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FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. – Atlanta Falcons coach Dan Quinn said Friday that "yes," he was happy with the variety in offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian's red zone playcalling despite the team going 1-for-5 in the red zone during Thursday night's 18 -12 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Falcons managed just nine points on those five red zone opportunities, with a 9-yard touchdown run by Tevin Coleman and a 21-yard field goal by Matt Bryant. Bryant missed the extra point on Coleman's red zone score.
"Quinn said Friday after watching the tape. "There's some that you could do from the 5 [yard line] to the 10. When you get back, get a little bit further, you can throw over the top of somebody still. When you're down, obviously you can not throw a defender anymore. Back line is good. Outside towards the pylon is good.
"So, we were pleased with 'where.' What we are not satisfied with is the execution of it, it's not to say it's just players, that's all of us: getting the right design, the right training. [Thursday] night is not going to define the year in the red zone. It just showed we've got plenty of work ahead of us to do. "
The Falcons made cleaning up the red zone their primary focus, but both Jones and Freeman are likely to be affected by their timing. Quinn previously expressed no regret about holding Jones and Freeman out of the preseason.
The first drive also featured the "heavy package" with three tight ends and a fullback at one point. Quinn said going with such staff was the reason why Jones was not on the field for three plays from the 1-yard line. In fact, no receivers were on the field.
Ryan missed a throw to Jones in the game's final seconds. It was a fade from an inside alignment, with Jones inside Mohamed Sanu. The goal was to free one of them up versus man-to-man coverage. Jones ran behind Sanu and got the single coverage, but Ryan's forced Jones too wide and out of bounds.
"Probably just us executing that play at the end, we've gotten to nail that," Quinn said. "We had the right [play] we. If there was a double that goes to Julio, it goes to a certain player. If there 'sa double that goes to Mohamed or stays where it was, it goes somewhere else. The read was correct in terms of where we wanted to go. We just did not execute it. That's [why] we've got work to do. "
Quinn said an open Sanu was missed on the second-down play during the final drive, when Ryan tried to hit Jones in the end zone, with Jones working out of the slot. According to ESPN Stats & Information Research, Ryan is 1-of-20 over the past two seasons, including the playoffs, when targeting Jones in the end zone. Ryan also has overthrown 12 of those 20 attempts.
The Falcons did not target Calvin Ridley, the first-round draft pick from Alabama, in the red zone versus the Eagles. They ran the ball in the red zone for 16 yards and the Coleman score.
Quinn reiterated how the zone breaks down in the opener. The Falcons return to action in Week 2 against the Carolina Panthers, a team they averaged 19.5 points against in two meetings last season.
Freeman, who banged a knee in Thursday's loss, said after the game that he was fine, and nothing changed following evaluations Friday. He is good to go for Week 2.
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