[wysifield-embeddedaudio|eid="475761"|type="embeddedaudio"|view_mode="full"]
Both in Renton, Wash. and Flowery Branch, Ga., NFL teams will begin their week of practice with "Competition Wednesday."
Never mind that on this particular week in which the Seahawks and Falcons play on a Saturday, "Wednesday" actually falls on a Tuesday, the fact that both of these teams use that verbiage is a reminder of the close ties between the two franchises, which will face off in the Divisional Round of the playoffs Saturday afternoon.
And it's only natural that there would be some similarities between the way the Seahawks and Falcons operate. Atlanta's head coach, Dan Quinn, spent three seasons working under Pete Carroll in Seattle, first as the defensive line coach in 2010, then as defensive coordinator in Seattle's back-to-back Super Bowl seasons in 2013 and 2014 following two seasons at the University of Florida.
"Today is a big day for us on Competition Wednesday, so I do have some of the same structure that I learned through Pete," Quinn said on a conference call with Seattle-area media. "There are a lot of things that are different, but having a real routine is probably the main thing that I got out. Whatever that routine is, it's important to follow it, because all competitors have it. I think each coach, if you went around all 32, has some routines to get ready, and ours is different than Seattle's which is different than L.A. or Arizona or Carolina and Tampa and New Orleans. But having that process to rely on as a competitor to get ready, it doesn't allow the outside stuff to influence your week to week, where you can just stay in that pocket of getting ready."
Yet as much as Quinn can appreciate what Carroll has done in Seattle having been a part of it for some of the Seahawks' best years, he also knows he can't simply try to replicate that exact formula in Atlanta. Of all the things Carroll taught Quinn, one of the more important lessons was one about being true to himself. Or in Carroll parlance, letting it rip. Dan Quinn and Pete Carroll aren't the same person, so Quinn knows he can't be his best as a coach if he's simply trying to be Carroll.
"I never intended to have Seattle East, I wanted to create our own Atlanta," said Quinn, whose Falcons earned the NFC's No. 2 seed with an 11-5 record in his second season as head coach. "Of course I learned fantastic lessons from my time with Pete and (general manager John Schneider), and the players there for sure. But one of the best pieces of advice was, 'Hey, Q, do it your own way and let it rip.' That came from Pete, and I've tried to really stay true to that. There are definitely things that had a huge impact that we could go on for days about my time there, from coaching to players to management, but honestly all those experiences helped me create the vision of what I hoped to create here in Atlanta. That's what I was hoping to create."
[wysifield-embeddedaudio|eid="475766"|type="embeddedaudio"|view_mode="full"]
Quinn's players agree that their coach is building his own program in Atlanta, not trying to create a replica of the Seahawks.
"He doesn't really compare it to anybody, he likes to have his own unique feel for the team," outside linebacker Vic Beasley said on a conference call. "He's a great coach in building the defense and he's a great coach and building the team overall. It's a pleasure to play for him and we're looking forward to spending more time with him.
"You don't really hear him say anything about Seattle or comparing us to Seattle. Like I said, he likes us to have that unique feel. We're different."
The "unique feel" Quinn has created has been a successful one, with the Falcons going 8-8 in his first season after back-to-back losing seasons prior to his arrival, then 11-5 this year. One of those losses came in Seattle earlier this season, though as Quinn notes, "both teams now are a better version of themselves when we played back then." And while the Falcons didn't get a win that day, Quinn saw value in that game, not just for what his team experienced on the field, but also because it allowed him to get any awkwardness about facing his former team and boss out of the way.
"Going through the first game again them out at Seattle was a unique one for me," Quinn said. "Now that that game is under the belt already, so to speak, I hope we battle against one another and we have a bunch of these conference calls over the next ten years. I hope we turn into a classic battle through the years. That would be my hope, but I am glad that first game is already out of the way. Now it's just kind of back to ball and playing against guys you know. Not much past that."
Get to know the faces of the Atlanta Falcons' offensive and defensive units heading into the team's Divisional Round playoff matchup with the Seattle Seahawks.
