The Falcons got off to a fast start, coming off an unlikely victory over the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay, Desmond Ridder’s first road win. It’s been a muddy mess since then.
Ridder, Arthur Smith, and the offense have all failed miserably. Atlanta has been defeated by Will Levis, who made his NFL debut, and Josh Dobbs, who made his Viking debut less than a week after being acquired via trade. Dobbs didn’t even know the names of his teammates or the snap cadence, let alone the playbook.
It was a crushing defeat, and the team still doesn’t have a quarterback. Taylor Heinicke made his first start for the Falcons, and it went about as expected. He pushed the ball further down the field than Ridder, resulting in more big plays, but at a cost. He made similar rash throws.
But Arthur Smith appears to have already declared war on Ridder, right? Wrong. During Tuesday’s press conference, Falcons head coach Dan Quinn stated that the position would be reassessed during the bye week following the Cardinals game.
This team lacks both a direction and a signal caller, both of which fall to Arthur Smith. Some fans have called for his resignation, which I disagree with.
Sure, his seat should be getting warm, but making broad decisions in the middle of the season, when the playoffs are still within reach, would be insane.
That is not to say he should be guaranteed a job. However, if we look at Arthur Blank’s M.O., it is to hang on to coaches for too long and not to be ahead of the curve. Vegas appears to agree. Smith isn’t even in their top seven candidates for the next coach to be fired, trailing Sean McVay, Brian Daboll, and Matt LaFleur, all of whom aren’t on the verge of being fired.
Leave a Reply