It was somewhat amusing to see heads turning this week in regard to Arthur Smith’s status as coach of the Atlanta Falcons. It was reported before this weekend (as was my understanding) that Smith was likely to come back, barring some sort of season-ending collapse. When the Falcons fell to the Chicago Bears, many people looked up to see whether the sky was falling.
But this feels like as good a time as any to pause and take a breath. First, to note how ridiculous it would be to change one’s mind about keeping or firing a head coach based on a two-game sample size that didn’t include a Dolphins-Broncos style point spread (which, even in Week 3, wasn’t indicative of either team in 2023). Second, to note that Smith’s progress to this point has been significant when we consider both the parameters by which he entered the job, and what he has managed to get out of his young core of playmakers while clearly hamstrung at the quarterback position.
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