playoff contenders in 2018 Dion Jordan Color Rush Jersey , but it all went horribly wrong for Dan Quinn’s team. Atlanta is sitting at 5-9 and planning for next season, and while Quinn appears to be safe as head coach, the same cannot be said for offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian or defensive coordinator Marquand Manuel.NFL Network is reporting there’s a “strong possibility” that both Sarkisian and Manuel, the latter a former Seattle Seahawks player and member of Pete Carroll’s coaching staff, could be fired. Manuel has admittedly had to deal with several injuries to key players, but they were 22nd in DVOA last year and 32nd this year. Quinn in particular has yet to field an above-average defense in four seasons as Falcons head coach.Sarkisian was much-maligned despite producing the #9 ranked offense in DVOA in 2017, but red-zone woes felled the Falcons in several games, including the playoff loss to the Philadelphia Eagles last year. In 2018, they sit 10th in DVOA, but 26th in rushing Tedric Thompson Color Rush Jersey , and they failed to score more than 20 points in their fatal five-game losing streak.If Manuel goes, it’s assumed that Quinn will assume larger control of the defense, but as for Sarkisian’s replacement? It could be ex-Seahawks OC Darrell Bevell.Bevell was fired by the Seahawks after the 2017 season, having been Seattle’s OC since 2011. He was interviewed earlier in the year for the vacant QB coach position in Atlanta, but obviously didn’t get the job, and was not picked up by any NFL team over the offseason.Quinn and Bevell were the coordinators for Seattle’s two Super Bowl trips, so the reuniting may still yet happen. Next season is a pivotal one for Quinn, as his tenure with Atlanta is surely defined by collapses. His first year saw him go from 6-1 to 8-8 and no playoffs. The second year... 28-3 happened. This year they squandered 4th quarter leads against the Eagles, Bengals, and Saints to get out of the gate 1-3 Ethan Pocic Color Rush Jersey , and they’ve spent the entire season at or below .500 for the first time since 2013.It’s certainly something that Quinn, the much-celebrated DC when he was in Seattle, is the one under pressure while Kris Richard, fired along with Bevell and oft-criticized as Quinn’s replacement, has become a popular name as a potential head coach after helping transform the Dallas Cowboys defense to a top-10 DVOA ranking. RENTON, Wash. (AP)Seattle Seahawks free safety Earl Thomas officially commenced his holdout as the team began its three-day mandatory minicamp Tuesday.Thomas released a statement on Twitter on Sunday announcing his intention to skip the minicamp and all team-related activities until his contract situation is resolved.”Kind of had heard that he was making that choice,” head coach Pete Carroll said. ”I wish he was here. That would be nice. But we’re focusing on the guys that are here and we’ll see how that goes.”Thomas is entering the final year of a four-year extension signed prior to the 2014 season. He is scheduled to make $8.5 million in base salary in 2018.”I want to remain a Seahawk for the rest of my career but I also believe that based on my production over the last 8 years that I’ve earned the right to have this taken care of as soon as possible,” Thomas wrote. ”I want to have certainty in regards to the upcoming years of my career.”The Seahawks can fine Thomas $84,435 if he misses all three days of the minicamp. Fines are ultimately at the team’s discretion.Defensive end Chris Clemons was the last Seahawks player to skip the mandatory minicamp in 2012, but he signed a new contract prior to training camp and was in attendance there. Running back Marshawn Lynch in 2014 and safety Kam Chancellor in 2015 did hold out from training camp with Chancellor missing the first two weeks of the regular season.Carroll said each situation is different when it comes to holdouts.”It’s an individual case with whoever the guy it Shaquill Griffin Color Rush Jersey , whatever his story is,” Carroll said. ”I don’t see putting them in a basket. I think you look at each guy and whatever is going on, the history and all that and you deal with it accordingly.”Thomas, defensive end Frank Clark and cornerback Byron Maxwell had all stayed away from the team during voluntary workouts. Clark and Maxwell were both in attendance Tuesday, though Clark was limited due to a sore hamstring.If Thomas’ holdout extends into training camp, he can be fined $40,000 a day for each day he misses. Additional penalties are incurred if he misses more than six days of camp. Carroll said he is uncertain how the situation will play out but that he still views Thomas as a part of their program.”Heck yeah, he’s under contract. Sure,” Carroll said. ”… He gives you everything he’s got when he’s with you.”Notes: CB Dontae Johnson had surgery to repair a broken bone in his foot. He is currently in a walking boot and recovering.—