If Week 18 seems to be Arthur Smith’s remaining sport as Atlanta Falcons head coach, it is going to be remembered extra for his postgame confrontation with New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen than anything.
Atlanta was blown out 48-17 towards New Orleans of their common season finale. Smith used his assembly with Allen at midfield following the sport to air his grievances over the Saints’ choice to run a play out of victory formation for a garbage-time landing with 1:10 remaining within the fourth quarter.
Afterward, Allen defended Smith’s response and apologized to the beleaguered head coach, saying gamers overrode his name for a kneel-down.
“That is not who we’re, not what we’re about,” mentioned Allen, failing to grasp {that a} petty, meaningless landing towards the Falcons is strictly what the Saints are about.
Allen’s admission suggests he does not have the command of the locker room that he ought to and is as dangerous a glance as Smith pouting over getting blown out in a rivalry sport. Smith’s overblown response is likely to be as a result of his realizing that he’s in all probability hours away from being fired on “Black Monday.” In December, reports surfaced that the Falcons’ third-year head coach was secure barring a late-season collapse.
That is precisely what occurred over the ultimate two weeks of the common season, although. In consecutive losses to the Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints, the Falcons had been outscored 85-24.
On Sunday, NFL insiders Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport reported that Atlanta is a group to look out for ought to they half methods from Smith and the Patriots transfer on from head coach Invoice Belichick.
Jim Harbaugh seems more likely to return to the NFL following Michigan’s Faculty Soccer Playoff championship sport look and the Falcons could possibly be an intriguing vacation spot for him, too.
The Falcons have proficient younger playmakers in tight finish Kyle Pitts, broad receiver Drake London and working again Bijan Robinson. With a top-10 decide within the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft, Atlanta is in a chief place to draft a quarterback in a promising class.
After a promising first half towards the Saints, quarterback Desmond Ridder confirmed why he is higher fitted to a beginning job within the UFL with a number of poor throws within the second half, together with an interception, one other would-be decide and an terrible fourth-down throw to Robinson in the long run zone.
The Falcons will in all probability have a distinct head coach and quarterback for the 2024 season, making Sunday’s embarrassing loss to the Saints an ignominious method for the Smith period to finish. We might in all probability be upset, too.
