Falcons' Mike Smith: Referees slowed down offense vs. Bengals
The Atlanta Falcons, who like to play with a no-huddle offense, told D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Wednesday that the referees slowed their game down against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.
According to wide receiver Roddy White, the Falcons' offense is at its best when they can play in their "up-tempo, no-huddle" style. The Falcons lost 24-10 against the Bengals.
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“Each game has a completely different dynamic in terms of the tempo,” Falcons head coach Mike Smith told reporters. “That was a game where both teams hardly ever huddled. When you watch the game, you could see that they had their no-huddle offense going as well. I think sometimes the officials can slow a tempo game down.”
The Falcons ran 65 plays in the game, and the Bengals ran 69.
Ledbetter notes the Falcons were in the no-huddle for 45 plays, which was 69 percent of their offensive snaps.
More from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Smith said that several times both units were at the line of scrimmage and ready to play, but the officials — perhaps for a TV timeout — were standing over the ball.
“I think if you look, there were plays where both teams wanted to get out there and play, but there was a stoppage by the officials,” Smith said. “They stood over the ball a lot more in this game than they had in other games.”
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