On October 11, 2020, the Atlanta Falcon’s fired Dan Quinn after losing their fifth straight game. This occurred after their 23-16 loss to the Carolina Panthers. The Falcons also released General Manager Thomas Dimitroff. For the time being, they have named their defensive coordinator, Raheem Morris, their interim coach, along with assistant head coach/linebackers coach Jeff Ulbrich, who was to assume coaching responsibilities if Quinn contracted COVID-19. After Sunday’s loss, Quinn was asked if he would understand if Arthur Blank, owner of the Atlanta Falcons, made changes. Quinn responded saying, “It’s the farthest thing from my mind.”
Quinn had been the head coach since 2015. While his team led the New England Patriots 28-3 in the third quarter before falling 34-28 in overtime. Their comeback remains the largest in Super Bowl history with 25 points. After that, Atlanta finished 7-9 in 2018 and 2019. They also failed to reach the playoffs in both seasons. This season the Falcons were one of three NFL teams without a win.
However, the Falcons were not the only team to fire their head coach to salvage their season. Quinn joined Bill O’Brien of the Houston Texans. The Texans were 0-4 when they fired O’Brien, who doubled as head coach and general manager.
General Manager, Thomas Dimitroff, was also fired because of the losses. Dimitroff also had draft failures as well. As for right now, Rich McKay is taking over for Dimitroff as an interim general manager. Dimitroff is the greatest general manager in team history, the man who brought in Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, Jake Matthews, and Grady Jarrett.