78 replies to this topic

[tobyd77]

Man I remember this game in 09" against the skins when Smitty got into what appeared to have been a HC and CB scuffle with CB WSH Redskin ex Falcon Deanglo Hall after a late hit by Laron Landry and this scene right here after Laron Landry tried to take out Matt Ryan showed a character of a man that will do what it takes to protect his team and showed that he can be taken seriously and demands the respect form his team and staff.

To many of us have said that smitty was to nice to MM and BVG when it came to running this team and I was one of them I'm not going to lie but this guys if the situation calls for it will get up in your face and he don't care how big you might be.

[PSSSHHHRRR87]

I like Smitty as our coach... he just needs to coach us to a playoff win.  Now with BVG and MM gone, he has no excuses.

[raysnill1]

while I admired coach for handling his business and taking care of his guys, as big of a Falcon homer I am, I'm still struggling with the 4th & inches calls. it's one thing to lose games by getting out-played but to lose by bad decisions is something else. hopefully with the new coordinators he won't have to make those decisions in the future

[JayOzOne]

ATL87, on 18 April 2012 - 10:17 PM, said:

I like Smitty as our coach... he just needs to coach us to a playoff win.  Now with BVG and MM gone, he has no excuses.

I'm pretty sure he wouldn't want to use them as excuses.  They didn't leave with those losses on their career records.  He's the HC and he's ultimately responsible.  I have a feeling that the players are going to see a different, more direct side to Smitty this season.

[paulitik]

That's the Smitty we need to see more often. I love Smitty, and I hope he's our coach for a long time. I agree with Arthur's new philosophy, modeling after the Steelers looking for long term candidates and a stable environment.

That said, I have issues with Smitty's conservative nature. Comments like "take what the defense gives you" and "Try to win all your home games and hope to win half your road games" don't tell me we are confident that we can beat any team. The press conferences after the Giants game were so telling. We concede to the enemy's strengths and don't even try what we think we might not be good at.

Normally, you'd think a 4th and inches call means you have confidence in your team, but Smitty calls those plays out of fear. Afraid of Drew Brees getting back on the field. Afraid of only putting up 3 pts on the Giants. He needs to get this team playing with angry confidence. I hope with the new coordinators he adjusts some of the timid philosophies and stops playing afraid against good teams.

[Dirty Bird Nation]

He hasn't shown the same passion ever since he got fined for that incident.

[madman88]

Smitty already said we want to be a great football team.. "WE WANT GREATNESS" thats all i need to hear lets get it smitty

[Aftermath]

I like Smitty, but coming out flat in 2 playoff games doesn't sit well with me.

[hjerry]

I don't want Smitty to be remembered as the coach who never won a playoff game. He's done so much for us. He deserves postseason wins just as much as anyone else.

[youngbloodz]

Yeah I still would have preferred Rex Ryan. I have lost faith in Smitty. His conservative style won't win us any playoff games. So either his style needs to change or we do

[Dem Birds]

I miss Antoine Harris. Sorry, I just saw him in the scuffle and I was always a fan. The Toolbox.

[madman88]

Dem Birds, on 18 April 2012 - 11:01 PM, said:

I miss Antoine Harris. Sorry, I just saw him in the scuffle and I was always a fan. The Toolbox.

him and weems was the ST bullies

[hjerry]

Dem Birds, on 18 April 2012 - 11:01 PM, said:

I miss Antoine Harris. Sorry, I just saw him in the scuffle and I was always a fan. The Toolbox.

Poor guy, three straight season ending injuries, no wonder noone signed him in 2011

[Dem Birds]

madman88, on 18 April 2012 - 11:07 PM, said:

him and weems was the ST bullies

Yeah, I watched the last 15 minutes of the 2010 Ravens game on youtube last night and that awesome ST tackle that Weems made after we took the lead to force them to start at like the 12 yard line was a thing of beauty. I'm going to miss him too. ST aces are so under appreciated. Those guys were ballers for us.

