The Atlanta Falcons may be on the lookout for ne

w coordinators a week from now Black Calvin Ridley Jersey , and a new name might need to enter the realm of possibility on the offensive side of the ball. Let’s now consider former Patriots offensive coordinator and Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis. Schefter says in the piece that Weis is expected to garner interest from the league despite several years away from football. Weis’s connections to the Falcons coaching staff coupled with the team’s expected need for a new offensive coordinator makes this an intriguing prospect. SB Nation’s Steven Godfrey made note about not being super-excited about the idea of Weis being the guy for the vacancy on Twitter, which got this writer’s wheels turning. As it turns out, Weis might actually be the most likely person for the job not named Darrell Bevell. Weis has a direct connection to Falcons head coach Dan Quinn. Quinn and Weis worked together under Will Muschamp at Florida. Weis and Quinn were both with the Gators in 2011, where the former was the OC and the latter the DC. Soon after that season, Weis went up to Kansas to be the Jayhawks’ head coach from 2012-2014, while Quinn’s path, of course, led him through Seattle to Atlanta. Muschamp said the two worked well on that staff congruently. Weis also hyped up Quinn being a head coach way back in 2014.So the two very much have a relationship with each other. That might’ve been part of what inspired the Falcons to hire Weis’ son, Charlie Weis Jr., in 2017 as an offensive assistant. The younger Weis is a highly-regarded up-and-comer around the game who inspired one of the more eye-opening stories to be told about a coach in quite some time. It involves the evaluation of Weis by NFL legend Gil Brandt (per Bleacher Report). Long story short, he compared the younger Weis to Bill Belichick. The B/R story also notes Weis Jr. came handpicked with Steve Sarkisian from Alabama, with Sark allowed to take one Bama assistant with him.So you have to think about this next quote carefully when you think of that Brandt anecdote, knowing Weis Jr. left Atlanta after the 2017 season to join Lane Kiffin at FAU as his OC. This matches how highly Quinn spoke of the former assistant last season. If Quinn really thought highly of Weis Jr., and has a natural connection with Weis from their days at Florida, perhaps Atlanta should consider a reunion. The elder Weis, of course, was the offensive coordinator of those early-00s Super Bowl-winning New England Patriots teams and a look at the Pats system back in the day shows it might not be a bad fit for what the Falcons like to do with its personnel. You know the offense well; it has been the bread and butter of Tom Brady’s career. The Patriots’ “Erhardt-Perkins offensive system,” as it’s called, might not be the worst transition for Atlanta with its personnel. New England has a similar offensive line makeup to the Falcons now; Joe Thuney, a Patriots guard, was a Falcons target in that draft class. This leads us to another Weis link to Atlanta, as he and general manager Thomas Dimitroff were both Belichick guys who would up elsewhere due to their time with the Patriots. Dimitroff offered some praise for his old coworker in 2010 when offering thoughts about the Panthers drafting Jimmy Clausen. Atlanta needs an offensive coordinator with experience, and if Weis really is interested in the gig, he might have a legitimate shot with all of his connections. Bevell is probably the odds-on favorite to land the job right now should it come available Takkarist McKinley Jersey 2019 , but what if that’s a smokescreen? Does this news of Weis being interested in returning to the pro level and the expectation that Atlanta will change out the OC spot all link to each other?Quinn might be interested in having his old Florida companion (and Dimitroff his old Pats colleague) return to run the offense, which could also, hypothetically, spark Charlie Jr. to return to Atlanta in a higher capacity (like a positional coach). The team would get its accomplished veteran mind, and Matt Ryan would work with a guy who’s worked with Brady. If Weis Jr. did come along, that would bring an exciting young offensive mind back in house. As you know, those are quite popular these days. Could dad turn the keys over to son one day?Now the caution here is, obviously, if Weis could scheme something to meet the modern demands of what NFL defenses can do. The game has drastically changed since Weis’ heyday with New England, and he’s not had an NFL offense under his control since the turn of the decade. He also struggled mightily at Kansas, though that might have more to do with it being the Kansas job, which has seen few successes over the last few years.Maybe his stop in Kansas City would be more telling? That Chiefs team he was the OC of found success running the ball and made Matt Cassel look like a decent starting quarterback. It wasn’t the best of units, but it absolutely shouldn’t be overlooked, considering the talent on the roster and the production. Not to play connect-the-dots too much, but the GM of the Chiefs at that time? Scott Pioli, current assistant GM for the Falcons and another Patriots alum. Weis was part of the Chiefs draft