Getty Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Dean Pees.
After missing Week 15’s game against the New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons’ defensive coordinator Dean Pees will be back on the sidelines and calling the plays on Christmas eve against the Baltimore Ravens
Pees was carted off of the field and rushed to the hospital last Sunday after colliding with Saints wideout Rashid Shaheed during pregame warmups.
Pees was conscience following the hit, however, the team doctor played it safe by sending him to the hospital since he was on blood thinner medication and they wanted to check for internal bleeding in the brain.
It was a scary moment but Pees did nothing but joke about it with the media on Wednesday.
“I just remember hitting the ground and wondering what the heck happened,” Pees said. “The good thing was when the doctor asked me where I was, you know they print ‘Superdome’ up there at the top of the stadium. So I had a good answer.”
While Pees was being treated, the Falcons turned to linebackers coach Frank Bush to call the plays on defense. The Falcons went on to lose to the Saints 21-18.
Pees Spent Six Seasons in Baltimore
Somehow, someway head Coach Arthur Smith coaxed Pees into coming out of retirement to join his coaching staff back in 2021.
He came to Atlanta with plenty of coaching experience under his belt––47 years to be exact, which included his 16 NFL years.
In fact, the 73-year-old spent six seasons with the Ravens as their defensive coordinator where he was a huge part of their Super Bowl-winning staff in 2013.
Pees coached the Ravens’ defense from 2012 to 2017 before announcing his first retirement until he was dragged out by Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel.
And a little fun fact about Pees, he is just one of eight defensive coordinators in all of NFL history to coach in a Super Bowl with two teams: the other team being the New England Patriots.
Ravens to Start Backup QB vs. Falcons
Baltimore will be without their starting quarterback Lamar Jackson on Sunday as he deals with a knee sprain.
Instead, backup quarterback Tyler Huntley, who is dealing with a right shoulder issue, will start for the Ravens against the Falcons in the Week 16 matchup.
While the starting quarterback being unavailable gives Atlanta a break, they’ve had to prepare for more than one possibility this week––especially since they announce the news until Thursday.
“It seems like, in this league, lately that’s the case all the time because every quarterback is getting hurt. It’s been crazy,” Pees said told reporters on Wednesday, via AtlantaFalcons.com. “You just have to prepare more for the coordinator, maybe, than you do the actual quarterback. At the same time, you have to prepare like it’s going to be Lamar, and you have to prepare like it’s not. There are certain plays that are never going to change. They’re staples. They’re going to show up no matter who the quarterback is. You have to make sure you have those handled. Then, it’s just a matter of what style quarterback they have. If you look at all of their quarterbacks, they’re the same style quarterback.”
The Falcons kickoff at 1 p.m. on the road against Baltimore on Christmas Eve.