New Falcons coaching staff, same old Kyle Pitts

It wasn’t pretty, but the Falcons came out of Week 4 with a victory over the Saints, thanks to Atlanta’s special teams.

Younghoe Koo notched a career-best 58-yard field goal to win the game but also converted on another 50+ yarder earlier in the game, along with two other field goals. It wasn’t just Koo, though. Atlanta’s special team ace, KhaDarel Hodge, recovered a muffed Rashid Shaheed punt for a touchdown.

The Falcons’ special teams were responsible for 20 points on Sunday, along with the Troy Andersen pick-six, and they needed every single one because the offense put up zero points. It’s not sustainable, and one of the biggest talking points coming into the season continues to be a major concern.

Kyle Pitts put up a buckshot — 0 catches for 0 yards. Over four games, Atlanta’s 2021 fourth overall pick has logged 105 yards on eight catches and one touchdown. That stat line is even worse when you consider nearly half of those yards came from one catch against the Chiefs.

The hope was that poor quarterback play and injuries were the things dragging Kyle Pitts down, that Kirk Cousins, Zac Robinson, and health would propel the “unicorn” tight end to a season similar to his rookie campaign in which he eclipsed 1,000 yards en route to a Pro Bowl.

Unfortunately, it’s a new Falcons coaching staff, but it’s the same old Kyle Pitts, and Raheem Morris is giving fans PTSD with his post-game comments.

“Really, for me, stats are for losers, man,” Morris said. “I don’t get involved in that stuff. You go out and try to win each game. We were able to win it today, and that’s what we did.”

That sounds a whole lot like Arthur Smith. Of course, nobody cares if the Falcons are winning football games, and that was the same narrative with Smith about Pitts’ lack of production. We all know how that ended.

A supposed star player’s lack of impact is only a big deal if a team is losing because of it, but the Falcons are winning in spite of it. It’s not a recipe for sustained success, though. Arthur Smith brushed it off in a similar manner as Morris, and it’s not about padding stats.

However, there’s generally a direct correlation between a club’s best players performing and winning games. That’s a fact.

I’m not sure if the Falcons made a terrible decision drafting a tight end with the fourth overall pick a few years ago or if it’s more on Kyle Pitts. Regardless, it is clearly becoming clear that this was a mistake.

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