That’s why he took this job over others. He learned during the interview process that he and head coach Arthur Smith are liked minded, that they want to play football the same way.
“Our philosophies are very similar in terms of game planning and how we want our players to play and things like that,” Nielsen said. “That was intriguing. There are a couple of other coaches on staff that I had worked with before that we along the same lines. You want to align yourself with people who have similar philosophies and the direction we’re going here in Atlanta is the right direction. I firmly believe it. I’ve seen how hard the guys play up close. It’s something that I wanted to be a part of.”
Nielsen faced Arthur Smith and his offense a few times when he was in New Orleans as defensive line coach and co-defensive coordinator and has great respect for the scheme and how it’s run. Nielsen had kind words for quarterback Desmond Ridder, who he called an “up-and-comer.” His highest praise, however, was reserved for the ground game and the Falcons front.
“They can run the ball. That’s the biggest thing,” Nielsen said. “When they line up, get under center and the defensive knows they’re going to run and still can’t stop it. That can happen around here, and it does. That’s exciting.”
Nielsen said he wants the Falcons defense to play fast, smart and tough. There’s another layer, however, that matters most.
He wants to the Falcons defense to execute well in all environments, to be fundamentally sound and tough at the point of attack. Defensive philosophy can only take you so far. A play only works if it’s executed well.
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