One of the reasons the Atlanta Falcons did not live up to their potential in recent years is their coaching staff just didn't set them up for success often enough.
Former head coach Raheem Morris gets a lot of the blame appropriately but the worst decisions were usually from offensive coordinator Zac Robinson, who's now working as OC for the division rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers
and is apparently not off to a great start.New head coach Kevin Stefanski represents a major change of tone from Morris, and new offensive coordinator Tommy Rees is planning for a big departure from how Robinson ran things.
In a new feature for ESPN, Falcons reporter Marc Raimondi broke down what Rees plans to do on offense this season.
"Robinson's offense featured the pistol
formation more than any other team in the NFL. This season, Rees has said Atlanta quarterbacks will work much more often under center and the play-action passing game will be showcased. The Falcons also plan to run more of a gap scheme in the rushing game rather than wide zone, which is what running back Bijan Robinson has the most experience in."
The under-center action should be a better fit for both Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix, either of whom could end up starting anywhere between two and 17 games this season, depending on how things go.
Bijan Robinson is going to get his yards and his fantasy points no matter what the system is - the real x-factor will be how much Rees can maximize the talents of guys like Kyle Pitts, Drake London and the rest of an unproven Falcons wide receiver room.
Rees' first test will be a significant one - Pittsburgh's vaunted pass rush could cause all kinds of problems for what Atlanta wants to run.
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: What will Falcons offense look like under OC Tommy Rees?
