The Atlanta Falcons needed a win and a loss from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday to be crowned as NFC South Champions and make the playoffs. They got neither.
Now, they’re looking for a new coach.
Hours after Sunday’s season-ending loss to the New Orleans Saints, it was announced that the Falcons were moving on from coach Arthur Smith.
Team owner Arthur Blank explained the move on the team website.
“Decisions like this are never easy and they never feel good,” Blank said on AtlantaFalcons.com. “We have profound respect for Coach Smith and appreciate all the hard work and dedication he has put into the Falcons over the last three years. He has been part of building a good culture in our football team, but the results on the field have not met our expectations. After significant thought and reflection, we have determined the best way forward for our team is new leadership in the head coaching position.”
Scott Bair, the Digital Managing Editor for AtlantaFalcons.com also shared on Twitter/X that “Falcons say their coaching search begins immediately. Arthur Blank and Rich McKay will lead it with input from Terry Fontenot and others from the Falcons and AMB Sports and Entertainment.”
Smith’s final game with the Falcons was a notable one, albeit more for what happened after the game. Smith had an unpleasant exchange with Saints coach Dennis Allen after the game. That stemmed from New Orleans scoring a touchdown up 41-17 instead of taking a knee to run the clock out. Some of the Saints, including quarterback Jameis Winston, acknowledged after the game that Allen had called for a knee and that they decided to go against his wishes to get Jamaal Williams a touchdown.
Smith became Atlanta’s head coach following the 2020 season. Dennis Allen was fired after an 0-5 start and Raheem Morris replaced him, going 4-7 as the interim coach. Under Smith, the Falcons were consistently below average. Atlanta went 7-10 in all three of Smith’s seasons at the helm. The Falcons have still not made the playoffs or even had a winning season since going 10-6 in 2017.
[AtlantaFalcons.com, Scott Bair on Twitter/X]
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