After a historic choke job in the Super Bowl, Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn must have really needed a drinking buddy. How else to explain tapping former USC head coach and Alabama offensive coordinator for all of one game (also a championship loss), Steve Sarkisian as his new offensive coordinator?
Sarkisian replaces Kyle Shanahan who was named the new San Francisco 49ers head coach Monday.
The #Falcons and #Bama OC Steve Sarkisian are finalizing a deal, sources said. So this is happening. They had talked earlier this winter
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 7, 2017
Sarkisian is now handed the keys to the most prolific offense in the NFL and just like any other time an alcoholic is handed the keys to anything, only good things can happen.
Sarkisian, of course, has been a head coach before, spending 2009-2013 at Washington then 2014-2015 at USC. His offensive coordinator resume is a little shorter. He was Pete Carroll’s offensive coordinator at USC from 2007-2008, but he’s he called plays in only one game since and that was a 35-31 loss to Clemson in the NCAA National Championship game. He was an “offensive analyst” for the Crimson Tide last season, whatever that means.
His last NFL job was in 2004 as quarterbacks coach with the Oakland Raiders.
Sarkisian was famously fired from USC after showing up to a football event drunk and then followed that up with a tipsied appearance at a USC practice. There was also an accusation that he was drunk during a game against Arizona State. All of this was after a nice little history of recurrent drunken incidents at Washington.
So, Falcons. Maybe you want to hide the keys to the liquor cabinets. And the NyQuill. And hairspray. Mouthwash. Etc.
Sarkisian spent some time in rehab and has fallen upward ever since, which just shows professional coaches, when they reach a certain level, are harder to get rid of than herpes.
Sarkisian will have a full cupboard to work with in Atlanta and anything else than continuing their record-setting performance from 2016 will be a disappointment. And the one thing a recovering alcoholic needs in his life is that kind of pressure.
Los Angeles Rams fill out coaching staff
The San Francisco 49ers weren’t the only team waiting for the results of Super Bowl LI before adding a coach, the Los Angeles Rams are expected to add Atlanta Falcons quarterbacks coach Matt LaFleur as their offensive coordinator. LaFleur and new Rams head coach Sean McVay worked together with the Washington Redskins from 2010-2013.
McVay has already stated he’ll be calling the plays for the Rams, so LeFleur’s job on gameday will be as an adviser and strategist. With the addition of LaFleur and McVay, the Rams have added two pieces of two of 2016’s best offenses.
On defense, the Rams are expected to add Chris Shula, grandson of Hall of Fame Miami Dolphins head coach Don Shula. Shula was the defensive quality control coach for the San Diego Chargers for the last two years.
Source tells @sn_nfl that Chris Shula – @DonShula grandson – hired to @RamsNFL staff (likely defense). College teammate of new HC Sean McVay
— Alex Marvez (@alexmarvez) January 28, 2017
Shula has spent most of his career on the defensive side of the ball. He’s previously been the defensive coordinator at John Carroll University, linebackers coach at Ball State and defensive backs coach at Indiana. Shula and McVay were college teammates at Miami of Ohio.
Tom Brady’s Super Bowl LI jersey still AWOL
In the aftermath of a historic comeback that cemented his legacy as the greatest NFL quarterback of all time, Tom Brady dis suffer a little heartbreak. His Super Bowl LI game jersey was stolen. It has now become a Texas-wide crisis with lieutenant governor Dan Patrick sicking the Houston Police Department and the Texas Rangers (not the baseball team) on the culprit’s trail.
Still missing: One legendary #SB51 jersey
Please contact Tom Brady with any relevant info: https://t.co/e15TfHIpSu pic.twitter.com/tFqrguiCLO
— NFL (@NFL) February 7, 2017
“In Texas we place a very high value on hospitality and football. Tom Brady’s jersey has great historical value and is already being called ‘the most valuable NFL collectible ever.’ It will likely go into the Hall of Fame one day,” Patrick said in a statement. “”It is important that history does not record that it was stolen in Texas. I’ve called Colonel Steve McCraw to ask that the Texas Rangers work with the Houston Police Department on this case. …I don’t want anything to mar that victory. Whoever took this jersey should turn it in. The Texas Rangers are on the trail.”
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