Falcons owner non-committal on future of HC Arthur Smith
Sunday's ugly loss to the Carolina Panthers might have been the low-point of head coach Arthur Smith's disappointing tenure, and it put a big dent in their chances in the Atlanta Falcons' NFC South playoff race.
With one more loss the Falcons will clinch their third consecutive losing season under Smith, and it is reasonable to conclude that his job could be in jeopardy.
Team owner Arthur Blank spoke about Smith's status on Tuesday and was non-committal on Smith's future.
In speaking with Jeff Hullinger of Georgia Public Broadcasting, Blank said he is committed to Smith and wants to see the team play out the final three games of the regular season. He also said making the playoffs is not necessarily a requirement for Smith to keep his job.
“We are committed to coach Smith. We are going to play these last three games. We are committed to win. We will let the season play out and go from there. Obviously, this has not been the kind of year we expected. You would hear that from coach Smith; you would hear it from our fans, and our players. We understand that. We understand the challenges. At the end of the year, we will assess where we are and go from there.”
While the playoffs may not have been a requirement it still seems like a long-shot to expect Smith to be back next season. Especially given Blank's history with head coaches.
Since purchasing the team in 2002 he has had a quick hook with coaches that do not make the playoffs multiple years in a row. Jim Mora Jr. was fired after missing the playoffs two years in a row. The same was true for Mike Smith and Dan Quinn.
Smith is the only coach in the Blank-era with the Falcons that was brought back after consecutive non-playoff seasons, and that is almost certainly because they were his first two years on the job.
If they miss again that would be three consecutive years. That would be tough for Smith to come back from given that last year's NFC South was won with a losing record (Tampa Bay at 8-9) and there is a possibility that could happen again this season as Tampa Bay and New Orleans are tied for the top spot at 7-7 going into Week 16 of the season.
Dropping Sunday's game to previously 1-12 Carolina is going to be a tough one for Smith to come back from, especially if he does not get a strong finish out of the team over the next three weeks.
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