that saw guard Jon Asamoah taken, who later ended up with the Falcons. He also oversaw the drafting of Tony Moeaki, who was a Falcon in 2015. There’s a lot of circumstantial evidence that links Weis to Atlanta. We’re purely speculating with the connections and potential vacancy, so take all of this for what you will. It would meet exactly what the Atlanta front office typically does, though: hire people they have a working relationship with and meet exactly what the focus of the moment is. Consider the Sark hire just two years ago when the team wanted to keep the Shanny playbook intact, or when the team moved Raheem Morris, Quinn’s old companion, to offense to help the receiving group. OL coach Chris Morgan was a former Seattle guy, as was Marquand Manuel John Cominsky Atlanta Falcons Jersey , the current defensive coordinator. Dimitroff hired his old Pats colleague Pioli back in 2014 as his assistant GM, too.Veteran minds and leadership might be the soup du jour this offseason, so watch for Weis.One final note: Weis was just around the team last fall, paying a visit to see his son in action. Could this become a regular sight on Sundays next fall?Falcons vs. Saints: Takeaways and irrational reactions to the loss DWAhem.Alcohol, my only friend.Alcohol, there to the end. My family, my friends, they’ve left me again.Alcohol, alcohol, my only friend.Dave ChoateInjuries may very well cost the Falcons this season, but we’re not dead yet. I still believe the Falcons are talented enough to make the best of the rough hand they’ve been dealt, injury-wise, through the first three weeks of the season. It’s just getting harder and harder every week to thread that needle, what with the increasing number of ailments and the defense’s alarming decline minus their best players. What is clear is that the Falcons are going to have to lean heavily on their offense the rest of the way, and they’re going to need something mighty and heroic and heretofore unseen from what’s left of the defense to make it work. But they’re not dead yet. Kendall JacksonPLEASEStop pissing away Matt Ryan’s awesome performances.Cory Woodroof Atlanta will have to, once more, rely on high-power offense to win games. It’s almost kind of comical to think that, after 2017, Atlanta would once again have to resort to the good-old days of explosive offensive performances to win ball games because of a lagging defense. This time, it’s of no fault of the organization, of course. Injuries have ravaged a once-promising unit, and only a Hail Mary trade for FS Earl Thomas, the addition of a stalwart pass rusher via trade and the swift return of Deion Jones will stabilize the on-field output. You’re not even guaranteed one of those right now. If the offense ever falters, this team does not have the personnel to take down the league’s best teams. Even on a day where they score 37 points Black John Cominsky Jersey , the defense still let a loss slip through its fingers. It’s fair to be pessimistic for this team’s postseason outlook. Quite frankly, it might be wise. But stranger things have happened, and Atlanta is still, believe it or not, in a position to contend for a playoff spot if this offense keeps playing like this and if the defense can rally just enough to be mediocre. The schedule gets a bit easier after Pittsburg, too. Though, no game in the NFL is a given, nor is a season. 2018 has been unexpected in a myriad of ways. One wonders what other surprises await for the year.Carter Breazeale The offense will have to bail out the defense -- constantly. To echo Cory, this season now falls squarely onto the shoulders of the offense. I was optimistic that with the talented personnel that the Falcons possessed, the defense could blossom into a top-five unit in the league. Injuries have laid waste to that prediction, and the best we can aim for is a defensive unit that keeps games within reach. Matt Ryan and Steve Sarkisian seem to have finally developed a cohesion on offense, and there’s no better timing because if the Falcons want to remain competitive they’re going to have to score loads of points. TorgoYou can’t win if you can’t even walk.The 2016 team lost quite a few players to injury over the course of the season. But this team already has four starters - including two of last year’s Pro Bowlers - on injured reserve. I really do think the approach to preseason was a factor, in that the players didn’t have enough actual game reps to ramp up to full game endurance by the opener against the Eagles.As for this game, I first got the sinking feeling very early, when the Falcons threw a bomb and the officials missed an easy interference call. And when Will Lutz hit the upright but still got the three points, that told me that somehow, some way, this would not be our day.So the Falcons are now 1-1 in the critical division games. It’s not over yet, as the offense is looking better every week. Also, every team plays four games against division winners from the prior season, and we already have two of those games out of the way. The defense needs to find some answers, but at least we have a pretty good defensive coaching staff in place to make that happen.So the season is far from over, but the team can’t withstand many more injuries on defense.