Atlanta Falcons coach Arthur Smith played guard at North Carolina from 2001-05. He battled injuries and didn’t play a lot during his college career, but quickly began his coaching career with the Tar Heels as a graduate assistant in 2006.
After one year as a grad assistant with his alma mater, Smith moved to the NFL as a quality control assistant.
Do you care to guess where he started his NFL coaching career?
If you guessed the then-Washington Redskins, you’d be correct.
Smith joined Washington in 2007 under Joe Gibbs, where he spent two seasons as a defensive quality control coach. Smith’s father, Fred, was a minority partner of former owner Daniel Snyder until their falling out.
So, directly or indirectly, Smith has multiple connections to the Commanders and quarterback Sam Howell. Howell, like Smith, played football at UNC. When Howell was preparing for the NFL draft in 2022, Smith paid a visit to Chapel Hill to scout Howell, where he was spotted on the sidelines with North Carolina head coach Mack Brown.
UNC HC Mack Brown and Atlanta Falcons HC Arthur Smith linked up.
Falcons thinking Sam Howell at #8⁉️
📸: via @CoachMackBrown pic.twitter.com/rZ0LWlX68x
— PFF College (@PFF_College) March 23, 2022
In preparation for the Week 6 game against Washington, Smith offered the following scouting report on his fellow UNC alum.
“I think Sam Howell’s done a good job there,” Smith said. “I don’t know what the numbers are, but he’s tougher than hell. He’s very accurate, and he’ll sit in there. You have to respect that.”
Smith then praised Washington’s skill position players, naming Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson, Curtis Samuel, Dyami Brown, Brian Robinson Jr., Logan Thomas and Antonio Gibson.
Smith was later asked to compare Howell and the quarterback the Falcons selected over Howell in the 2022 NFL draft, Desmond Ridder.
“They’re different players,” Smith said of Howell and Ridder. “I knew a lot about Sam, just following him, they recruit, going to North Carolina. Broke a lot of records there, a vertical passer. I think the same thing; you see it now in the NFL, he throws a very accurate deep ball. I think he’s tougher than hell…….that’s a good passing attack……he’s resilient, he’s a smart football player……we got a lot of respect for Sam.”
Smith praised Howell’s toughness, which means he probably will challenge that toughness sometime on Sunday.
