During his two years in Seattle, Dan Quinn built a championship-caliber defense by keeping things simple. His goal wasn’t to throw opponents off with unexpected configurations, nor was it to install a big, complex playbook. Rather, his unit focused on mastering several basic alignments proven to be effective.
This approach is considerably different from the Falcons’ old methodology. And while many players can benefit from such a makeover, few stand to gain more than safety Charles Godfrey.
Acquired last October, Godfrey came to the Falcons after nearly seven years in Carolina. However, despite Atlanta’s struggling pass defense, the one-time Panther rarely saw the field under Mike Smith — and when he did, it was on special teams.