The first Black Monday dismissal is for the Falcons. Following its last defeat of the season, the franchise announced that it was dismissing Arthur Smith from his duties.
The coach will have spent three seasons on the Atlanta bench. His record has been the same every year: 7 victories, 10 defeats. In total, that makes 21 successes for 30 setbacks.
First with a Matt Ryan at the end of the cycle, then with Marcus Mariota, Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke, Smith never knew how to find the recipe to run the attack, which was nevertheless supposed to be his area of expertise.
Arthur Smith victim of his choices?
If he was not helped by his quarterbacks, Smith also sometimes questioned his choices. Kyle Pitts, Drake London and even sometimes Bijan Robinson, offensive players selected very high in the Draft, have often been used in a fairly limited way, despite seemingly enormous potential.
Thus, in three seasons, the Atlanta offense has never appeared in the Top 15 of the NFL, whether in yards gained or points scored. Arriving in 2021 on the bench after a rather interesting stint as offensive coordinator for the Titans, Smith may have to return to an assistant role to rebuild his reputation.
On the Falcons side, owner Arthur Blank must now look for the 19th coach in franchise history.
