How Did the Falcons’ Offense Go from Week 1 Disaster to One of the Best in the NFL?

Zac Robinson still remembers the ride home from Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

The date was September 8, and Robinson had to consider several ascents. Big drops in your first match aspect Atlanta Falcons‘ offensive coordinator – 18-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

“It’s been a tough journey, I can tell you that,” Robinson said. “What we left out on the field and the way I felt after that game, I knew it could have been a lot cleaner from my perspective and everything that went into it.

“Of course, you get sick from any loss you experience, but this one was especially difficult.”

However, Robinson did not continue his struggles alone.

Robinson said other coaches around the NFL often reach out, regardless of the outcome of the game. After Week 1, such conversations may be more meaningful.

Some asked questions about the process behind certain play calls. Others told Robinson he had a good plan; sticking with it and trusting the process.

There is that. As a result, Atlanta’s offense has improved.

“It feels like two years ago,” Robinson said.

***

The week after Atlanta’s loss to Pittsburgh, Robinson had more time than usual to think. The Falcons played the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football, extending an already long, question-filled week.

Robinson seized the opportunity.

He identified false rumors that could come from playing the same defense every day in training camp. He figured out which personnel packages would best suit Atlanta’s offense. He saw the talent of receiver Ray-Ray McCloud III and knew the Falcons couldn’t take him off the field. Against the Steelers, he threw a hit under center to quarterback Kirk Cousins.

McCloud’s rise is central to Robinson’s evolution. The Falcons signed veteran tight end Charlie Woerner with the vision of managing 12 personnel, including one running back and two tight ends, along with Woerner and Kyle Pitts.

Then Robinson saw McCloud catch four passes for a team-high 52 yards against the Steelers. While McCloud played 54% of the snaps in Week 1, he started to stay on the field in Week 2.

“‘Okay, how do we make Ray-Ray always a temporary threat on the field?'” Robinson said. you say. he said. “We have a quarterback who can bring that information to everybody. So that was one of the biggest takeaways. We knew we felt good about Ray-Ray and his talent.

“But once you see how he plays in that moment, you’re like, ‘Man, we can’t keep this guy off the field if we want to have all the passing threats.’ So that’s where it all started.”

Robinson and the rest of Atlanta’s staff had an idea during training camp about how the offense could evolve throughout the season. But things change quickly in the NFL, especially when games start and a new-look offense finds itself.

Adjustments occur naturally but quickly as teams learn their players, learn their personnel, and develop game plans. In some ways, the Falcons’ offense is almost indistinguishable from where it was at the end of training camp heading into the regular season.

“There’s definitely been a lot of evolution,” Robinson said. “We line things up formally; if we had said back in August, ‘Hey, this is what we’re calling this game right now or lining it up,’ people would look at you like, ‘What are you talking about?’

“So that’s part of our job as coaches to make sure we’re trying to stay ahead of the curve. And fortunately, we have smart players who can adapt and adapt on the fly.”

During training camp, the Falcons’ offense faced only their own defense. Cousins ​​said it helped them move better somewhat, but Atlanta had to play different defenses and face different looks to see what its offense should look like in various environments.

Part of this is learning how to create game plans and attack opponents. Another thing is to learn about players in game environments. Robinson had not practiced with any players on offense, which was an integral part of building chemistry in the summer.

But in a game environment, tenure cannot be duplicated. Teams are trying but it’s not the same. Robinson had to learn what receivers Drake London and Darnell Mooney did exceptionally well. He needed to understand the nuances of Cousins’ game.

But it’s also a two-way street.

“I think more than Zac improving, we as players need to better understand through experience what Zac wants us to be like and what he expects from us,” Cousins ​​said. “When we’re on mission together, I think it helps us all get on the same page.

“And he’s probably for us, but also us players can hear or just observe what we want or like for him.”

The goal is to be able to finish each other’s sentences, a sign of continuity and mastery of scheme, skill set and approach, Cousins ​​said. Cousins ​​also said “it’s been really fun to play together.”

Cousins ​​is innately familiar with the process of building relationships and building chemistry with offensive coordinators. He faced nine players during his 13-year NFL career, five of which were their first at the position.

Each of them is talented, Cousins ​​said. The challenge comes in finding the balance between being innovative and having an identity. Some just want to innovate, while others may find an identity but nothing else beyond that.

Cousins ​​said success comes when play callers have both.

“I think it starts with the question: ‘Do they have good football intelligence? Are they creative? Do they communicate well?'” Cousins ​​said. “And I think Zac has all of that.”

Robinson blends quality listening skills with direct expressions. Cousins ​​said there was little mystery about where someone stood next to Robinson.

“I think his communication with me was very solid in terms of, ‘You’ve got to do this better, or you’ve done this well,'” Cousins ​​said. “He’s very direct and open, and that’s important to me. I try to give him feedback as much as I can. ‘Hey, I like this. Can we get more of this?’

