BIG GAME 2017 | COACHES
Quinn vs. Bill Belichick
T
he Super Bowl features a pair of superstar
quarterbacks and deep, talented offensive
talent, but coaching could be the deciding
factor in who takes home the Lombardi trophy.
Atlanta’s Dan Quinn and New
England’s Bill Belichick have traveled
different roads throughout their
career, with Quinn experiencing his
first taste of head coaching success
and Belichick entering his seventh
Super Bowl appearance as a head
coach.
Both coaches have built power-
house offenses, even though their
assistant coaching backgrounds are
on the defensive side of the ball.
Let’s take a closer look at how each
coach has reached this point in his
career and how their experience could
make the difference in Super Bowl LI.
DAN QUINN: A COACHING
UP-AND-COMER
Quinn began his NFL coaching
career in San Francisco as their
defensive quality control coach in
2001, spending six years with the
49ers, Miami Dolphins and New
York Jets. He started to gain atten-
tion with the Seattle Seahawks,
which he joined in 2009, and also as
the defensive coordinator for the
Florida Gators college football pro-
gram during the 2011 and 2012 sea-
sons.
Quinn returned to the Seahawks
in 2013 and made an immediate
impact on the Seahawks vaunted
BILL BELICHICK:
defense. According to the Seahawks’
team site, the Seahawks led the
A LIVING LEGEND
Belichick has built one of the most league in fewest points allowed, few-
est yards allowed and takeaways
impressive coaching resumes across
any sport. He entered the professional with 231, 4,378, and 39, respectively,
during Quinn’s first season. They
coaching ranks with the Baltimore
Colts in 1975 before moving on to the rode this defensive momentum to a
Giants for a 12-year stint that includ- Super Bowl championship that sea-
son.
ed two Super Bowl victories with
In 2015, Quinn reached an agree-
Belichick as defensive coordinator.
Belichick then served as head coach ment to become the head coach of
of the Cleveland Browns from 1991 to the Atlanta Falcons. The team fin-
ished 8-8 in his first season, missing
1995, finishing with a 36-44 record
the playoffs, but Quinn was instru-
and making the playoffs only once.
He joined the New England Patriots mental in making major trades and
draft picks during the offseason.
in 1996 under Bill Parcells before
The results have showed. The
eventually taking over as head coach
Falcons finished 11-5 record this
in 2000. During his career in New
England, Belichick has built a reputa- season and knocked off Quinn’s for-
mer team 36-20 to advance to the
tion for consistency and excellence,
compiling only one losing season with NFC title game, where they also
dominated the Green Bay Packers to
organization — his first campaign as
reach the Super Bowl.
head coach in 2000.
KEITH ALLISON /
WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
© JACK NEWTON/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
2017 BIG GAME pg 13