Tag: Dean Pees

Dean Pees must see Isaiah Oliver at full speed before determining role

#Falcons DC Dean Pees said he needs to see Isaiah Oliver play at full speed before determining what his role will be this season.

The Atlanta Falcons appeared to make it through the first four weeks of the season without any major injuries, but then the team placed running back Cordarrelle Patterson on injured reserve Monday.

While Patterson’s loss is a big one for Atlanta, the team got some good injury news on Wednesday. Cornerback Isaiah Oliver, who was placed on injured reserve prior to the start of the season, was back at practice and has been designated to return.

Oliver has a 21-day practice window in which he can be activated by the Falcons. Defensive coordinator Dean Pees said he wants to see Oliver play at full speed before determining what the former second-round pick’s role will be this season, per ESPN’s Michael Rothstein.

Oliver entered the league in 2018 but had little success over his first three seasons under former head coach Dan Quinn.

When Pees took over the defense in 2021, Oliver flourished as the team’s starting nickel corner until tearing his ACL in Week 4.  The Falcons were encouraged by what they saw, and brought Oliver back on a one-year deal in 2022.

It will be interesting to see if or when Oliver reclaims his job. Thus far, Atlanta has had some success with Dee Alford and Mike Ford playing in the slot.

Buccaneers WR Russell Gage will see his former team on Sunday when Atlanta travels to Tampa Bay. Gage talked about going up against Pees in Week 5, saying he expects the Falcons to mix up coverages, per D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The Falcons could be without a key offensive player on Sunday as tight end Kyle Pitts doesn’t appear to be at practice for a second consecutive day.

The team listed Pitts out with a hamstring injury on Wednesday, and according to multiple Falcons beat reporters, Pitts is nowhere to be seen thus far at Thursday’s practice.

Make sure to check our Week 5 injury report for Pitts’ official Thursday status.

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Falcons’ Dean Pees: ‘I don’t know why’ Titans let Rashaan Evans walk

Falcons DC Dean Pees isn’t sure why the Titans let Rashaan Evans walk, but he’s happy they did.

When the Tennessee Titans declined to pick up the fifth-year option of their 2018 first-round pick, Rashaan Evans, the writing was on the wall that he wasn’t long for Nashville.

The decision came after two very different seasons for Evans. In 2019, he looked to be on the rise as one of the better young linebackers in the NFL. However, Evans was very disappointing in 2020 and took a step back.

In a make-or-break year in 2021, not only did Evans not perform, he was also surpassed on the depth chart, as both he and his former starting mate, Jayon Brown, lost their roles to David Long and Zach Cunningham.

Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Dean Pees, who oversaw Tennessee’s defense in 2019 when Evans was on the come up, was surprised the Titans allowed Evans to leave in free agency, but is glad they did.

“I don’t know why Tennessee let [Evans] go and quite frankly I don’t care, but I’m glad they did,” Pees said, via Maria Martin of 11AliveNews.

Some might take this as a shot at the Titans, but what did you expect Pees to say? That Evans was a first-round bust who didn’t deserve to remain in the two-tone blue?

Nevertheless, we would point Pees to the second and third paragraphs of this article for an explanation.

Pees saw a very different version of Evans in 2019 than the one we saw in the year after he “retired” from coaching. Perhaps a reunion with Pees is exactly what Evans needs to reignite his career.

Whatever the case may be, whether it’s because of his lackluster play and/or the Titans having better options, Tennessee was fully justified in not keeping Evans around for the long haul.

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Falcons players fired up over Dean Pees’ comments

Dean Pees is beloved by his players, and their response to his latest comments about entitlement in the coaching ranks is more proof.

Falcons defensive coordinator Dean Pees is beloved by his players, and their response to his latest comments about entitlement in the coaching ranks is more proof of this.

On Thursday, Pees talked about his belief that coaches who lack experience tend to overlook certain aspects of the job, such as communication and humility.

After the team shared his press conference on Twitter, a few Falcons, including Cordarrelle Patterson and Lee Smith, praised the old-school approach of Pees.

Falcons recap: Dean Pees discusses entitled young coaches

One of the first things Arthur Smith did after landing the Falcons head-coaching gig was convince Dean Pees to come out of retirement.

One of the first things Arthur Smith did after landing the Falcons head-coaching gig was convince Dean Pees to come out of retirement and be his defensive coordinator.

Listening to Pees speak, it’s easy to see why players respond to him. He has a no-nonsense approach, a wealth of experience, and he can relate to his players on a human level. That third trait is something Pees takes pride in, and it’s something that he developed by coaching and teaching at all different levels.

In today’s recap, we listen to Pees give some good life advice, rookie tight end Kyle Pitts returns to practice, and Matt Ryan has a chance to make history.

Falcons coach says young NFL players ‘should aspire to be like’ this former Tiger

Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Dean Pees is a big fan of Grady Jarrett and had plenty of praise for the veteran Falcons defensive lineman while speaking to the media this week. Not only is Pees impressed by what Jarrett does on the field, but …

Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Dean Pees is a big fan of Grady Jarrett and had plenty of praise for the veteran Falcons defensive lineman while speaking to the media this week.

Not only is Pees impressed by what Jarrett does on the field, but also by the former Clemson standout’s work ethic and the type of person he is off the field.

“Everybody knows he’s a good player. He’s an active player,” Pees said. “But all really good players in the league are not necessarily good practice players who go out there and practice every day, hard, and go at it. He does. Not everyone studies the heck out of the film and stuff. Sometimes they just count on their natural, raw talent. He studies. He’s a great person off the field. He is a mature man.”

Jarrett, a two-time Pro Bowler and former All-ACC player at Clemson, has played for the Falcons since being selected by the franchise in the fifth round of the 2015 NFL Draft. The seventh-year vet has played in 105 games during his NFL career thus far, accumulating 340 total tackles (54 for loss), 26.5 sacks, five forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.

Pees believes Jarrett is the model of a true professional that young defensive players in the league should strive to emulate.

“I can’t say enough great things about the guy in every aspect of his life, from my standpoint – as a football player, being around him as a person, everything about him,” Pees said. “There’s nothing I can find negative about the guy. To me, he’s what all young players at the defensive line – all young players, period, on defense – that’s what I should aspire to be like, that guy. That’s a professional football player that takes his job serious on every aspect.”

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Atlanta Falcons DC Dean Pees offers praise for Jags QB Trevor Lawrence

Pees said Lawrence is capable of making any throw.

One would think that an opposing defensive coordinator would be licking their chops against the Jacksonville Jaguars’ offense. The unit has struggled to get much going in the passing game with its depth at receiver being pushed to the limit, and the ground game hasn’t been able to pick up the slack as James Robinson has been a bit limited with heel and knee injuries in recent weeks.

But Atlanta’s Dean Pees is not looking past this offense, and there’s one reason why: rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence. It hasn’t been the best start to his NFL career, but he’s been much more efficient with the ball recently, throwing just one interception in the last five games.

Pees said Lawrence is as capable as any passer in the NFL.

“We’ve packed the paint this year against some guys who we didn’t think could throw outside,” Pees said, according to Josh Kendall of The Athletic. “I don’t know what throw this guy can’t make. All he’s lacking is experience in the NFL.”

Lawrence’s numbers don’t exactly paint the picture of a standout rookie season. He’s completing just 58% of his passes, and he’s thrown more interceptions (nine) than touchdowns (eight). But as mentioned above, he’s cut down on the turnovers quite a bit in recent weeks, and his completion numbers would be considerably better if it weren’t for dropped passes, which have been a problem this season.

He’s made some impressive throws this year, and it’s interesting that despite a lot of the negative noise around his season, he seems to be garnering some respect from NFL defensive coaches. Lawrence will look to find success against a Falcons passing defense that is allowing nearly 250 yards per game, and as fans witnessed earlier this season against Cincinnati, he could turn that momentum into a respectable stretch of games.

Falcons Thursday updates: Pees has defensive package for Patterson

The Atlanta Falcons have had their share of struggles this season, but after a 1-3 start, the team has won three of four to grab the last NFC playoff seed.

The Atlanta Falcons have faced their share of struggles this season, but following a 1-3 start, the team has won three of four games to grab the last NFC playoff seed ahead of Week 10. After defeating the Saints on the road in Week 9, the Falcons will try to keep it going in Dallas when they take on the 6-2 Cowboys on Sunday.

On Thursday, Atlanta resumed practice with outside linebacker Dante Fowler returning from the injured reserve list. Fowler’s presence will be needed if the Falcons are going to get pressure on Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.

Let’s take a look at the top stories coming out of Thursday’s practice.

Behind Enemy Lines: 7 questions with the Falcons Wire for Week 1

With the Eagles and Falcons set for kickoff in the season opener, we sat down with @MattUrben of @TheFalconsWire to preview Sunday afternoon’s matchup

The 2021 NFL season is upon us and as Jalen Hurts prepares to make his first Week 1 start for Philadelphia, there are several questions that’ll finally be answered.

With the Eagles and Falcons set for kickoff in the season opener, we sat down with Managing Editor, Matt Urben of The Falcons Wire for seven questions that’ll help preview Sunday afternoon’s matchup.

Philadelphia Eagles vs. Atlanta Falcons: 5 matchups to watch on offense

Eagles vs. Falcons: 5 matchups to watch on offense

The Eagles and Falcons are just hours away from kicking off the season opener for both teams at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

With both teams debuting first-year head coaches, it’ll offer an interesting dynamic of matchups on both sides of the ball.

Below we’re previewing five matchups to watch on Sunday afternoon.

Dean Pees on decision to join Arthur Smith, running multiple defense

And I wanted to work with someone I knew, totally trusted, believed in and, so I said yeah,” Pees explained about joining Arthur Smith’s staff.

It’s tough being a first-year head coach in the NFL, but it always helps to have an experienced coordinator on staff to ease the transition. Shortly after Arthur Smith was hired to lead the Atlanta Falcons, veteran defensive coordinator Dean Pees came out of retirement to join Smith’s staff.

Pees said he wasn’t actively seeking out coaching jobs again, but when Smith came to him, he was intrigued after their time together in Tennessee.

“I got a couple of calls from a couple of people that were going to interview for jobs, and I really kind of told them I wasn’t interested,” said Pees at Thursday’s press conference. “And then it was different — when talking to Art — because I knew Art. I knew what Art’s like, our relationship and I wanted to work with someone I knew, totally trusted, believed in, and so I said yeah.”

Pees was asked how the three different levels of the Falcons’ defense have performed throughout training camp.

“Well, I mean, they’re all tied in,” said Pees. “In all these things everybody’s got a job to do, and, there’s multiple stuff up front that those guys got to know and there’s multiple things in the back end. What makes it really multiple is the fact that sometimes you can do the same things in the front and change — do the same things with two or three different coverages. Then, there’s also some things where you can do a bunch of things up front different, and keep the same coverage.”

The ability to run different pressures up front without changing the look on the back end, and vice versa, will be a key factor for this defense.

“We can run two or three different pressures up front but play the same coverage,” said Pees. “Or we can run the same pressure up front and run two to three different coverages. So, that’s what really makes the thing multiple.”

Check out Pees’ full press conference, as shared by the team’s YouTube channel below.

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