Arthur Smith reveals his preseason plan for Matt Ryan, starters following loss to Browns
Atlanta Falcons fans waited about seven months after hiring Arthur Smith to see what fresh ideas the new head coach would bring to the Falcons offense in the team's first 2021 preseason game.
In many ways, they're still waiting.
The Falcons finished the preseason without having played quarterback Matt Ryan. Many other starters -- Calvin Ridley, Grady Jarrett, Deion Jones, Jake Matthews, Mike Davis, Hayden Hurst -- didn't play significant snaps or at all this preseason either.
While Smith said Ryan had a good camp and added that he felt good about the other starters because of the joint practices against the Miami Dolphins, Smith also admitted in his press conference Sunday night after losing to Cleveland that he never planned to have Ryan on the field during the preseason.
"Our plan for a majority of these guys was not to play them a lot in the preseason," said Smith. "That was obviously. To get them a full evaluation. We have a lot of young guys that we wanted to look at that need these game reps that we may not be relying on early, but chances are, the odds are, we're going to need them to play at some point this season, especially next year. They need those game reps."
If the Falcons start slowly in September and October as they did the last two years, there will be a lot of second guessing going on in Atlanta. Although Ryan is entering his 14th NFL season, he is also learning a new playbook. Chances are, he could have benefited from playing at least a series or two this August.
Smith revealing the organization's plan to look at a lot of its young players sounds a bit like a coach in a rebuilding situation. After a 4-12 campaign and trading All-Pro wide receiver Julio Jones, rebuilding is to be expected to some degree. But that's not really what the fanbase was sold when the Falcons hired Smith.
On the other hand, rookie Kyle Pitts didn't play practically at all this preseason either. He caught his first NFL pass on Atlanta's first play from scrimmage Sunday night, but that was his only action of the game.
"Kyle, we didn't want his first snap to be against Philly," said Smith. "It was a small sample size, but it was good to get him a catch."
If Smith's preseason plan was simply only about developing the younger players for the team's future, one could argue Pitts should have played more. He could prove to be the best player the Falcons have drafted in years.
But with a player as talented as Pitts, more snaps in the preseason wasn't going to deeply impact his development. In other words, Smith mostly sitting the rookie this August suggests he has nearly as much confidence in him as Ryan and the other starters.
So Falcons fans continue to wait to see the new offense, but that wait won't be much longer. They'll see Ryan, the new offensive scheme and all the starters in the season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sept. 12.
