Falcons players make it clear how they feel about Arthur Smith

Arthur Smith is seemingly coaching for his job over the next three weeks, and it’s obvious the loss to the 1-12 Panthers sparked this debate about his job security.

Arthur Blank’s stance on the situation hasn’t changed. When asked about the future of his head coach, Blank said, “We’re gonna play these last three games; we play ’em to win ’em. And we’ll let the season play out and go from there. Obviously this has not been the kind of year we expected.”

Even after a convincing Falcons win over the Colts, Blank’s attitude hasn’t changed. He’ll still wait to make a decision one way or the other, at least publically, until after the season.

It seems Atlanta’s owner isn’t too keen on firing his head coach. He’s 81 years old, doesn’t want to go through the grueling process of finding a new head coach, and actually likes Arthur Smith. Whether fans like it or not, those factors go into Blank’s decision.

Another important facet in all of this is the locker room. The NFL is a results-oriented business, and Arthur Smith has certainly fallen short in that department. However, it’s clear how his players feel about him.

From the quarterbacks who have been benched to the most respected voices in the locker room, Falcons players absolutely love playing for Arthur Smith. Calais Campbell has more cache in Atlanta than just about any player, so when he says the team is fighting for their head coach, that has to resonate.

“Sometimes you can tell when the energy is bad in the locker room, you can tell change might be coming,” Calais Campbell said. “We haven’t had that feeling. Just logically speaking, when you lose ballgames and you don’t achieve, people are going to get fired. But we’re definitely fighting to show we believe in him. I think he’s a great leader.”

It’s going to come down to wins and losses, but if Arthur Blank is looking for any excuse to keep Arthur Smith in Atlanta next year, the locker room being 100% behind the head coach is certainly a convincing one.

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Photographer: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire