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Mike Mularkey

Offensive Coordinator

Biography


 

Mike Mularkey’s impact on the successful offensive attack of the Falcons was cleary evident and far reaching in 2008. Under Mularkey’s direction, Atlanta’s diverse offense finished second in the NFL with an average of 152.7 rushing yards per game, 14th in passing yards with a 208.5 average a contest, and 10th in points scored at 24.4. The Falcons broke a 27 year team record by totaling 5,779 net yards gained last season and also established a new club mark for fewest sacks allowed per play at 25.5 en route to only surrendering 17 total sacks overall in ’08. The 391 points scored and 61.1 completion percentage were both the fifth-best marks for a season in club history. Mularkey’s efficient offense helped the Falcons finish with an 11-5 record - only the fifth double-digit win total in a season in team history - and earn a Wild Card playoff berth.

Besides the team success, Mularkey’s innovative offense showcased the individual talents of veterans like running back Michael Turner and wide receiver Roddy White while developing the emerging skills of rookie quarterback Matt Ryan. Turner posted 1,699 rushing yards (3rd most ever by a Falcons runner) in his first season in Atlanta to trail only Adrian Peterson of the Vikings for the NFL rushing crown and also pounded his way to a team record 17 rushing touchdowns. Led by Turner the Falcons rushing game finished with 2,443 yards on the ground, fifth-most ever in club annals, as the sixth-year runner earned his first Pro Bowl nod and was voted a first-team All-Pro.

White flourished in Mularkey’s offense and helped provide a balanced attack. White turned in a Pro Bowl year for the first time in his career with career-highs in receptions (88), yards (1,382), touchdowns (seven) and 100-yard games (seven). The 1,382 yards represented a new team high and coupled with his 1,202 yards in ’07 made him the first receiver in Falcons history to total consecutive 1,200 yardage seasons.

Ryan benefited immesensly from the experience of Mularkey at the offensive helm to win the prestigious Associated Press and Sporting News Rookie of the Year honors. Among Ryan’s numerous rookie accolades included winning 11 games (Falcons record) in 16 starts to guide his team to the playoffs (NFL mark shared with Joe Flacco of Ravens). He and Peyton Manning became the only rookie quarterbacks ever in League history to throw for 3,000 yards in their first season.

In 2007, Mularkey served as the Tight Ends Coach for the Dolphins and guided seven-year veteran David Martin, who finished fourth on the team in receptions (34). Before joining Miami’s staff in 2006 as Offensive Coordinator, Mularkey spent two seasons as the Head Coach of the Buffalo Bills (14-18 overall record). In his first season in 2004, he led the Bills to their first winning campaign in five years with a 9-7 record as the club tallied wins in nine of their final 12 games.

From 1996-2003, Mularkey spent eight seasons on the successful coaching staff of the Pittsburgh Steelers under Bill Cowher and served as the Offensive Coordinator in his final three years. As Offensive Coordinator, Mularkey’s offense in Pittsburgh finished third and fifth, respectively, in the NFL in total offense in his first two years. The Steelers also averaged 173.4 rushing yards per game, which led the League in 2001. Mularkey helped the Steelers register a 13-3 record in 2001 on the way to an AFC Central Division championship and an AFC Championship Game appearance. Under Mularkey’s creative tutelage, QB Kordell Stewart passed for 3,109 yards en route to be chosen to the AFC Pro Bowl squad. The following season in 2002 Mularkey’s coaching prowess was witnessed again as he helped resurect QB Tommy Maddox’s career. After not playing in the NFL in five years, Maddox threw for 2,836 yards (234-377) with 20 touchdowns and set a single-season franchise record with a 62.1 completion percentage to earn NFL Comeback Player of the Year honors.

Mularkey spent his first five years in Pittsburgh as the club’s Tight Ends Coach. He helped mold Mark Bruener into one of the best run-blocking tight ends in the League during his tenure. The solid tight end play from Mularkey’s crew enabled RB Jerome Bettis to eclipse the 1,000 yard rushing plateau for five straight seasons. The Steelers as a team also were among the top 10 in the League in the rushing department every season and led the NFL in 1997, as well as finishing second in 1996.

Mularkey began his coaching journey in the League as a Quality Control Coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1994 and was then promoted to Tight Ends Coach the following season. In his only season working with the Bucs tight ends, Jackie Harris hauled in a team-best 62 passes for 751 yards to become one of just three tight ends in the team’s history to stand atop the club’s yearly receiving chart.

His first coaching venture came at Concordia College where he spent the 1993 season as the Offensive Line Coach.

A ninth-round draft selection by the San Francisco 49ers in 1983, Mularkey was released by the Niners at training camp but picked up by the Vikings. He spent the next six seasons in Minnesota before being signed away as a Plan B free agent in 1989 by the Steelers, where he performed for three years. For his career, he totaled 102 catches for 1,222 yards with nine touchdowns in 114 games played

A native of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, Mularkey,46,captured three letters at the University of Florida (1980-82). He and his wife, Betsy, have two sons, Patrick and Shane.


Mularkey’s Coaching Background

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