Todd Bowles reportedly impresses Falcons in Saturday interview, could take Freddie Kitchens to be OC

Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator interviewed for the Atlanta Falcons head coaching position on Saturday. It was reportedly a pretty long interview and he reportedly impressed the Falcons brass.

An ESPN report states Bowles had a five-hour interview on Saturday with Atlanta and is considered a leading candidate for the job. In an New York Daily News report about Rex Ryan and why he took the Bills job, there is a note that Bowles impressed the Falcons in that five-hour session.

Atlanta is the fourth team to interview Bowles this offseason. He also has interviewed with the Jets, Bears and 49ers about their head coaching vacancies.

The ESPN report also noted that Seattle Seahawks DC Dan Quinn could be at the top of the list for Atlanta, but well-known NFL reporter Peter King said it appears the Falcons do not want to wait potentially another three weeks or more to make their move at head coach, which could potentially mean the team would not wait for Quinn.

That would leave Bowles as perhaps the best guy for the job, as the team is hoping to shore up its defensive issues. It is believed he could want fellow Cards coach Freddie Kitchens to join him on his staff as offensive coordinator, should he land a head coaching job. Kitchens is currently the quarterbacks coach for the Cardinals under Bruce Arians.

There is a connection between Bowles and the Falcons. The Falcons' new assistant GM, Scott Pioli, is the son-in-law of Bill Parcells. GM Thomas Dimitroff is also a Parcells disciple. Bowles twice worked under Parcells -- in Dallas and Miami.

Despite the report, Bowles does not have a second interview scheduled with anyone yet.