Shanahan must step-it-up in the red zone

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FLOWERY BRANCH – The Falcons, under offensive coordinators Mike Mularkey and Dirk Koetter, on average were ranked 7.1 spots higher in red zone scoring percentage (touchdowns only) than offenses directed by new offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan over the past seven seasons.

Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan. (By D. Orlando Ledbetter/Dledbetter@ajc.com)

Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter

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Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter

Shanahan’s units have consistently struggled in the red zone.

In five of his seven years as a coordinator, Shanahan's units finished in the lower half of the league in red zone percentage with rankings of 26th, 12th, 19th, 29th, fourth, tied for 20th and 24th.

Over the same period, the Falcons were 14th, 15th, seventh and 13th under Mularkey. They were eighth, 22nd and fifth under Koetter.

Here’s what Shanahan had to say when asked about his red zone numbers.

“You want to get your best players involved down there,” Shanahan said. “It’s changed with every team. I don’t know all of my numbers or what they’ve been in the red zone over the years. I’m sure that we’ve had good ones . . . but it depends on your team. You always like to run the ball, that makes it a lot easier down there. But it’s also hard to run the ball because it gets tight.

“When that happens you need good quarterback play. You need big targets. But there are lots of different ways to be good in the red zone. Being a coordinator for seven years, I feel that I’ve been good in every aspect. But, I’ve also had years where I’ve been bad at it, too. In those bad years, you learn a lot.

“That’s what we do now. You study it. . . . With the players that you have, you have to find ways to make them successful. If you don’t, you usually don’t last there too long.”

ATLANTA’S RED ZONE NUMBERS 2008-14

Yr   -- Rank --   Percentage   -- Coordinator

08 – 14TH – 55.36 -- Mularkey

09 – 15th – 51.79 t -- Mularkey

10 – 7th -- 60.34  – Mularkey

11 – 13th – 52.54 -- Mularkey

12 – 8th – 58.77  – Koetter

13 – 22nd – 51.92  – Koetter

14 – 5th – 61.36  – Koetter

SHANAHAN’S RED ZONE NUMBERS 2008-14

Year -- Rank -- Percentage --- Team

08 –    26th – 45.90  – Houston

09 –    12th – 52.38  – Houston

10 –    19th – 51.16  – Washington

11 –     29th – 41.18  – Washington

12 –      4th – 60.38  – Washington

13 –    20th (tied) – 52 – Washington

14 –    24th – 48.99  – Cleveland

SOURCE: NFL Game Statistics and Information Systems

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