The Atlanta Falcons offensive coaching staff will need to replace quarterbacks coach Bob Bratkowski in addition to onboarding new coordinator Dirk Koetter. That maligned offensive line will also come under new direction, with the team announcing the exit of line coach Paul Boudreau Tuesday.
"We would like to thank Coach Boudreau for his contributions to our team over the past four seasons, and we wish him well in his future endeavors," said Falcons head coach Mike Smith in a statement.
Boudreau was one of Smith's original Atlanta hires when he came aboard in 2008. The line had great success early on as Michael Turner broke franchise records, but had trouble in 2011 -- without key piece Harvey Dahl and with another Sam Baker injury -- at providing Matt Ryan time to operate. Turner still put up yards, but nobody really knows quite where they came from this time around. They just sort of showed up at the end of the year.
Before coming to Atlanta, Boudreau worked for the Rams, Panthers, Jaguars and so forth as offensive line coach.
His replacement will likely be a coach well-versed in blocking for counters, screens and traps, along with a solid background in building protections for shotgun sets.
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