Atlanta Falcons fire head coach Dan Quinn, GM Thomas Dimitroff, name interim replacement

ATLANTA — Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn and Thomas Dimitroff, the team’s general manager, were fired Sunday following the franchise’s first 0-5 start since 1997.

Arthur Blank, Atlanta Falcons owner and chairman, announced the leadership changes following the team’s Sunday loss to the Carolina Panthers.

Quinn, 50, took the reins in Atlanta in 2015, leading the team to a 5-0 start and becoming the franchise’s first coach to begin his career with five straight wins. He joined the Falcons following a two-year stint as the Seattle Seahawks' defensive coordinator, during which time he helped guide them to back-to-back Super Bowl appearances, WSB-TV reported.

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Meanwhile, Dimitroff has served as general manager for the Falcons since 2008.

Quinn coached the Falcons to the 2017 Super Bowl, where they lost in heartbreaking fashion in overtime 34-28 after leading 28-3 at one point. He leaves the Falcons with a 43-42 record, ESPN reported.

When asked after Sunday’s loss if he would understand Blank’s decision to make a change, Quinn told the sports news network, “It’s the furthest thing from my mind.”

“It’s his job to evaluate; for me, it’s coaching,” Quinn said. “And I’ll work as hard as I can to align our team to play like we’re capable of playing.”

The Falcons announced Monday morning that Raheem Morris will serve as the interim head coach.

Morris joined the Falcons in 2015 and served as assistant head coach until 2019. He has also served as a wide receivers coach, a defensive backs coach and most recently, a defensive coordinator for the Atlanta team.

Morris, 44, began his coaching career in 1999 at Cornell University. He has worked with defensive teams at Hofstra University and Kansas State University as well as for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Washington Redskins. The Buccaneers became Super Bowl champions in 2003 while Morris was a defensive assistant.

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Brianna Chambers contributed to this report.


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