There’s no doubt that when Atlanta hired Mike Smith as the new Falcons coach that they got a likeable person.
Nonetheless, Arthur Blank please don’t tell us that this is the guy you wanted and how you checked out his reference for two weeks before deciding he is right for your Falcons.
It always makes me nervous when a person who has never been a head coach at any level of his career takes over the helm of a major college or professional team.
Ray Goff (Georgia) and Mike Shula (Alabama) are the first to come to mind.
Operating by trial and error at the top level can be a risky venture.
Operating by trial and error at the top level can be a risky venture.
However, the deeper you look for positives in Smith the more you find.
He has a direct tie to Tennessee where he has spent much of his time playing and coaching.
Smith got his start as a linebacker for East Tennessee from 1977-1981. He was an aggressive player who was twice named defensive MVP and led his team in tackles as a senior with 186.
That’s good. However, it’s bad that he can’t go back and watch his old school play or coach one of the Buccaneers. East Tennessee State no longer has a football program.
He was a part time assistant coach at San Diego State from 1982-’85.
That’s bad, unless you and your family like the beach and one of the best zoos in America.
He was the defensive line coach at Morehead State in 1986.
That’s bad, unless you always wanted to coach in Phil Simms Stadium in the middle of nowhere. And family members would always be hassling you to give them a Morehead cap.
That’s bad, unless you always wanted to coach in Phil Simms Stadium in the middle of nowhere. And family members would always be hassling you to give them a Morehead cap.
Smith moved on to Tennessee Tech where he stayed from 1987-1998. He spent time as the defensive coordinator, defensive line coach and special teams coach during that time.
That’s good. Cookeville is a nice town and the Cumberland County Playhouse is down the road in Crossville. There’s always some kind of big time play there.
In fact, the Broadway Family Musical Peter Pan by Carolyn Leigh, Adolph Green and Betty Comden, with music by Jule Styne and Mark Charlap opens on Feb. 1.
The Cumberland County Playhouse is now the only major non-profit professional performing arts resource in rural Tennessee, and one of the 10 largest professional theaters in rural America, according to the theatre’s website.
Sorry, couldn’t resist impressing the readers with some culture.
The Tennessee Tech folks are proud of Smith. The story of him taking over the Falcons is posted on the school’s football website.
Smith got his break in 1999. He was hired to coach linebackers by the Baltimore Ravens and was later named the defensive coordinator.
There, Smith got a Super Bowl championship ring (XXXV) in 2000 with a defense that set an NFL regular season record by allowing only 165 points.
Now, that’s real good.
He was named the defensive coordinator with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2003. His Jacksonville defense ranked fourth in overall defense (296.6) and third in offensive points allowed (16.1) from 2003-2006. The 2007 defensive unit finished with the AFCs fifth-best rushing defense, holding opponents to an average of 100.3 yards per game.
That’s pretty good.
The assessment of Smith’s career leaves the final opinion tally at two that’s good; two that’s bad; one that’s pretty good and one that’s real good.
So, looking at Smith being hired as the new Atlanta coach gives the Falcons a win.
That’s not bad, victories have been hard to come by in Atlanta.
That’s good. Cookeville is a nice town and the Cumberland County Playhouse is down the road in Crossville. There’s always some kind of big time play there.
In fact, the Broadway Family Musical Peter Pan by Carolyn Leigh, Adolph Green and Betty Comden, with music by Jule Styne and Mark Charlap opens on Feb. 1.
The Cumberland County Playhouse is now the only major non-profit professional performing arts resource in rural Tennessee, and one of the 10 largest professional theaters in rural America, according to the theatre’s website.
Sorry, couldn’t resist impressing the readers with some culture.
The Tennessee Tech folks are proud of Smith. The story of him taking over the Falcons is posted on the school’s football website.
Smith got his break in 1999. He was hired to coach linebackers by the Baltimore Ravens and was later named the defensive coordinator.
There, Smith got a Super Bowl championship ring (XXXV) in 2000 with a defense that set an NFL regular season record by allowing only 165 points.
Now, that’s real good.
He was named the defensive coordinator with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2003. His Jacksonville defense ranked fourth in overall defense (296.6) and third in offensive points allowed (16.1) from 2003-2006. The 2007 defensive unit finished with the AFCs fifth-best rushing defense, holding opponents to an average of 100.3 yards per game.
That’s pretty good.
The assessment of Smith’s career leaves the final opinion tally at two that’s good; two that’s bad; one that’s pretty good and one that’s real good.
So, looking at Smith being hired as the new Atlanta coach gives the Falcons a win.
That’s not bad, victories have been hard to come by in Atlanta.
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