Black Monday arrived a little after midnight for Arthur Smith.
Smith’s lasting image from that 34-point lopsided loss was a vulgar tirade directed toward Saints head coach Dennis Allen for scoring a late touchdown with the game out of reach in the fourth. Smith’s name became a trending online topic in the afternoon hours on Sunday. Now, he trended again as the NFL social media universe reacted to the dismissal.
Fans React to Arthur Smith’s Firing
The Atlanta Falcons officially fired their head coach of three seasons following their disastrous 48-17 rout at the hands of the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.
Atlanta will be seeking its fifth head coach since the 2007 season.
However, one fan believed that Smith’s predecessors Dan Quinn and Mike Smith had it easier compared to the newly fired head coach. Quinn and Mike Smith had Matt Ryan to turn to at quarterback. Smith never found the successful heir to “Matty Ice.”
“This is once again a classic example of how hard it is to win without an elite quarterback. Mike Smith and Dan Quinn had a chance to coach a borderline Hall of Famer in Matt Ryan. Arthur Smith didn’t and paid the price for it,” the fan posted on X (formerly known as Twitter).
Smith drafted Desmond Ridder as a third-round quarterback in the 2022 NFL Draft. Ridder, however, was eventually replaced by veteran Taylor Heinicke.
Another account, though, pivoted back to Smith’s final moment as the Falcons’ head coach — that tense and profanity-laced conversation with Allen.
“Well that was fast. The last image of Arthur Smith in Atlanta is blaming the opposition for his defense not being able to stop a garbage time touchdown,” the account posted.
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Meanwhile, one Falcons fan sent out the warning that the new head coach opening comes off as a combination of desirable and a disaster waiting to happen.
“Falcons job manages to both be super desirable and a disaster waiting to happen. I don’t think the new FO (front office) has proven to be a disaster yet and they have a bunch of talent, just no QB. Arthur Smith was a worthy swing and miss so I can’t really fault them,” the fan posted.
Falcons Owner Arthur Blank Pens Reaction to Decision
The man behind the decision was owner Arthur Blank.
Unfortunately for Blank, it’s not his first time making head coaching changes as he’s canned Quinn and Mike Smith.
“Decisions like this are never easy and they never feel good,” Blank said in a news release via the Falcons. “We have profound respect for Coach Smith and appreciate all the hard work and dedication he has put into the Falcons over the last three years.
“He has been part of building a good culture in our football team, but the results on the field have not met our expectations. After significant thought and reflection, we have determined the best way forward for our team is new leadership in the head coaching position.”
Smith ends his time in Atlanta having never surpassed the seven-win mark. All of his Falcons teams also never finished past third place in the NFC South. Furthermore, Smith made some notable draft selections, taking Kyle Pitts, Drake London, and Bijan Robinson as first-round selections in the top 10 — and yet still underachieved with them.
This Falcons team was once in a position where the division title was in sight. After starting 2-0, Atlanta was 6-6 heading toward the final five-game stretch. Smith and the Falcons, however, went 1-4 the rest of the way.
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