Atlanta Falcons Hire Alabama's Steve Sarkisian as Offensive Coordinator

ATLANTA, GA -- The Atlanta Falcons have hired Alabama's Steve Sarkisian to become the NFL teams' offensive coordinator, the squad announced Tuesday. For more on the Falcons, subscribe to the Atlanta Patch. Or find your local Atlanta Patch.

Sarkisian replaces Kyle Shanahan, who guided quarterback Matt Ryan to new heights this past season, including league MVP. Shanahan was named the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers on Monday.

The Falcons said on Twitter that the team "agreed with Steve Sarkisian to become Atlanta’s offensive coordinator." No contract details have been released as of yet.

The move comes days after the Falcons offense was held to seven points in the second half of Super Bowl, which they led 28-3 at one point. The move is also surprising for Alabama followers. Lane Kiffin recently bolted from the SEC champion to take the head coaching job at Florida Atlantic University.

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Sports insiders said that Sarkisian was familiar with the Falcons -- and vice versa.

"Former Alabama and new Falcons OC Steve Sarkisian knows Dan Quinn, visited him at training camp, and spent time with him during hiatus," NFL insider Adam Schefter said on Twitter.

Ryan enjoyed his best statistical season under Shanahan this past season, leading the league in all the quarterback categories that mattered, from yards-per-attempt to completion percentage. Ryan finished the season with 38 touchdwons and 4,944 yards through the air vs. seven interceptions.

Sarkisian's previous stints included quarterbacks coach for the Oakland Raiders and USC. He was head coach of the Washington Huskies.

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