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Rumors of who will join the Falcons’ new coaching staff are heard here shortly after Arthur Smith has been hired, meaning he will likely move quickly to fill his staff. Yesterday insider Adam Caplan told us that Chicago Bears passing coordinator Dave Ragone could be the offensive coordinator under Smith, and today we’re hearing something new for the defensive side of the ball.
Where Ragone is a relatively unproven coach who will hopefully fit in well with Smith, the guy the Falcons could bring on board for a defensive role is a living legend. That would be Dean Pees, the longtime defensive coordinator of the Patriots, Ravens and Titans.
Keep hearing that longtime NFL defensive coordinator Dean Pees, who retired but coached with Arthur Smith in Tennessee, will join Smith’s new staff in Atlanta in some capacity.
– Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) January 16, 2021
With Rapoport moving this forward as well, I’m ready to stop talking about rumors and start calling it a report. There are still qualifying here, but it looks like it can happen, and it’s exciting.
The move would fit, as Pees and Smith overlapped in Tennessee, Pees would consider a return to the sidelines and he could take his son Matt Pees to the Falcons. Young Pees is a high school coach who spent two years as a defensive quality control coach with the Titans, and I’m sure Elder Pees would like to prepare him for a bigger role in the NFL.
Dean Pees would be a great asset to the Falcons, either as a defensive assistant to someone Smith knows well (possibly Green Bay Packers defensive back coach Jerry Gray, a longtime defensive coordinator who gave Smith his Washington debut) or as a defensive coordinator himself. . As I noted in my roundup of potential candidates yesterday, Pees-led defenses have 7 top 10 rankings in footage and 8 top 10 in points awarded over his 12 years as a defensive coordinator, and he did so with three separate tusks. As our own Kevin Knight wrote, his defense was also excellent in Tennessee.
As it seems more and more likely #Titans DC Dean Pees will join the #Falcons, here are the statistics of his last two years in TEN:
2018: 3rd in score, 8th on yards, 10th on 3rd bet, 2nd RZ
2019: 12th in score, 21st in yards, 8th 3rd down, 31st RZ– Kevin Knight (@FalcoholicKevin) January 16, 2021
The main gripe about Pees – disturbing in light of this franchise’s history – is that they tended to wear out badly late in games and give way, especially with Baltimore. It goes without saying that this will be something that needs to change in Atlanta, given that most of our hearts are hanging by a thread.
Pees is my go-to candidate for the job unless the Falcons can force Wade Phillips out of retirement, my only concern being that Pees may again choose to retire in a year or two. His track record suggests he would be able to do positive things with this Falcons defense regardless of his role, although they obviously need more talent to move forward. We will keep an eye on this report and hope it turns out to be true.
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