The Falcons have a not-so-great history of missing tackles. The fact that this issue has persisted despite the coaching staff’s efforts to correct it is one of my persistent frustrations with the team, though on balance I do think the team is improving.
That improvement—and the philosophical underpinnings Dan Quinn has installed, which is a focus on rugby-style tackling—may serve the team even better this year. That’s because leading with your helmet on a tackle could lead to a 15 yard penalty and, in egregious cases, an ejection from the game. It has never been more important to defenders to tackle well and with care not to become a missile.