Why Calais Campbell Has a 'Lot of Respect' for Falcons Coach Arthur Smith
The Atlanta Falcons may not have been the odds on favorite to land Pro Bowl defensive end Calais Campbell in free agency, but sometimes the underdog pulls out a win.
Campbell signed a one-year deal with the Falcons last month, surprising many, especially after his comments saying that he wanted to play for a contender.
The Falcons haven't made the playoffs in six seasons, but Campbell hopes he can help change that. Another person hoping to change that is head coach Arthur Smith, who Campbell cited as a big reason why he signed with the Falcons.
“I have a lot of respect for him from my time in Jacksonville and he was with the Tennessee Titans,” Campbell said. “We competed. His system was one of the hardest to kind of study. I pride myself on being a guy who can study tape at a high level, but when you played Tennessee....I always respected his offense.”
After Campbell was cut by the Baltimore Ravens, he had visits lined up with the New York Jets (who appear likely to sign Aaron Rodgers), Buffalo Bills and a return to the Jacksonville Jaguars, but he had a 20-minute chat with Smith that warmed him up to the idea of saying no to all those contending opportunities to sign with Atlanta.
“When we had a conversation, I really liked his vision for the team,” Campbell said. “I really thought he had a great game plan for where the team is at and where it’s going. I really felt like we are going to surprise a lot of people... this year we are going to be competitive, tough team and win a lot of ball games.”
Campbell choosing the Falcons isn't changing his idea of wanting to compete. He believes he can do that in Atlanta. With the combination of free agency signings, Smith's vision and his impact, Campbell hopes that he can bring a winning culture back to Atlanta.
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