LISTEN: Dean's Defense - How Are Falcons Changing?

Out of the NFL's 32 teams, 13 of them are entering the season under a new defensive coordinator.

One of those teams is the Atlanta Falcons with former Tennessee Titans defensive coordinator Dean Pees coming out of retirement to join new head coach Arthur Smith's staff.

Smith, a first-time head coach, worked with Pees for two years in Tennessee.

During his tenure in Tennessee, Pees coached a top 10 defense in 2018, but the unit slipped into the bottom third of the league in 2019.

With cornerstones already in place in Grady Jarrett and Deion Jones, Pees has some pieces to the puzzle already in place. It's his job to maneuver the remaining pieces into a stronger defense for Atlanta, who had a bottom five defense in the league in 2020.

On this episode of "Locked On Falcons," host Aaron Freeman breaks down what schematic changes Pees has implemented so far in the preseason.

He breaks down the different coverage shells and fronts that Pees has instituted so far this preseason and how much that differs from the defense we saw under Dan Quinn and Raheem Morris.

Then, Aaron is joined by "Locked On Giants" host Patricia Traina to talk about the major storylines involving the New York Giants this season, including if Daniel Jones is poised for a break-out year, whether the Giants offensive line will stagnate the offense and how the team will generate a pass rush.

Aaron deals with all that and more on this episode of "Locked On Falcons." For more podcasts and information, join us here.

CONTINUE READING: Arthur Smith Reveals Plan for Rookie Linemen