The Atlanta Falcons are expected to retain offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian for the 2018 season, but his return should come with a caveat: Be less like himself and more like his predecessor Kyle Shanahan.
Shanahan led the Falcons to a league-leading 33.8 points per game in 2016 en route to a Super Bowl appearance in his second - and last - season in Atlanta. It was a vast improvement from his first campaign with the team, when the Falcons finished the 2016 regular season tied for 21st with 21.2 points per game.
But the Falcons' offense regressed under Sarkisian this season, with the team finishing 15th in scoring.
Here's what Sarkisian needs to do to get the Falcons' offense back on top in 2018.
Use Tevin Coleman's passing-game abilities
Running back Tevin Coleman set a personal best with 156 carries in 2017, partly due to playing a career-high 15 games. His yards per attempt dropped slightly from his first two years in the league to 4.0, but he was still able to rack up a career best of 628 yards on the ground.
The dropoff came in his contributions to the passing game in 2017. He averaged 2.5 fewer yards per reception, largely because he was targeted at an average depth of 1.8 yards in 2016, compared to 3.4 yards last season.
Coleman excelled when given the freedom of shorter routes that allowed him to create his own separation and beat defenders closer to the line of scrimmage. Catching the ball closer to defenders took away from his ability to turn up field for large gains.
Spread the ball around
Shanahan used four different rushers and 13 different pass-catchers to rack up a total of 58 touchdowns in 2016.
Sarkisian got just two running backs and nine pass-catchers into the end zone, totaling 33 scores. Mohamed Sanu led the passing game with just five touchdowns, with four others tying with three.
The biggest difference came in red-zone usage. Julio Jones was rightfully the team leader in targets with 18, but he managed to catch just five, while Sanu was the only other to receive more than 10 looks in 2017.
Running back Devonta Freeman led the team with 17 targets under Shanahan, with Sanu again ranked second with 15. Four other players received at least 10 targets inside the opponents' 20-yard line, with all but Jones hauling in at least 50 percent of those passes.
Freeman received the lion's share of red-zone rushing attempts in 2016, out-touching Coleman 53 to 22. That gap narrowed significantly in 2017, with Coleman getting 23 carries to Freeman's 33. The two running backs totaled just 12 red-zone targets, after both finished above that mark with Shanahan calling plays.
Find an X-factor he can use properly
Wide receiver Taylor Gabriel was a poster boy of Shanahan's diverse offense in 2016, as the diminutive pass-catcher set career highs in nearly all offensive categories.
While his touches went up by two in 2017, his total yardage dropped significantly. He averaged five fewer yards per reception, scoring five fewer touchdowns.
Gabriel was targeted much closer to the line of scrimmage in 2017, contributing to fewer first-down conversions. He was also used as a rusher twice as often, taking away from the element of surprise that allowed him to gash opposing defenses in 2016.
Gabriel is now set to become the Falcons' most notable free agent on offense, with his 2016 form likely making him highly attractive to a large group of teams.
Should the Falcons fail to retain his services, Sarkisian will need to do a better job of utilizing his replacement in a way that helps take pressure off of Jones, Sanu, and the running backs, by creating space and allowing a speedy receiver to take the tops off of defenses.
The Falcons were rewarded by sticking with Shanahan after a disappointing first season in Atlanta. They're clearly hoping that some stability in the coaching staff and Sarkisian's first full offseason with the team can bring about the same results.
He'll just need to be as adaptable as his predecessor.
(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)
