Ray Rhodes saw all the qualities years ago.

The former NFL head coach and longtime defensive assistant recalled how a kid named Marquand Manuel, who played under Rhodes when he was the defensive coordinator in Seattle, used to arrive at the facility well before anyone else to dissect film. Rhodes remembered how Manuel, a safety from Florida, would remain on the field after practice trying to perfect his skills. And Rhodes remembered how Manuel wasn’t afraid to keep teammates afterward to make certain they understood the nuances of the defense.

So it came as no surprise to Rhodes when Manuel, at age 37, was named the new defensive coordinator of the Atlanta Falcons under head coach Dan Quinn.

"He was always very studious and very serious about football," Rhodes said. "He studied extremely hard. And he demonstrated the same on the field. And he was one of those guys who understood the game. I saw a young man that I knew would be a coach at some point. Heck, he was a coach back then."

Rhodes’ endorsement of Manuel didn’t stop there. In reflecting on Super Bowl XL -- a game the Seahawks dropped to the Pittsburgh Steelers 21-10 -- Rhodes emphasized just how important Manuel was in the grand scheme. Manuel, the starter after Ken Hamlin’s nearly fatal beating outside a Seattle nightclub, got injured tackling Hines Ward in the second quarter and didn’t return. He was replaced by former practice-squad player Etric Pruitt.

"My worst moment was when we were playing the Super Bowl and Marquand got hurt because it hurt the team that he wasn’t in there," Rhodes said. "Had Marquand been in the game, I really felt like we would have won the Super Bowl. For me as a defensive coordinator, I felt that good about him and his ability to execute the defenses. He understood everything. He was like a quarterback on the field."

Former Seahawks defensive coordinator Ray Rhodes said Marquand Manuel was "like a quarterback on the field" during his playing days in Seattle. Hunter Martin/NFLPhotoLibrary

Manuel, who addressed the media Tuesday for the first time since being named coordinator, was quick to credit Rhodes for helping guide him to this point in his career. Manuel also praised his other coaching influences, including defensive mastermind Dick LeBeau, his first NFL head coach in Cincinnati and currently the defensive coordinator in Tennessee; John Fox, the head coach when Manuel played for Carolina and now the head coach of the Chicago Bears; and Quinn, who was the defensive coordinator in Seattle when Manuel got his first defensive assistant job in 2013. Manuel played for six different NFL teams during his eight-year career and also learned under coaches such as Marvin Lewis, Gunther Cunningham and Leslie Frazier, among others.

Manuel said LeBeau was the one who explained things in a calm, gentle manner. He said Rhodes was the one who "put his elbow in you" and taught him about devising game plans and making sure the players make the playcalls come to life. Frazier taught him about studying the demeanor of opponents and keeping calm under pressure as a playcaller. And standing next to him on the sideline the last two seasons certainly prepared Manuel to see the game in the same manner as the defensive-minded Quinn.

"I always tell the players I’ve been blessed because a lot of people look at me as a journeyman, but actually I was blessed in the process of having some great coaches," Manuel said. "Then I go to Ray Rhodes, who collectively put it all together. He put the Dick LeBeau with the Gunther; he put everybody together for me. Then I went to John Fox and [Mike] Trgovac. In those guys, there’s a piece that you took away from each one of them.

"And me and Dan [Quinn] always talk about it from that standpoint of I’ve played in every defense known to mankind."

Now for Manuel, it’s about simplifying things so his players can perform at a high level on Sundays. Of course, Quinn will have a big influence with his defensive coordinator background and after taking over the defensive playcalling from former coordinator Richard Smith at the end of last season. But Quinn, who had the top-ranked defense as the coordinator in Seattle, said Manuel will get ample opportunity to call plays.

"No. 1, [it's] utilizing your staff and the preparation that we did throughout the week," Manuel said. "No. 2, understanding the tendencies of an offense and a coordinator in a game. ... I always tell the players this: I cannot adjust on Monday. It's too late. I've got to be able to do that on Sunday."

The Falcons finished with the 25th-ranked total defense last season, allowing 371.2 yards per game. They were 28th against the pass (266.7 yards per game), 17th against the run (104.5 yards per game), and dead last in red zone defense, allowing opponents to convert 72.7 percent of the time.

That same defense showed remarkable improvement as the season progressed, although it was the league’s top-ranked scoring offense that led the Falcons to the Super Bowl. The challenge for Manuel is getting a defense led by returning NFL sacks leader Vic Beasley Jr., onetime Pro Bowl cornerback Desmond Trufant and Defensive Rookie of the Year finalist Deion Jones to take another step, particularly against an NFC South that improved with the additions of DeSean Jackson and O.J. Howard in Tampa, Christian McCaffrey in Carolina, and Adrian Peterson in New Orleans.

"Getting DeSean in Tampa, it's understanding how he fits in their offense," Manuel said. "That's the first thing that you have to think about. Adrian Peterson? How does he fit in their offense? The weapons that they picked up as far as the draft, how do they fit in their offense? How is Jameis [Winston] going into this third year?

"And I think that's the part of, we got better, too. A lot of people don't want to see that. We went and tagged some holes. Not only did we get better, but we also have our second-year guys that are coming back that now have experience they didn't have the first time. ... When you look at the division, the division has gotten better. It's going to take one week at a time, playing at our standard."