When the Atlanta Falcons hired Arthur Smith to be the team’s head coach, one of the first moves he made was bringing in an experienced coordinator. Dean Pees, the former defensive coordinator of the Tennessee Titans, Baltimore Ravens and New England Patriots, brings four decades of coaching experience to the Falcons’ new staff.
On Friday, fans got their first chance to hear Pees talk since joining the team. The veteran defensive coordinator didn’t go into specifics on the current roster, but sounded encouraged by what he’s seen from the unit on film.
“I’ll tell you what I really, really like about them is — first of all — they’re young,” said Pees. “And second of all, they run and they like to hit. And those are two things you don’t really — it’s harder to coach.”
Pees said he wasn’t worried about scheme fit at the moment but loves the defense’s effort and willingness to hit.
“I don’t care about what they did scheme-wise and it’s not fair for me to compare or to even comment on what they did because I wasn’t here, I don’t know. But I know this, they can run and they can hit, and I love that.”
Check out this video clip from Pees’ press conference, as shared by the team’s Twitter account below.
RUN & HIT‼️
DC Dean Pees loves what he sees from our defense. pic.twitter.com/P9jRZyY0pI
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) January 29, 2021
