Mike Nolan Mike Nolan ( born March 7 , 1959 ) is an American football coach and the current defensive coordinator of the Atlanta Falcons . He was formerly head coach for the San Francisco 49ers and a defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens , New York Jets , Washington Redskins , New York Giants , Denver Broncos and Miami Dolphins . College years . Nolan attended the University of Oregon and was a three - year letterman in football and starter at safety . Coaching career . He has coached at the collegiate level at Stanford University , Rice University , and LSU before moving on to the National Football League . The son of former San Francisco 49ers and New Orleans Saints head coach , Dick Nolan , he signed with the 49ers in 2005 to be head coach , following in his father ' s footsteps . Nolan joined San Francisco after establishing himself as the defensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens , a position he held with three other teams : New York Jets ( 2000 ) , Washington Redskins ( 1997 – 99 ) , and New York Giants ( 1993 – 96 ) . Nolan and the 49ers selected Alex Smith with the first overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft . Nolan thought Smith to be cerebral , introspective , and non - confrontational . Nolan also evaluated Aaron Rodgers but did not believe that Rodgers ' attitude could co - exist with him . Nolan finished the 2005 season with a 4 – 12 record . Nolan led a late season run and the 49ers improved in 2006 to 7 – 9 . That led to expectations for the 2007 season , which included at least 9 wins and a playoff appearance . The season started well at 2 – 0 , but an 8 - game losing streak ended all hope of a playoff run . During the season , he publicly disagreed with Smith over the severity of the quarterback ' s shoulder injury . Nolan had been under intense scrutiny in the Bay Area . After the season , Nolan lost his general manager position and on October 20 , 2008 , Nolan was fired and replaced by his assistant head coach Mike Singletary . In early 2009 Mike Nolan became the defensive coordinator of the Denver Broncos under Josh McDaniels . With a new 3 - 4 defense the Denver Broncos gave up the fewest points in the NFL ( 66 ) during the first six games of the season , and made their way to their first 6 – 0 start since the 1998 season in which they won Super Bowl XXXIII . The Broncos went 2 and 8 the rest of the way , and missed the playoffs . On January 18 , 2010 Mike Nolan and Josh McDaniels mutually decided Nolan would resign as the defensive coordinator of the Denver Broncos . On January 19 , 2010 , Nolan was hired by the Miami Dolphins as Defensive Coordinator . On January 17 , 2012 , Nolan was hired by the Atlanta Falcons as Defensive Coordinator Suit issue . Following his hiring by the 49ers , Nolan asked the NFL for permission to wear a suit and tie on the sidelines as a tribute to his father . The league initially denied Nolan ' s request because of the contract it has with Reebok for its coaches to wear team - logo attire , a ruling that was changed during Nolan ' s second season as coach . In the new NFL policy , coaches were allowed to wear a full suit for only two home games per season . The suits were designed , marketed and labeled under the Reebok corporation . Nolan debuted the suit in a game at home against the Seattle Seahawks on November 19 , 2006 . A day later , Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Jack Del Rio sported another Reebok suit on Monday Night Football . After further lobbying by Nolan , the NFL and Reebok reached an agreement to allow suits to be worn at all home games in the 2007 season . Coaching tree . Mike Nolan has been linked to more than one coaching tree . He was a defensive coordinator for Brian Billick ( who is part of the Sid Gillman / Bill Walsh coaching tree ) , Al Groh ( who is part of the Bill Parcells coaching tree ) , and Norv Turner ( part of the Jimmy Johnson tree ) . However , Nolan is most directly related to Dan Reeves . Reeves brought Nolan with him from Denver ( where he was linebackers coach ) to be the New York Giants defensive coordinator in 1993 . Nolan excelled at the position and his success served as a springboard for later success with other teams . Personal life . Married ( to Kathy Nolan ) with four children , and a devout Roman Catholic . His sons are sometimes seen on the sidelines . He has three brothers and two sisters . Attended Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose , California . Mike Nolan ' s father , former 49ers coach Dick Nolan , died at age 75 on November 11 , 2007 , just a day before Mike ' s 49ers were to take on the Seattle Seahawks . Nolan decided to coach the Monday Night Football game in honor of his dad , but was not able to get the win .