Despite spending gobs of cash this offseason on the roster and another top 10 draft pick, the Falcons continue to underachieve, and it’s beginning to look like Arthur Smith might not be the right coach for Atlanta.
Heralded for his offenses in Tennessee that led the Titans to a top seed in the AFC, along with national praise for Derrick Henry and Ryan Tannehill, Smith has come and made the Falcons’ offense one of the worst in the league.
Production wise, you could find some positives, but in terms of expectations and supporting casts, no offensive coordinator is doing less with more than Arthur Smith. Armed with three top 10 skill players and a slew of other talented weapons, the Falcons continue to falter on that side of the ball.
Quarterback play is the primary catalyst in Atlanta’s shortcomings; there’s no arguing that, but the decision to roll with Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke was Smith’s decision. He made his bed, and now he must lie in it.
We saw both signal callers against the Cardinals, and the results didn’t change. Both are incapable of being high-end starters in this league. The Falcons have failed to invest in the position, and the club’s middling record is the repercussion.
Arthur Smith’s seat has to be warming at the very least. There’s no reason to delay the inevitable, so I would urge Arthur Blank to make a decision one way or the other. Atlanta’s owner has never been the kind of guy to fire someone prematurely. He hung on to Mike Smith and Dan Quinn too long, so I seriously doubt he’s going to fire Arthur Smith anytime soon.
The Falcons are severely underachieving to this point, but there are still seven games to be played. Smith might be coaching for his job down the stretch. If Atlanta continues to nose-dive, we could be sitting here looking at the hiring pool.
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Photographer: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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