The Atlanta Falcons’ third season under head coach Arthur Smith hasn’t gone any better than the first two. They have a 6-8 record and would have to win all three of their remaining games to avoid their third straight losing season. In Week 15 they lost 9-7 to the Carolina Panthers, the worst team in the NFL, which almost entirely crushed their hopes of a playoff berth.
There’s more: Smith has benched struggling second-year quarterback Desmond Ridder several times in favor of Taylor Heinicke, which didn’t result in an improvement in the team’s fortunes. Smith has also criminally misused Bijan Robinson, an explosive running back who was drafted eighth overall by the Falcons in April.
And that’s not even a full accounting of the Falcons’ problems. So it’s no surprise that owner Arthur Blank has yet to make a decision about Smith’s future as head coach. In an interview with Georgia Public Broadcasting’s Jeff Hullinger, Blank said that he is committed to Smith for the final three games of the season, but wouldn’t go beyond that.
We are committed to Coach Smith. We are going to play these last three games; we are committed to win. We will let the season play out and go from there. Obviously, this has not been the kind of year we expected; you would hear that from Coach Smith, you would hear it from our fans and our players. We understand that; we understand the challenges. At the end of the year, we will assess where we are and go from there.
Blank said that making the playoffs this year isn’t a requirement of Smith retaining his job, but he hasn’t exactly succeeded at fielding a better team.
The requirement was we have more of a competitive team this year. I think through this part of the season, it’s been mixed, quite honestly, that’s what I think. And that’s what the coach would say. Arthur [Smith] is a very honest, very — (pause). He looks at himself very critically, so he comes from a beautiful family, that has great values and he reflects those values in his leadership the best he can. So, we’ll see how the season plays out and go from there.
When Hollinger pointed out to Blank that an NFL team is a public business and Blank has to “please the fans,” Blank gave his most revealing answer yet.
It’s about pleasing the fans, but you have to put a product on the field that represents the best of our roster, the best of what we can put together. In my case, it’s having the best people we can making decisions. I don’t want to be in a position ever of having to pick players. I’ve never done that. I wouldn’t know how to do it. I’m like a fan in that regard, I have opinions, so does Jeff, and everyone else in Atlanta. It’s making sure we have right people. I would make sure they have all the resources and they are making the decisions they should make to putting a winning product on the field. That’s their job.
Does Blank believe Smith is the “best person” to make decisions for the Falcons? We may not know until Black Monday, the day after the final NFL games of the regular season. This season that day is Jan. 8, 2024, which isn’t that far away — though it may feel much longer for Falcons fans.
