The Atlanta Falcons were roughly 16 minutes away from becoming Super Bowl champions.
Despite having a 25-point lead with just over a quarter left to play, the Falcons squandered their opportunity to hoist the Lombardi Trophy after the New England Patriots made a miraculous comeback en route to an incredible Super Bowl LI overtime victory.
Atlanta’s coaching staff has been highly criticized following the loss, as its play calling in the second half was questionable, to say the least. Shannon Sharpe took these criticisms to new heights on Wednesday with an absolutely inexplicable take.
On FOX Sports 1’s “Undisputed,” Sharpe expressed his belief that the Falcons should let go of head coach Dan Quinn, citing his late-game management as a “fireable offense.”
You can hear Sharpe’s full reasoning in the video below.
While Quinn probably will never live down his handling of the game, Sharpe’s claim is pretty ridiculous. In just his second year as Atlanta head coach, Quinn led the Falcons to an NFC South championship and, of course, a run to the Super Bowl. It’s highly doubtful that Atlanta’s front office has any inclination to part ways with Quinn, and with a very talented core of young players, expect the Falcons to be one of the better teams in the NFC for years to come.
Quinn will be one of the few mainstays on the Atlanta coaching staff, though. Former offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan has moved on to become the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers and has since been replaced with former Alabama Crimson Tide offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian. Following the Falcons’ Super Bowl collapse, the team relieved defensive coordinator Richard Smith and defensive line coach Bryan Cox of their coaching duties.
This is not the first wild claim Sharpe has made relating to NFL head coaches. He’s previously stated that New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick should not be considered for greatest coach of all time due to past cheating allegations.
Thumbnail photo via Kevin Jairaj/USA TODAY Sports Images
