Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn doesn't focus on Falcons job

PHOENIX – It must be a little strange for Dan Quinn, having two important jobs on his mind this week.

The Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator is going to be the next head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons part isn’t official, because he can’t be hired until his team is eliminated, but everyone assumes he is their coach-in-waiting. The Atlanta media has followed Quinn around at all his media availability periods this week.

If it is a struggle, Quinn doesn’t let it show. He’s coaching in a Super Bowl, after all.

“I am having an absolute blast with these guys,” Quinn said. “If I didn’t enjoy the moment of this experience, that would be crazy. I am absolutely having a blast.

“This is such a cool experience that where else would you rather be?”

It’s Quinn’s enthusiasm, and the great defenses he has guided the past two years, that presumably sold the Falcons on settling on him as their next head coach.

The Seahawks brought Quinn back – he left for the University of Florida for two years – after Gus Bradley took the head-coaching job in Jacksonville. Both of Quinn’s defenses have finished first in the NFL in fewest yards allowed, and each time Seattle was at least 25 yards per game better than any other team. And if the Seahawks beat the New England Patriots, Quinn will be two-for-two in winning Super Bowl titles as Seattle's defensive coordinator.

Linebacker K.J. Wright said he thought Quinn “should have been gone last year” based on what the Seahawks did, but is resigned to the fact that Quinn will be gone after this Super Bowl. And he said Quinn will make an excellent head coach.

“I love DQ,” Wright said. “He really lets us excel. He keeps everything simple and he just makes simple calls.”

Quinn, without mentioning the Falcons, said he has hoped for the chance to become a head coach. That should become a reality sometime next week, after he leads his defense into a huge challenge against the Patriots. It’s a very unique position, and it's unrealistic to think that Quinn hasn't let his thoughts wander to Atlanta at all this week, but he's not trying to fast-forward past another Super Bowl experience to get there.

"I think all of us have those experiences where you have to juggle things at the same time," Quinn said. "For me, like I said, just being here, I am having an absolute blast.”

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdowncorner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab

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