30 best NFL head coaching hires of the 21st century

Realistically, Mike Smith’s time with the Atlanta Falcons was pretty outstanding. Sure, he was only 1-4 in the playoffs and his last couple of seasons in town weren’t great. Still, the overall impact he had on the Atlanta franchise can’t be overlooked.

It’s even more impressive when you consider that the Falcons gig was Smith’s first and only head coaching job (so far). Despite his lack of experience in a leading role, he managed double-digit wins in four of his first five seasons in Atlanta. That’s not bad, even with the amount of talent he had at his disposal.

Things went south in the final two seasons of his stay with the Falcons. After going 4-12 and 6-10, ownership opened the door for a new face to take over as head coach. While it was an unexciting exit for Smith, calling his time with the team anything other than a success would be failing to give credit where it’s due.

When his stint with the Falcons was over, Smith had amassed a 66-46 record. That’s the best in franchise history among all head coaches with more than one season at the helm.

Seeing as Smith was honored with the 2008 AP NFL Coach of the Year award as a rookie head coach, I’d say he made a rather positive mark on the Falcons.