FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- New Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn knows how to control a room. He's also savvy enough to not come across as a control freak.
When asked Tuesday about being a first-time head coach yet having the power to control the makeup of the 53-man roster, Quinn made a point of emphasizing that general manager Thomas Dimitroff would be his right-hand guy throughout the process.
"Thomas and I are going to collaborate," Quinn said. "For he and I to be this close and connected, that was an important part for me. You know when you meet somebody right off the bat, you know you can connect? It's like, 'OK, this is my kind of guy.' So for he and I to connect in that way to talk about players -- I can't wait to get started with him and go through the whole process together."
Pressed on the topic of controlling the 53-man roster, Quinn wouldn't budge.
"We're so fortunate to be in that spot, but like I said, [Dimitroff] and I are connected on this," he said.
Quinn obviously sold the Falcons on his vision to come in and be a take-charge type of head coach. It's exactly what an organization seeking to get back to its winning ways sorely needs: a fresh, new approach.
What will that mean in relation to building the roster? Well, Quinn's recurring theme of playing fast and physical would suggest he knows exactly the type of players -- at least defensively -- he plans to target in free agency and the draft or mold from the current roster. As the Seattle Seahawks' coordinator, he was in charge of the best all-around defense in the league the past two seasons. He knows the kind of athletes who best fit what he wants to accomplish in a 4-3 defense. And Quinn plans to wear his coordinator hat on occasion.
"It starts with effort first," Quinn said of his defensive philosophy. "That's always the thing that we talk about right at the forefront of it. ... We want to be really aggressive, in terms of the way we attack the football. Past that, we want to play as fast and as physical as we can. For us to play that style, we won't have 1,000 different defenses. What we will do, it's not necessarily what we play, it's how we play it."
Turning around what was the league's worst defense last season starts up front. The Falcons, who own the eighth pick in this year's draft, have to find multiple pass-rushers to help alleviate some of the pressure on the rest of the defense. The pass rush has been neglected in recent years and has to be addressed now. Remember, Dimitroff and the Falcons opted to pursue big run-stuffers Paul Soliai and Tyson Jackson last season.
Quinn fully understands the significance of quality pass-rushers and pinpointed the traits he seeks from such players.
"Speed and length," he said. "Ultimately, as a pass-rusher, it's his ability to finish. Very rarely as a pass-rusher do you beat a guy just cleanly, and 'OK, there's the sack' or 'There's the hit on the quarterback.' The speed and the get-off, those are the things that we look for in the rushers first. But we don't necessarily just talk about rushers just as D-ends. It's defensive tackles too. And it's all four of those guys working in concert together."
Quinn preached balance on offense, which might take some adjustment for a team used to airing it out. He realizes he is inheriting a jewel at quarterback, Matt Ryan, and a game-changing receiver, Julio Jones, whom Quinn would like to remain with the Falcons long-term. It will be interesting to see, though, if Quinn seeks out a running back in the same mold as Marshawn Lynch to handle the load in offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan's scheme.
With the new power structure, Quinn has to work in concert with both Dimitroff and assistant general manager Scott Pioli, who will oversee the free agency and draft efforts and report back to Dimitroff. It would be hard to imagine Dimitroff and Pioli bringing in players Quinn would turn away. From that aspect, it indeed has to be a collaborative effort among the three.
If anything, both Dimitroff and Pioli have to put their egos aside and realize they have to do what fits Quinn's strategy. Dimitroff said Tuesday that he and former coach Mike Smith rarely, if ever, disagreed over players. Still, as somebody who grew accustomed to calling all the shots, the new setup could be a gut-wrenching challenge for Dimitroff. But he has no choice but to comply.
"Given the fact that this is Dan Quinn and the fact that he has all of his understanding of the defense and all of his understanding of how he believes he wants to build a football team, I have no problem with how this setup is at all," Dimitroff said. "I encouraged it."
If Dimitroff is indeed all-in, that's an encouraging sign as the Falcons try to rebuild a winner.