Atlanta Falcons: Arthur Smith’s acumen, football IQ are palpable
By Adam Zippan
Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith has been a breath of fresh air listening to his virtual interviews and press conferences.
The Atlanta Falcons are lucky to have Arthur Smith running the show. He has a sharp mind, is very articulate and somewhat unflappable. And from what he’s shown thus far speaking to the media and at offseason workouts, it’s a far cry from what the organization had in Dan Quinn previously.
All this should no doubt translate to the football field on Sundays once the 2021 NFL season begins. It should be the polar opposite in terms of what Dan Quinn shoveled and spewed to incredulous fans for the past six seasons.
A coach of Smith’s stature is what this team and fanbase has longed for desperately. Gone are the clownish Dan Quinn idioms, expressions and slogans that most fans never believed and saw right through.
In a recent interview with Chris Collinsworth, Smith did not pull any punches and was succinct and to the point. Specifically, Collinsworth mentioned the trade of Julio Jones being the ultimate going away present that the Falcons threw back to the Tennessee Titans (with a smile). Smith did not look amused after that comment. To his credit, he was very careful with his response and kept his cards close to his chest.
Collinsworth went right after the two most vulnerable transactions for the Atlanta Falcons this offseason: drafting Kyle Pitts and trading Jones. Smith masterfully diffused the two loaded questions as to why they passed on drafting a quarterback and why they drafted Pitts instead.
Quinn never possessed the ability to handle difficult and controversial questions and/or topics. He would usually just go off on a tangent and attempt to diffuse any situation by changing the subject with coach speak. This is something that fans will not get with Arthur Smith, as he is the real deal.
As training camp begins next month and the 2021 regular season comes soon than later, it is to be expected that there will be challenges for a rookie head coach like Arthur Smith. Mistakes will be made, as no coach is perfect, but all faith should be had in Smith to work his way through them.
As long as Smith doesn’t stand on the sidelines with the “deer in the headlights” look that Dan Quinn had plastered on his face almost on a weekly basis, then he should make the smooth transition to a successful head coach.
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Both Smith and general manager Arthur Fontenot are two of the most astute men to ever run the Atlanta Falcons. Even though the 2021 season will most likely be a losing one, the future looks very bright.