By: TJ Hartnett

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

There are really only two things that a fanbase can discuss at the water cooler when their pro football team is having a miserable season: potential upcoming draft picks and whether or not the coach should be able to keep his job.

That’s been the hot topic since it became clear that the Falcons weren’t going to turn their abysmal start into anything noteworthy: should Dan Quinn be fired?

The answer seems to have complicated itself as the Atlanta Falcons have managed to win back-to-back games again, bringing their win total over the past six games up to four (and, consequently, their draft pick slot number is rising). The main hole of the season and, really, of the last several years has been the defense.

They’ve seemingly righted their ship, helping Atlanta score road wins against the two best teams in the NFC in the Saints and the 49ers.

Maybe the players realized that they’d be subjected to a new head coach and coaching staff if they continued to tank for the rest of the season. Quinn has surely been on the hot seat for more than just this past season: his track record post-Super Bowl has been quite a disappointment.

This season may have just been the peak of how bad things could get for the Falcons.

The start of the season saw Matt Ryan get decimated and then culminated in a blocked punt, of all things.

Since then it’s been a parade of sloppy play and stupid penalties and post-game interviews about their rough start.

All of a sudden, the Atlanta Falcons, who have Ryan and Julio Jones and a host of other incredibly talented footballs players, were 1-7 to start the 2019 season. The team knew they weren’t making the playoffs before turkey was served at the end of November.

Is that Dan Quinn’s fault? The beginning of the season saw the both of Atlanta’s first round draft picks go down with injuries and after the defense coordination was reshuffled, they began to play at a significantly higher level.

Offensive coordinator, Dirk Koetter and his ineffective and sterile offense can be fixed; and it’s clear enough that the Falcons roster likes playing for their current regime.

Is that enough to justify keeping Quinn around for at least another year – another attempt to recapture that 2017 glory?

The thing is even with the cold start and the hot streak over the past six weeks, things haven’t looked all that different from the previous years of Quinn running the show and calling the shots.

The Falcons have always been streaky under him, dating back to his first season at the helm. The team started off hot as hell (going 4-0 to begin the campaign) but went 4-8 the rest of the way to finish at .500 in 2015.

Even their Super Bowl season in 2016 was streaky. The Falcons didn’t see a win streak longer than 4 games at any point (playoffs, obviously, excluded).

So, while wining 4 out of the last 6 may seem to indicate that things have turned around for the Falcons, it’s really more indicative of the same old, same old and that hasn’t gotten winning results lately.

Dan Quinn and Falcons had to have come into this season knowing that Quinn’s job was on the line.

Frankly, it’s a miracle he wasn’t fired midseason, after that dreadful 1-7 start. But just because he wasn’t doesn’t mean that a chance won’t be made once the season wraps up here shortly. And despite his successes and his reputation in the locker room – maybe it’s time.