Falcons new head coach Kevin Stefanski shares his vision for tough, physical team

ATLANTA — The Atlanta Falcons officially introduced new head coach Kevin Stefanski on Tuesday afternoon at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Channel 2’s Alison Mastrangelo was front and center at his first news conference and gave her takeaways for Channel 2 Action News starting at 4:00 p.m.

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Right out the gate, Stefanski showed a little bit of his personality.

“I’ll sit up here and I will take the blame when it’s appropriate. I’m not taking the blame for the weather out there right now. I had nothing to do with that. I did not bring that with me. So I want to clear that up on the front end of this,” he joked.

“But seriously, the fans in this town, so passionate. It’s real. I felt it. I’ve met them out there. I cannot wait to be in this building and feel in this place shaking," he added.

Stefanski said all the things you would want a head coach to say off the bat: He wants to win. He wants to be physical. He can’t wait to get to work.

In reality, he’s joining a team that hasn’t made the playoffs since the 2017 season. They’ve had a top-10 first round pick in four of their last five drafts.

Mastrangelo asked Stefanski why he believes he’s the right head coach to get Atlanta out of its playoff drought.

“I’m here because I believe in this group. I believe in this roster. I believed, like I mentioned in what Arthur and Matt have put together already. I promise you this: We will work. We’re not gonna spend a lot of time talking about what we’re gonna do. We just can keep our head down and work,” Stefanski said.

Stefanski said he wouldn’t change anything from his past, but he did learn a lot and is ready to build something special with the Falcons.

He said he has traded text messages with running back Bijan Robinson and caught up with quarterback Michael Penix Jr. as he rehabs his knee at the Falcons facilities in Flowery Branch.

Stefanski said his goal is to connect with every player on the roster and is finalizing his staff. He confirmed that his offensive coordinator, Tommy Rees, will handle the play calling.

As for the Falcons general manager search, new president of football Matt Ryan says they will have in-person interviews this week.