Week 12: Test for Musgrave

I'm surprised that more isn't being made about the fact that we are playing the Atlanta Falcons, and our new Offensive Coordinator just happens to have been the quarterbacks coach for the Falcons from 2006-2010 (and was even Assistant Head Coach for ATL last year).  Not a lot has changed for ATL from last year to this year as they have maintained a pretty stable coaching staff and not have a lot of player turnover.  So, one would think that with Musgrave's intimate knowledge of the ATL offense and familiarity with their defense, we might be able to exploit their team weaknesses better than other opponents we have faced this season.

To my mind, even though this is a lost season, week 12 marks a very big test for our new OC Bill Musgrave.  Based on what we've seen in the play calling and offense this season, it has been a very different looking offense.  We've seen a new element of creativity that was definitely lacking in the Bevell/Childress era.  Some of Musgrave calls have been a bit questionable, and I get the feeling that they are still trying to adapt the playcalls to our playmakers, but overall I like what Musgrave is bringing to our team.

In doing some research on Musgrave I was surprised to learn that he actually has decent experience as an offensive coordinator.  Check out his 14-year career as a coach:

1997: Quarterbacks Coach for Raiders
1998: Quarterbacks Coach for Eagles (took over playcalling at the end of the year)
1999: Quarterbacks Coach for Panthers (helped with playcalling)
2000: Promoted to Offensive Coordinator of Panthers
2001: Offensive Coordinator for University of Virginia (tutored Matt Schaub)
2003: Offensive Coordinator for Jacksonville Jaguars
2005: Quarterbacks Coach for Redskins
2006: Quarterbacks Coach for Falcons
2010: Promoted to Assistant Head Coach of Falcons
2011: Offensive Coordinator of Minnesota Vikings

In 14 years of coaching experience he has 8 years of playcalling experience to go along with 6 years of experience as an offensive coordinator.  Let's hope he makes the right calls on Sunday and we come away with an upset win!