The Falcons were the league’s most prolific scoring offense last year, so the temptation is to continue doing what they’re doing.
But with offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan off to San Francisco and Steve Sarkisian replacing him, the Falcons are continuing to fiddle with the offense in hopes of improving on 33.8 points per game.
“Sark is awesome,” wide receiver Mohamed Sanu said, via D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “He’s come in and he’s adding a lot of his offense in with a mixture of the offense that we had in the past. Everything is just coming out smooth. It seems like him and [quarterback] Matt [Ryan] gel well and everybody in the offense gels well with him. I’m excited to get out on the field and see how we operate as an offense. . . .
“It’s not many different wrinkles. It’s just a piece of his system and he’s just adding it in. We are just keeping the ball rolling.”
The Falcons’ personnel on offense is static, with no major departures or arrivals. And while that’s a good thing in most regards, they know they can’t allow themselves to rest on their previous accomplishments.
“Sark is really good,” center Alex Mack said. “He’s an upbeat guy. Really positive. Great message about how there is always change and moving forward in any organization. One season is always different from the next. It’s about trying to grow from there and trying to get the most out of every day.”
That kind of upbeat message pairs well with the positivity coach Dan Quinn is trying to exude after last year’s Super Bowl collapse. The good news is that whatever the transition time is for getting used to a new coordinator, Sarkisian inherited a bunch of guys who already know each other well, and have performed.