Some mystery surrounds new Falcons defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen. After all, he worked behind the scenes in New Orleans since 2017. As a co-defensive coordinator last year, he never called plays. All that was truly known to outsiders was that he trained one of the NFL’s most ferocious defensive lines.
One more thing that’s not a mystery: He can command a room. Nielsen was charismatic and assertive in his introductory press conference Monday, assuring Falcons faithful these days of a feeble pass rush will soon end.
The Falcons have no greater questions than their defensive front. They hired Nielsen to lead their defense because he’s proven himself as a developer and pass-rush maestro. With the NFC South wide open, even modest defensive improvement could vault the Falcons (7-10) into the playoffs.
