FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. – There has been no “win now or else” mandate from Falcons owner Arthur Blank to coach Arthur Smith in recent days. That won’t happen. That shouldn’t exist. Smith will not be fired this week, next week, or any time soon. In fact, the only possibility that Smith doesn’t come back as the team’s coach in 2024 is if there’s evidence that the players are turning him off (which hasn’t happened yet), or that the team is completely unhinged (yet not that far) or Smith suddenly accepts the reality that he was able to climb the career ladder at Federal Express very, very, very quickly.
I’m sorry to quell the unrest on social media.
But the Falcons aren’t a good football team right now, and two people should be feeling pretty excited: One is Smith, who sold Blank on his vision for the offense and how to rebuild a roster. The other is general manager Terry Fontenot, the team’s co-founder. Atlanta has lost six of its last eight games and has a record of 4-6 in the bye week, leaving fans crying over his firing.
GO DEEPER
The Falcons begin their bye and have a lot to figure out, starting with quarterback
Smith understands the criticism, but doesn’t let it consume him.
“I’m an old lineman – I’m used to getting my ass busted,” he told The Athletic.
“Before, it was just a matter of writing a column. There are now 7,000 forums for outrage. I get it. But you can’t take care of everything around you, things you can’t control. Like I said, if you’re worried about that, don’t sign up for professional sports.”
Blank was silent. His emotions still fluctuate, just as they did at the start of his managerial tenure, but he is now far less likely to comment publicly on his football team’s ups and downs. He declined to comment for this column. But team sources say he has supported Smith behind the scenes, even while acknowledging he expects to progress this season.
The fans’ outrage is understandable. After a more than two-year rebuild that saw the team go 14-20, the Falcons were expected to win in 2023, with a projected win total of at least nine. To achieve that, they would need to take a 5-2 lead after the bye. Smith’s decision to start the season with Desmond Ridder didn’t pay off, and with backup Taylor Heinicke suffering a hamstring injury in Sunday’s loss at Arizona, it’s likely that Ridder will start against the Saints next week. Playoff hopes will likely live or die with him.
The Falcons have lost their last three games against mediocre teams – the Titans, Vikings and Cardinals – by 5, 3 and 2 points, respectively. In the final two-plus minutes of the last two losses, they rallied to take the lead, but fell short after watching Minnesota drive 75 yards for the game-winning touchdown and the Cardinals drive 74 yards for the game-winning field goal. In one week, they were beaten by drifter Josh Dobbs, who had been through six NFL camps since 2022. The next week they were beaten by Kyler Murray, who hadn’t played a game in a year.
“That’s what makes you sick – we had stuff on our plate and didn’t get it done,” Smith said.
Here’s the problem: Good teams make these plays and win these games. He knows it. Blank knows this. The question is whether Smith, his staff and the players can make enough corrections and win enough games to win the NFC South, the Baltic Avenue of the NFL’s Monopoly board. The Bucs won the division last year with a record of 8-9. That could happen again.
But firing anyone now would be premature, if not foolish. No one who understands the roster turnover and salary cap issues in 2021 and 2022 would evaluate the coach based on wins and losses in those two seasons. Progress and win-loss record are absolutely important this year, but the season can only be assessed in its entirety, not after 10 games.
It’s worth noting that Blank has only fired a coach once this season – Dan Quinn, after an 0-5 start in 2020, and that was more of a fallout from the previous two years. (Dan Reeves left with three games remaining in the 2003 season after pressing Blank about his status and learning he would not be retained after the season.)
Smith needs to fix the offense. The defense was strong in the first few weeks but was hampered by injuries, particularly the loss of All-Pro Grady Jarrett. Overcoming this problem will require more scoring, more efficient quarterback play, and more consistency in pass protection and run blocking. This is all in Smith’s carriage wheelhouse, or should be.
Bye Week is about reflection and self-assessment. Smith won’t say whether he plans any major changes. But he doesn’t run away from responsibility.
“The offense and the quarterback get a lot of attention, but it’s also about looking at yourself as a head coach,” he said in his press conference. “There are things I can do to manage the game better. But ultimately I have to be a better head coach.
“I’m not trying to be a martyr. If you’re not getting the results you want, look at your process.”
His confidence about a turnaround is not misplaced. He sees most problems – ball losses, penalties, missed tackles – as solvable. Four of the six defeats only came in the last seconds. The locker room is not shattered. Some areas, like the red zone and the running game on Sunday, improved.
“If it was hopeless or morale was low, it’s completely different,” he said. “The results are what they are, but there is real evidence that we can fix this problem. If you’re sitting here trying to sell your dreams and you lose at 21, you kind of roll your eyes.”
When asked about the feeling of pressure, he referred to his four years of learning Latin and said, “Amor fati,” which roughly translates to “love of one’s own destiny.”
“That’s how you approach life,” he said. “That’s why I love this game. If you lose that perspective, you will be ashamed. Accept the good, the bad, the pressure.”
Blank won’t do anything for now. But he won’t do nothing forever.
Here’s another Latin phrase Smith should be familiar with: “Acta, non verba.” Translation: “Actions, not words.” Actions speak louder than words.
(Photo: Joe Camporeale / USA Today)