At the end of the 2015 season, Atlanta Falcons coach Dan Quinn set out to bring a fire and unity to the team that was missing. His message to his players at the time was to be relentless:

“One cannot understand what it means to be relentless until you’ve struggled to possess something that is just out of your reach.”

A year later, Quinn’s message has taken root.

Instead of players looking at their cleats on the sidelines, they’re jumping around, screaming their hearts out in support of each other and playing as a force to be reckoned with. This force was defined by two signature phrases from coach Quinn, “Brotherhood” and “Fast and Physical,” and it was these fundamental philosophies that helped the team make a Super Bowl run and set records along the way.

With the 2017 season approaching, the Falcons have innumerable challenges ahead of them. The media will make constant reminders of the Super Bowl loss and every team they face will play their hardest to beat Atlanta to try to prove that the Super Bowl appearance was just a fluke.

The Falcons cannot grow complacent and accept the trip to Houston as their peak accomplishment. They cannot accept second place to be the highest point in team history and must continue to live by the mantras Quinn has indoctrinated into their game and their lives.

They must stay Fast and Physical.

Pedestrian defenses and passive offenses don’t win games. Teams gain an undeniable edge when they are able to strike fear into the hearts of their opponents. For example, safety Keanu Neal’s aggressiveness and ability to dish out physical punishment has given Atlanta’s defense a means of intimidation. Whenever a receiver crosses the middle or a runnin gback breaks into the secondary, they are on the lookout for Neal, who can make them think twice about pushing for extra yardage.

Other young players are adopting this same style of player as well. Linebacker Deion Jones has shown his ability to fly from sideline to sideline, always ready to make tackles with no hesitation. Defensive tackle Grady Jarrett exploded in the Super Bowl and looks to have made it his mission to enforce his will on opposing offensive lines and put opposing quarterbacks down on the turf. Even offensive players are playing with more heart and aggressiveness, like left guard Levine Toilolo’s run blocking.

They must also stay true to Quinn’s Brotherhood idea.

Instead of being a few stars on a football team, Atlanta should be a team with 53 brothers that are all stars. They must work together and play for each other. For example, when Devonta Freeman scored a touchdown last season, he immediately handed the ball to an offensive lineman to spike it. It’s a small thing, but crediting the line for their blocking helps to foster more blocking in the future.

Every NFL team comes together in some way, as that is the nature of playing with the same 53 guys, but the Falcons should keep pushing this concept. Defensive end Dwight Freeney, a veteran with a proven track record of success as a pass rusher, took several of the defensive linemen and linebackers under his wing this past season, teaching them his signature spin move and other techniques as a pass rusher. Throughout the season, Vic Beasley exploded with 15.5 sacks and almost every pass rusher was more effective due to Freeney’s leadership.

As this young Atlanta team grows together, putting the Brotherhood first will help them develop as players and men.