Atlanta Falcons News: Mularkey Moves On

Make that two job openings on the Atlanta Falcons coaching staff. One day after the team learned that defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder would not be back for the 2012 season, it was announced late Tuesday night that offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey has been named the new head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Mularkey, who spent the last four seasons with the Falcons, will begin his second tenure as a head coach with the Jaguars. He previously went 14-18 in two seasons as Buffalo Bills head coach.

While most would assume that the loss of Mularkey would be a huge blow for the Falcons offense, it seems like it may be just the opposite, instead serving as a blessing in disguise.

The Falcons fanbase had been growing increasingly aggravated by the conservative play-calling that was Mularkey’s calling card with the team, and a recent report by Yahoo! Sports makes it appear as though unrest in the locker room was beginning to build up between Mularkey and some of the players.

Matt Ryan did make huge progressions under Mularkey’s leadership, but this season presented a bit of a stall with the former Boston College quarterback, so maybe change is exactly what the team needs at this point.

With Mularkey now in Jacksonville, who will be the next offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons? Here are four coaches that I would recommend.

Bill Musgrave, Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator – Musgrave, who spent five seasons with the Falcons as QB Coach/Assistant Head Coach from 2006 to 2010, didn’t exactly achieve a whole lot of success in his first season with the Vikings, but a rookie quarterback and an injured starting running back sure didn’t help his cause. Musgrave and quarterback Matt Ryan seem to have developed a relationship from their time spent together, so I would expect his return to the Falcons coaching staff to be likely.

Mike Martz, former Chicago Bears offensive coordinator – Kudos to Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta-Journal Constitution for throwing Martz’s name out as a possible candidate for this position. Martz, the former coordinator of the St. Louis Rams’ “Greatest Show on Turf”, is looking for a job after his contract with the Chicago Bears expired. If the Falcons do approach Martz about the opening and he takes the job, you can pretty much count out hearing the word “conservative” about the Falcons’ play-calling.

Bob Bratkowski, Falcons QB Coach – Bratkowski has plenty of coordinating experience from his eleven years in that role with the Cincinnati Bengals, and staying in-house for this job might not be a bad idea. Is it a higher that will excite the fan base? Probably not, but will the familiarity with the players be a strength? Absolutely. Promoting Bratkowski to offensive coordinator would definitely not be the worst thing the Falcons could do in this situation.

Joe Lombardi, New Orleans Saints QB Coach – Falcons fans are anxious to see Matty Ice morph into one of the elite quarterbacks in the NFL, so why not bring in Lombardi, who besides being the grandson of one of the most famous coaches of all-time, Vince Lombardi, has also coached MVP candidate Drew Brees during his time in New Orleans. Lombardi spent the 2006 season with the Falcons as a defensive assistant, and although it might be considered a long shot, don’t rule out the possibility of him returning to Atlanta.