DAN QUINN WAS fired as coach of the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons and general manager Thomas Dimitroff was also axed Sunday, hours after losing to Carolina for an 0-5 start.
The Panthers’ 23-16 road triumph proved to much for team president Rich McKay, who assumed oversight of operations until an interim coach is named as a search begins for a new top executive.
“Decisions like these are very difficult, but the previous two seasons and start to this one have been especially hard for me,” team owner Arthur Blank said in a statement.
“This is a results business and I owe it to our fans to put the best product we can on the field. We have poured every resource possible into winning and will continue to do so, but the results of late do not meet our standard or what I’ve promised our fans.”
Quinn went 43-42 over more than five seasons with the Falcons, with two playoff appearances including a trip to the Super Bowl in the 2016 campaign, where the Falcons blew a big lead and lost to New England.
The Falcons went 1-7 to start last season on the way to a 7-9 finish.
At 0-5, the Falcons share this seasons’ worst NFL record with the New York Giants and New York Jets.
Quinn becomes the second NFL coach to lose his job this season after Bill O’Brien was dismissed by Houston.
“We are moving forward and will do everything we can to help this year’s team win as many games as possible,” McKay said.
