With the NFL regular season two weeks away and teams working hard to be ready and build a winning team that is hoped to be a championship-caliber roster, it all starts with the head guy at the top. The NFL has 32 teams, and with that comes the exclusive fraternity of being one of the 32 vitally important NFL head coaches.
While each of the 32 head coaches has their own unique story, let’s take a look at the Atlanta Falcons and their current head coach.
Update 01/08/2024: Following the 2023 NFL season, the Atlanta Falcons have decided to move on from Arthur Smith as their head coach. Smith finished with a 21-30 record during his three seasons with Atlanta.
Who Is Arthur Smith?
The Falcons’ current head coach is Arthur Smith. Smith started his coaching career in 2006 as a graduate assistant at North Carolina, where he played offensive line.
He moved to the NFL in 2007, working for Joe Gibbs in Washington. After one year at Ole Miss, Smith joined the Tennessee Titans as the defensive assistant and quality control coach in 2011. He then switched to being an offensive assistant in 2012 and worked his way up to becoming the Titans’ offensive coordinator in 2019.
How Long Has Smith Been the Falcons’ Head Coach?
Smith is entering his third season leading the Falcons. He was hired in January 2021 to the position after the Titans scored 491 points (30.7 points per game). He is the 17th-most tenured coach in the NFL.
Who Was the Falcons’ Head Coach Before Smith?
Before Smith, Dan Quinn was Atlanta’s head coach for almost six seasons. But after the team started 0-5 in 2020, he was ultimately fired. Raheem Morris, who was promoted from defensive coordinator, went 4-7 to finish the season.
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Quinn led the Falcons to the team’s first Super Bowl appearance in 2017. Atlanta lost Super Bowl LI, unfortunately, to the Patriots even though they led 28-3 in the second half.
Quinn had an overall winning record (43-42) with the Falcons, but the team had just two winning seasons under Quinn. The Super Bowl appearance was the only time Quinn led the Falcons to the playoffs.
What Is Arthur Smith’s Record with Atlanta?
Smith’s record with the Falcons is 14-20 and ranks 23rd in Pro Football Network’s NFL head coach rankings. After two seasons, Smith’s .412 winning percentage ranks ninth all-time out of 18 Falcons’ head coaches.
Has Arthur Smith Ever Won a Super Bowl?
No. Smith has never reached the Super Bowl. The closest he came to the big game was in 2019 when the Titans lost to the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game. It was the team’s first AFC Championship Game appearance in 17 years. Smith reached the playoffs as a coach two other times — in 2019 with Tennessee and 2007 with Washington.