The Atlanta Falcons named Gary Emanuel as defense coach, Steve Hoffman as senior assistant, Justin Peelle as coach and Matt Pees as defense assistant.
Emanuel brings 38 seasons of coaching experience, including ten seasons in the NFL, with him to Atlanta, after recently serving as the 2018-19 New York Giants’ defensive coach. During his time in New York, Giants defensive end Markus Golden scored 10 bags in 2019 and he becomes the first New York Giant to record double-digit bags in a season since 2014, while novice defender BJ Hill set the franchise record for most bags by a rookie with 5.5 in 2018.
Emanuel spent six seasons (2012-’17) in Indianapolis as the Colts’ defensive coach. During his time in Indianapolis, the Colts won three division titles and appeared in one AFC Championship Game. Before joining the Colts, Emanuel coached the defensive line and was a co-defensive coordinator at Purdue in 2010. He was instrumental in the development of the All-America defensive line, the first team, Ryan Kerrigan, to lead the country led in loss, and led the conference. in pockets and earned Big Ten Defensive Player and Lineman of the Year honors, and also became the first unanimous All-America recognition by a Boilermaker defender in school history in 2010.
Hoffman has 28 years of NFL coaching experience after joining the NFL in 1989 as the kicking coach for the Dallas Cowboys. He would spend 16 seasons in Dallas where his specialists set 15 franchise records. He contributed to three world championships while the Cowboys won Super Bowls XXVII, XXVIII and XXX. In addition to his special team role, Hoffman also served as the Offensive / Defensive Quality Control Coach of 1989-95, the Offensive Quality Control Coach of 1996-99 and the Defensive Quality Control Coach of 2000-04.
Hoffman recently served as the special team coordinator for the Tennessee Titans in 2017 when Brett Kern, the Titans punter, led the NFL in the net points average (44.6) and the gross points average (49.7) and his first career in the Pro Bowl. nod deserved. He also served as the special team coordinator for the Oakland Raiders (2012) and Kansas City Chiefs (2009-11), and spent the 2006 season as assistant coach for special teams for the Hawks.
Peelle joins the Falcons, who have coached the Philadelphia Eagles for the past six seasons. Peelle played a major role in the development of three-time Pro Bowl tighthead Zach Ertz, who recorded 525 receptions over his first seven seasons, the most receptions through the first seven seasons of a tighthead in NFL history. Ertz, who won the tournament in Super Bowl LII, also holds the receiving record for single season (116 in 2018) with a short point in league history.
Under Peelle’s supervision, Philadelphia’s tight ends have recorded the most receptions (417) and receptions (4,388) of any team in the NFL over the past three seasons.
Originally selected by the San Diego Chargers in the fourth round of the 2002 NFL Draft, Peelle played ten seasons in the NFL with the Chargers (2002-05), Miami Dolphins (2006-07), Atlanta Falcons (2008-10) and San Francisco 49ers (2011) and 123 receptions for 1,003 yards and 12 touchdowns in 151 career games.
The 2021 season is Pees’ third year in the NFL spending two seasons (2017-’18) as a defensive assistant and quality control coach for the Tennessee Titans, where he worked with the defensive line.
Pees has seven years of experience in football coaching in high school and was recently the head football coach at Findlay High School in Ohio in 2020.