The Atlanta Falcons, shaking loose the cobwebs of a most dreadful Super Bowl hangover, are set to replace offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan — hired as 49ers head coach despite his turn as fourth-quarter play-calling goat — with Steve Sarkisian.
It culminates a remarkable 16-month roller-coaster trajectory for the 42-year-old Sarkisian, from NCAA hotshot to alcohol rock bottom to Nick Saban reclamation project to shepherd of the NFL’s top offense.
Falcons coach Dan Quinn said he’s had his eye on Sarkisian since last spring. The two have known each other since Sarkisian coached at Washington and Quinn was Seattle’s defensive coordinator. Sarkisian stopped by Atlanta last year to check out the Falcons’ offseason workouts and training camp.
Sarkisian, who has only one year of pro experience, inherits the NFL’s highest-scoring attack with reigning MVP quarterback Matt Ryan and electrifying wide receiver Julio Jones.
“We love the way we attack,” Quinn said. “It took a lot of work to put that system in place. We have a real emphasis on the personnel and how we can feature the guys in that system. So it’s very important that we stay consistent with that.”
Sarkisian was the subject of a scandal that rocked the college football world in October 2015, when he was fired as head coach at USC following a series of appearances in which he appeared drunk and disoriented. His alcohol use had been questioned for years.
In announcing Sarkisian’s firing, USC athletic director Pat Haden said, “Through all of this we remain concerned for Steve and hope that it will give him the opportunity to focus on his personal well being.” Sarkisian announced he would be getting unspecified treatment, but said he didn’t believe he had a drinking problem.
“We went through the process, obviously, to check and make sure everything would align with our organization, in terms of cultures and values,” Quinn said. “He’s done a fantastic job. There were zero hesitations, zero limitations.”
Sarkisian was recruited to Saban’s Alabama staff for the 2016 season as an “offensive analyst” then was unexpectedly thrust into the spotlight when he replaced Lane Kiffin as the play-caller on the eve of the national title game. Sarkisian oversaw a brilliant go-ahead drive by the Crimson Tide in the closing minutes — including a fourth-down conversion and a wide receiver pass — before Alabama lost a heart-breaker to Clemson, 35-31. So the Falcons are set to replace one engineer of championship-game agony with another.
SB Nation reported the relationship between Saban and Sarkisian had frayed after the season amid questions of offensive philosophy.
“This is something I approached Nick about first, before I reached out to Sark. He said, ‘Yeah, I understand what you have to do for your organization,'” Quinn said. “In typical Nick fashion, he nailed it like a complete pro. I’m fortunate we have that good of a relationship.”
With AP