Tyson Jackson and Paul Soliai. Those are two good players, but too much of the same thing won’t help you enough.

Based on the Falcons strengths (franchise QB, talented offense) and weaknesses (entire defense), Rex Ryan makes plenty of sense for them and could very well be their best option on the head coaching market. Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Adam Gase is one of the hottest names around and is an exceptionally creative play-caller, but the Falcons don’t need an offensive genius. Ryan is also more established in this league, and the fact that he is arguably the best head coach in the game at motivating players is a huge bonus for a team that is coming off of two disappointing seasons. As long as the Falcons allow him to make the decisions on the defensive side of the ball and pair him up with a legit OC, Ryan would be a great fit for this franchise.

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