"Atlanta, their problem isn't just defense, it's a team thing. It's the head coach, it's the offense, defense and special teams, you all have your hands in it"
Monday 5 October 2020 15:59, UK
It's time for the Atlanta Falcons' leaders to stand up as the team looks to avoid adding to its record of second-half collapses, says former NFL coach Rob Ryan.
Head coach Dan Quinn finds himself on the hot seat after just three weeks of the new season having seen his side blow a 16-point lead in Sunday's defeat to the Chicago Bears.
The result followed on from their Week Two loss to the Dallas Cowboys, during which they had led by as many as 20 points in a stark reminder of the 25-point lead they gave up against the New England Patriots at Super Bowl LI.
"In Atlanta's case, change the game," said Ryan on Inside the Huddle - which you can listen to as a podcast in the player above. "Don't just keep playing what you're doing, it's not working. And they just come back and steamroll you in the end. Trust me I learned the hard way.
"Eli Manning got me once, in four minutes he scored two touchdowns and it was the first time in Dallas they had blown a 13-point lead and I was at the wrong end of it.
"The worst thing you can do is keep going doing the exact same thing over and over again. You have to change the momentum as a play-caller or your team is in trouble."
The Falcons went pass-heavy late in the fourth quarter as opposed to chewing down the clock by running the ball, with offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter explaining postgame he had felt they needed to score another touchdown.
Quarterback Matt Ryan did not throw his first completion in the fourth quarter until the final two minutes, before an interception ultimately decided the game in Chicago's favour.
Atlanta's 32nd-ranked defense also came in for criticism after allowing 20 straight points, though Ryan insists the issues lie all over.
"Atlanta, their problem isn't just defense, it's a team thing," he added. "It's the head coach, it's the offense, defense and special teams, you all have your hands in it.
"You can't tell me you can't run the football at the end of the game? You need to run the football to win games. If you want to see that, don't go to (Kyle) Shanahan, go watch (Bill) Belichick, they do it every week.
"They [the New England Patriots] burn the clock, they protect the lead, that's complementary football. Some teams aren't used to it. Atlanta obviously doesn't know how to do it.
"Then you get in there you see at crucial times of the game leaders step up, he shouldn't have an apple in his throat. You see that with Matt Ryan. Step up, man. Win the game."
Two alarming results on the back of two consecutive 7-9 seasons make for another test of the Falcons' togetherness, particularly with Quinn facing an uncertain future.
Ryan, who worked as Washington's inside linebackers coach in 2019, pointed to Atlanta's situation as the kind that requires the influence of the organisation's experienced figures.
"If you're worth your salt as a coach, that group is you," said Ryan. "You're all encompassing, through thick and thin you're all together. I don't think I've ever had a team of mine leave me stranded, if we go down we go down together.
"The biggest thing is you see great leaders step up. Anytime adversity hits watch the sideline, you'll see the leadership. Russell Wilson has it, Dak Prescott has it, those guys are leaders, people follow them naturally.
"As coaches, you think anytime Andy Reid has been down he panics, you think Bill Belichick panics? No. They understand momentum, they understand how to call a game to get it back in their favour. You just have to change it."
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