Yeah, I thought I was mixing names up. Tony Woods indeed it was. Tony was a guy that just wasn't living up to the hype, and Tom brought him along. Now you see guys given up on immediately it seems. Catlin was wise in that he was able to move guys around, and as you said... make changes in formations to suit his personnel. He was a great coach and a great guy.
I think Quinn has some of that Catlin-esque coaching technique in him. He's not a big talker who is yelling at the players and the refs. Like Cable... low key on the sidelines, very cerebral (which people would think Cable would be the opposite of since he has a "fiery" reputation). Cable is as cool as a cucumber on the sidelines. Catlin was too. Then you had Rusty Tillman who was a madman running around (sort of like Pete). It is good to have different personalities that can connect with different players. I think Quinn always really connected well to the DL, and it was obvious from how they performed.
I think Richard and the DB's do well, and Norton and the LBer's do well. I think we have a lot of DC quality coaches on the defensive side of the ball. I think that will be big this year.
One thing players always said about Catlin was that he was extremely thoughtful. He'd think through everything and come up with gameplans that were brilliant. He could pick tendencies out that others didn't see. I think the combo of Pete, Quinn, Richard, Norton, and everybody else on the side of the ball is going to be great. Gus was a big loss. He'll be missed for sure, but sometimes it's good to have a coach who is more reserved and plays the "thinking man" role. I've seen Quinn get fired up, but I've also seen him come up with some very brilliant decisions in his last stint here.
I taught a couple of kids and their mom's brother was Quinn's assistant with the Hawks a couple of years ago (Mike Phair). She'd come in and volunteer a couple of times a week and would talk about her brother and the other coaches, and she could not say enough about how kind and loyal and intelligent Dan Quinn was along with the other defensive coaches. I was almost hoping Wash was following Bradley so Quinn could bring Phair back, just because it gave me a straight scoop on the team whenever I talked to them.
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But overall Quinn is a guy that listens always to those around him and listens to the players, but is respected enough that when he makes a decision and says "this is the way it is going to be" then the guys go out and do it.
I think we're going to be a-ok in the coaching dept. Let's just see where Dan dials up the pressure. I can almost guarantee we're going to see alot less "safe" play and a lot more attacking early in the season.