'Atlanta System': A Look Behind Falcons Coach Arthur Smith's 'Tough' Offense
Atlanta Falcons second-year coach Arthur Smith arrived in Jan. 2021 with a reputation.
Smith spent the previous two years as the Tennessee Titans' offensive coordinator, leading a top-3 rushing offense in both campaigns and fielding the third-best overall offense in 2020.
And yet, Smith's first season at the helm showed little in the way of offensive success, with the Falcons ranking 31st in rushing yards per game, 29th in total yards and 26th in points.
Atlanta finished a fair 7-10, but Smith knew his offense wasn't good enough. That offseason, he and general manager Terry Fontenot evaluated the unit and opted to make a change at quarterback, trading 14-year franchise staple Matt Ryan to the Indianapolis Colts and bringing in veteran Marcus Mariota, who worked with Smith in Tennessee.
The hang-up? Mariota was benched after six games and spent the next two and a half years as a backup quarter. It was a risk, but ultimately the one Smith and Fontenot felt may help unlock offensive potential.
Now six games into year two, the promise Smith displayed in Tennessee has begun to be realized. Atlanta's offense is the NFL's third-best rushing attack and ninth-best scoring unit despite ranking No. 30 in passing.
While Mariota has been inconsistent as a passer, his legs force the defense to defend all 11 players on offense. He's been able to get the Falcons out of trouble several times, be it evading pass rushers and picking up yards on a scramble or managing to throw the ball away after dodging a free rusher.
After his sixth-game benching in Tennessee, Mariota flipped the script this time around, earning NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors for his Week 6 showing against the San Francisco 49ers, a 13-of-14 passing performance with three total touchdowns.
Mariota's mobility has freed up Smith's offense and allowed him to get creative. The making behind the system is a culmination of many of the coaches - and players - Smith has been around; he's learned, he's implemented and he's leading an offense that's rushed for over 150 yards in five of its six games.
Above all else, it's a unit that has Atlanta's Week 7 opponent, the Cincinnati Bengals, and coach Zac Taylor's full attention.
"It's a blend of multiple systems that's turned into one really finely-tuned system that Arthur's put together," Taylor said. "I'm seeing so many things that Marcus Mariota's done since his college days that he's really exceled in. Then you see the 22, 13 personnel stuff that you saw from Tennessee. They've matched all the play action from Tennessee and San Francisco, and all that stuff is blended."
Taylor mentioned drift routes, blaze outs and pylons as some of the notable concepts he's seen appear on film. Smith threw in dig routes when self-assessing his own offense.
However, while Smith's route concepts share similarities with others, there's an element of innovation and uniqueness present that is beginning to get its own name: "the Atlanta system."
"It's really a blend of systems that they've turned into the Atlanta system," Taylor stated. "It really makes it tough on your defense and they've done a good job operating there."
"Tough" is a word Smith hopes his team will embody. In this instance, it's in reference to stopping his offense - but it's quickly spreading to a mantra used to describe this year's Falcons.
Atlanta's second-year coach is committed to establishing the culture his way, and his players are fully behind him.
"We take on the personality of our head coach," second-year cornerback Darren Hall said.
A former offensive lineman and tight end's coach, Smith comes across as hard-nosed. His toughness has begun to spread down to his team, and his reputation evolving from the time he arrived.
Smith has often said he'll craft his offense to maximize the skills of the players, and with nearly all of the weapons on the team being hand-picked by him and Fontenot, the true identity he set out to set in Atlanta is beginning to shine through.
Smith and the Falcons will look to get over .500 for the first time since 2017 on Sunday against the Bengals, with kickoff scheduled for 1 p.m.
You can follow Daniel Flick on Twitter @DFlickDraft
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