“Or, ‘Hey, I didn’t feel very comfortable there. Why was that?’ Or ‘If I’m uncomfortable with it, should we take it off?’ And that back-and-forth communication is important.”

Cousins ​​noted that there were times when his lack of comfort stemmed from his own misunderstanding, and that he learned that just because he couldn’t grasp something didn’t mean his alternative path was correct.

One such lesson taught Cousins ​​that he needed to get on the same page with his offensive coordinator and fielded questions to add to his knowledge base and help with future practices. Cousins ​​said the games work and that with consistency, good things can happen.

Cousins ​​enjoys the grind of creating this continuity together. When playing under an experienced coordinator the opportunity to build is not often available; It’s their show, and it’s up to the actors to make it happen.

But working with top-notch play callers allows for freedom and the chance to make your mark. Cousins ​​experienced a similar situation in 2015, when he was with the then-Washington Redskins and watched current Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay take over the reins of the offense.

Not only did Cousins ​​watch McVay run the offense, he also felt like he was out of it. Now, almost a decade later, he’s seeing it happen again at Robinson, under McVay’s tutelage.

“It’s a fun deal to be a part of, especially when you feel like you have a high ceiling as a play-caller, and that definitely applies to Zac,” Cousins ​​said.

Robinson spent five years as an offensive assistant on McVay’s staff in Los Angeles, spending time primarily with quarterbacks and defenders.

Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton called Robinson a “McVay disciple” before Atlanta’s Week 12 game at Denver. The statement came in reference to the Falcons’ wide receiver rushing attack, but Cousins ​​thinks there are more similarities.

Cousins ​​said there were moments when either he or Robinson would use certain words or phrases and the other would initially know it came from McVay. But beyond the vernacular, Cousins ​​thinks Robinson shares many traits with McVay, one of the NFL’s best coaches.

“Just the football intelligence, the ability to innovate, the ability to be creative and understand how you’re trying to build things and organize, but also the ability to be innovative – I think he has both.” Cousins ​​said.

Innovation goes beyond bigger picture settings. Robinson stated that the teams had basic concepts, but they had to reach them in different ways, so they did not give any clues to the defense.

This sometimes even leads to instant changes in the flow of games. Robinson noted Atlanta’s Week 9 victory over the Dallas Cowboys; Meanwhile, Dallas was on a much different track than the Falcons expected.

So Atlanta adapted. He changed his receivers’ interceptions and approaches in the run game.

Perhaps nothing highlights evolution better than this. Robinson said it’s a matter of running his own offense first and then worrying about the scheme that awaits him.

Robinson didn’t find comfort in that until Philadelphia. He felt flashes of it against the Steelers, where the little rhythm developed, but he saw things go his way in Week 2. Atlanta’s running game has taken a step forward. He blended real passing games with screen passes. The Falcons marched 70 yards in just six plays and scored a game-winning field goal with 34 seconds left.

Robinson saw the Falcons take off from the flight back to Atlanta. By the way, he did the same thing.

Falcons running back Bijan Robinson said he saw Zac Robinson’s confidence grow a lot early in the season — even after a tough Week 4 in which the Falcons failed to score an offensive touchdown in a 26-24 victory over the New Orleans Saints.

Atlanta was still trying to find itself. Zac Robinson was still trying to fully immerse himself in his role as offensive coordinator, and the trip to Philadelphia contributed significantly to that.

But as questions grew about his offense’s abilities, Robinson never wavered.

“He never let adversity come,” Bijan Robinson said. “Whenever that happened, he always kept improving. Even in team meetings, he would sometimes say, ‘It’s me. I have to get better.’ Hearing that from him, especially at the beginning of the season, gave him a lot of respect.

“From that point on, I think we did great things offensively in both segments, rushing and passing. It was a lot of fun to play for a guy like that, and he’s very smart about the football.”

Atlanta’s offense enters Week 12 ranked No. 5 leaguewide in total offense (375.1 yards per game) and passing (250.4 yards per game). The Falcons rank 12th in offense on the ground, averaging 124.7 yards per game, and 13th in scoring, with 23.8 points per game.

Zac Robinson found balance in the unit’s collective success.

London and Mooney are the only teammates in the league to throw for over 600 yards each. McCloud has already reached a career-high with 335 receiving yards this season. Pitts matched his touchdown performance from last season, averaging over nine yards per play. Bijan Robinson has five consecutive games over 100 rushing yards, the longest streak in the NFL.

The Falcons have a lot of quarterbacks, and not only do they have a veteran quarterback who can maximize each of them, but they also have an offensive coordinator with a brilliant mind built on evolution.

And by all accounts, after an uninspiring Week 1, Atlanta’s offense is stepping up to the level it promised.

“Everybody just wants to win,” Zac Robinson said. “When you have a group of unselfish guys who are willing to do whatever it takes, and they’re smart, they’re strong, they love it, good things can happen. That’s exactly what these guys have.”