[Bleed-Black&Red]

paulitik, on 18 April 2012 - 10:38 PM, said:

That's the Smitty we need to see more often. I love Smitty, and I hope he's our coach for a long time. I agree with Arthur's new philosophy, modeling after the Steelers looking for long term candidates and a stable environment.

That said, I have issues with Smitty's conservative nature. Comments like "take what the defense gives you" and "Try to win all your home games and hope to win half your road games" don't tell me we are confident that we can beat any team. The press conferences after the Giants game were so telling. We concede to the enemy's strengths and don't even try what we think we might not be good at.

Normally, you'd think a 4th and inches call means you have confidence in your team, but Smitty calls those plays out of fear. Afraid of Drew Brees getting back on the field. Afraid of only putting up 3 pts on the Giants. He needs to get this team playing with angry confidence. I hope with the new coordinators he adjusts some of the timid philosophies and stops playing afraid against good teams.

I feel the exact same way.

[wayofthetruth]

raysnill1, on 18 April 2012 - 10:20 PM, said:

while I admired coach for handling his business and taking care of his guys, as big of a Falcon homer I am, I'm still struggling with the 4th & inches calls. it's one thing to lose games by getting out-played but to lose by bad decisions is something else. hopefully with the new coordinators he won't have to make those decisions in the future

Drew brees makes mike smith piss his pants....when your coach comes out and admits hes scared of a team and crys about a blow-out loss against them in the SAME season......you know changes need to be made

[egoprime II]

raysnill1, on 18 April 2012 - 10:20 PM, said:

while I admired coach for handling his business and taking care of his guys, as big of a Falcon homer I am, I'm still struggling with the 4th & inches calls. it's one thing to lose games by getting out-played but to lose by bad decisions is something else. hopefully with the new coordinators he won't have to make those decisions in the future

The fourth down calls were not bad decisions.  Smitty is right...if your team can't get less than a yard for a first down, you don't deserve to be in the pros.

[REDnBLACK_98]

i understand that coordinators coach the way they are instructed by their head coach.  I think Atlanta had this turned backwards for a while.   MM  and  BVG  were so conservative and even when advised to get more aggressive or explosive,  they simply did not know how.  Over time,  this became Mike Smith's method as well.

One thing is for sure.  The two coordinators we have now are anything but conservative.  Hopefully HC Smith will turn em loose and let them coordinate.  Get back to the fire we saw when we first hired him.   If he does that,   we will soon be able to forget about calling him "the coach who can't win in the playoffs".

Cmon guys.  Can't you feel a little something is brewing in the ATL?   I have a gut feeling that our Falcons are about to do great things.

[Falcanuck]

youngbloodz, on 18 April 2012 - 11:00 PM, said:

Yeah I still would have preferred Rex Ryan. I have lost faith in Smitty. His conservative style won't win us any playoff games. So either his style needs to change or we do

Rex Ryan is the biggest disgrace to coaching the NFL has ever seen. His locker room is a circus. Mike Smith is a better coach and a better man than that feet-loving idiot.

[Xfactor]

Here's my observation on Smitty.  The first question after watching the video is why doesn't his passion carryover into his game plannning ? Answer being a rookie head coach with a rookie GM a new unproven QB we just drafted in the first round and Arthur Blank  that would make any rookie HC conservative.

It's hard to be aggressive as a rookie HC with an owner like Blank who is hands on and all to eager to voice his opinion on any given day. A rookie GM who is also full of ideas and opinions and I'm sure that lead to closing his office door on some days and saying F$#$# me I know i would.

Fast forward 3 seasons TD has grown more confident in his position and I also believe Blank is starting to cut the puppet strings. Giving Smith the benefit of the doubt here old habits are hard to break.  Maybe we saw a little bit of that aggressiveness come out last year in his decisions to go for it on 4th down. Even in overtime against the Saints that decided the game but I applaud his courage and playing to win.

This year I want to see his passion transfer over to the players and take more control during the game instead of wrting notes in his little pad. Hopefully with new coordiantors we will see a team and a HC who will attack more on both sides of the ball.  If he regresses at all or can't take the next step in coaching he'll be gone I don't care what his W/L record is.

Edited by Xfactor, 19 April 2012 - 07:58 AM.