steve sarkisian had been desperate for another chance. He saw a meteoric rise to the head coaching job with the USC Trojans crash before him in the midst of scandal and addiction. The Alabama Crimson Tide gave him a chance to work loosely with the squad, which led to him being hired as the team's offensive coordinator following the season. The move lasted all of one game, as the coach was then hired to the same position with the Atlanta Falcons on Tuesday.

A leap to the NFL

Sarkisian came almost out of left field for the Atlanta Falcons. After all, he had just become the offensive coordinator at the top college football program.

He only had one year of experience at the NFL level, serving as the Oakland Raiders' quarterback coach in 2004. Plus, he simply didn't appear to be in position to dictate his own future due to his recent past.

But an opening became available on Monday afternoon, when former Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan made his expected move to become the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers. He was ridiculed following the Super Bowl for moving away from the run game at a pivotal clock-killing time, a mistake Sarkisian likely won't repeat if he can help guide the team back to the big game.

Personal problems

Sarkisian wouldn't have been in this position if it weren't for a stunning fall from grace.

After serving as the offensive coordinator at USC for several years, he was hired as the head coach at the University of Washington in 2009. After five successful seasons, he was able to return to USC, this time in the role of head coach. He went 9-4 during his first season before it all fell apart.

Sarkisian showed up to a booster event for USC appearing intoxicated.

He also showed up to a practice later on appearing in the same state, leading to a termination the coach filed a lawsuit over, calling his alcoholism a disability. Meanwhile, offensive coordinator Clay Helton took over the team. It's unclear how much patience the Atlanta Falcons will have in terms of his behavior, as Sarkisian hasn't been in the spotlight for over a year.