Atlanta Falcons coach Dan Quinn watches play against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a Thursday Night NFL football game Nov. 3, 2016 in Tampa, Fla. The Falcons won 43 - 28. (Al Messerschmidt via AP)
ARCHIVO - En esta foto de archivo del 1 de enero de 2017, Matt Ryan, quarterback de los Falcons de Atlanta, lanza un pase frente a los Saints de Nueva Orleáns (AP Foto/John Bazemore)
Atlanta Falcons tackle Jake Matthews (70) during the first half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams, Sunday, Dec. 11, 2016, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Atlanta Falcons guard Chris Chester (65) sets for play against the San Francisco 49ers in a week 15 NFL football game Dec. 18, 2016 in Atlanta. The Falcons won 41 - 13. (Al Messerschmidt via AP)
Atlanta Falcons center Alex Mack (51) runs off the field after an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints, Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017, in Atlanta. The Atlanta Falcons won 38-32.(AP Photo/John Bazemore)
Atlanta Falcons tackle Ryan Schraeder (73) lines up in a two-point stance during an NFL game against the Los Angeles Rams on December 11, 2016. The Falcons defeated the Rams 42-14. (Kevin Terrell via AP)
Atlanta Falcons guard Andy Levitre (67) sets for play against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a Thursday Night NFL football game Nov. 3, 2016 in Tampa, Fla. The Falcons won 43 - 28. (Al Messerschmidt via AP)
Atlanta Falcons' Julio Jones (11) stretches during warm-ups before an NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers in Charlotte, N.C., Saturday, Dec. 24, 2016. The Falcons won 33-16. (AP photo/Bob Leverone)
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Mohamed Sanu (12) runs with the ball against the Carolina Panthers during an NFL game at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. on Saturday, Dec. 24, 2016. (Chris Keane/AP Images for Panini)
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Taylor Gabriel (18) heads for the end zone for a touchdown after catching a pass in the third quarter of a game against the Los Angeles Rams played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles on Sunday, December 11, 2016. (AP Photo/John Cordes)
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Justin Hardy (16) runs with the ball after a catch against the Jacksonville Jaguars during an NFL football game in Jacksonville, Fla., Sunday, Dec. 20, 2015. (Jeff Haynes/AP Images for Panini)
Atlanta Falcons' Devonta Freeman (24) stretches during warm-ups before an NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers in Charlotte, N.C., Saturday, Dec. 24, 2016. The Falcons won 33-16. (AP photo/Bob Leverone)
Atlanta Falcons running back Tevin Coleman (26) during the first half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams, Sunday, Dec. 11, 2016, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Atlanta Falcons tight end Austin Hooper (81) sets for play against the San Francisco 49ers in a week 15 NFL football game Dec. 18, 2016 in Atlanta. The Falcons won 41 - 13. (Al Messerschmidt via AP)
Atlanta Falcons tight end Levine Toilolo (80) rests during an NFL game against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, Dec. 11, 2016, in Los Angeles, Ca. The Falcons won the game, 42-14. (Greg Trott via AP)
Atlanta Falcons free safety Ricardo Allen (37) during the first half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams, Sunday, Dec. 11, 2016, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Atlanta Falcons linebacker Deion Jones (45) watches from the sideline during an NFL game against the Los Angeles Rams on December 11, 2016. The Falcons defeated the Rams 42-14. (Kevin Terrell via AP)
Atlanta Falcons' Jalen Collins (32) runs back an interception against the Carolina Panthers in the first half of an NFL football game in Charlotte, N.C., Saturday, Dec. 24, 2016. The Falcons won 33-16. (AP photo/Bob Leverone)
FILE - In this Aug. 5, 2016, file photo, Atlanta Falcons strong safety Keanu Neal (22) is shown during their annual Friday Night Lights NFL football practice at Grayson High School, in Loganville, Ga. Free-agent signee Dwight Freeney and rookie safety Keanu Neal are expected to make their preseason debuts for the Falcons on Thursday, Aug. 18, 2016, at Cleveland, bringing Atlanta's defense closer to its projected regular-season status. (AP Photo/John Bazemore, File)
Atlanta Falcons cornerback Brian Poole (34) drops back in pass coverage during an NFL game against the Los Angeles Rams on December 11, 2016. The Falcons defeated the Rams 42-14. (Kevin Terrell via AP)
Atlanta Falcons cornerback Robert Alford (23) in action during a Rams punt in the second quarter of a game against the Los Angeles Rams played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles on Sunday, December 11, 2016. (AP Photo/John Cordes)
Atlanta Falcons defensive lineman Grady Jarrett (97) rests during an NFL game against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, Dec. 11, 2016, in Los Angeles, Ca. The Falcons won the game, 42-14. (Greg Trott via AP)
Atlanta Falcons Adrian Clayborn (99) in a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on December 20,2015 in Jacksonville, FL.
(Tom DiPace via AP)
Atlanta Falcons outside linebacker De'Vondre Campbell (59) during the first half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams, Sunday, Dec. 11, 2016, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Atlanta Falcons linebacker Vic Beasley Jr. (44) celebrates his fumble recovery for a touchdown during an NFL game against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, Dec. 11, 2016, in Los Angeles, Ca. The Falcons won the game, 42-14. (Greg Trott via AP)
Atlanta Falcons defensive end Brooks Reed (50) twatches play against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a Thursday Night NFL football game Nov. 3, 2016 in Tampa, Fla. The Falcons won 43 - 28. (Al Messerschmidt via AP)
Atlanta Falcons nose tackle Jonathan Babineaux looks on against the Denver Broncos during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 9, 2016, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)
Atlanta Falcons defensive end Dwight Freeney walks off the field after an NFL preseason football game against the Cleveland Browns, Thursday, Aug. 18, 2016, in Cleveland. The Falcons won 24-13. (AP Photo/David Richard)
Atlanta Falcons kicker Matt Bryant (3) warms up before the first half of an NFL football game between the Atlanta Falcons and the San Francisco 49ers, Sunday, Dec. 18, 2016, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
Atlanta Falcons punter Matt Bosher (5) follows a warm kick before play in a week 15 NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers Dec. 18, 2016 in Atlanta. The Falcons won 41 - 13. (Al Messerschmidt via AP)
Atlanta Falcons long snapper Josh Harris jogs off the field after an NFL preseason football game against the Cleveland Browns, Thursday, Aug. 18, 2016, in Cleveland. The Falcons won 24-13. (AP Photo/David Richard)
