Does Falcons' Arthur Smith Make the Grade?
Bleacher Report writer Chris Roling went through the exercise of grading every rookie head coach in the NFL.
He graded graded new Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith a C through the first four games of the season. Part of Smith's lower grade was the unrealistic expectation that the Falcons would or could be contender this year.
"When assigning grades to this year's seven rookie coaches, we'll grade on a curve relative to the talent on their respective rosters and expectations leading into the season," writes Roling.
Roling still references the Kyle Pitts draft pick as a "win now" move for a team that couldn't run the ball, couldn't protect the quarterback, couldn't play defense, and had no salary cap room.
Kyle Pitts was drafted with the expectations of being the best player in the draft and a long term replacement for the departing Julio Jones. He fixed none of the above gaping holes on the Falcons roster and was the epitome of a front office looking at building for the long term.
"The problem for Smith is expectations," writes Roling. "He's the offensive guru who got the most out of Ryan Tannehill in Tennessee, so it seemed certain he'd unlock a Matt Ryan-directed offense. Sure, the front office saddled him with this weird mixture of rebuilding and win-now moves (trading Julio Jones, drafting Kyle Pitts fourth overall) and a bad defense, but an elite offense was almost a guarantee, right?"
FULL B/R ROOKIE HEAD COACH GRADES
The Falcons lost to the Washington Football Team on Sunday in a familiar pattern. Matt Ryan threw four touchdowns passes, but the Falcons still couldn't run the ball when they needed to and still couldn't stop Washington when they needed to.
Predictably, the Falcons couldn't protect a lead in the fourth quarter as Washington scored two touchdowns in the final period to win 34-30.
Until the Falcons get the personnel on the offensive line and defense, it's not going to matter who is running the offense.
Smith's C grade may be fair for the Falcons' overall performance, but the writer's own expectations didn't match the harsh reality in Atlanta.
To be fair on Roling, the rhetoric coming out of Flowery Branch from the Falcons fed the false narrative. New general manager Terry Fontenot bristled at the idea of a rebuild, but those words were more for public relations. Every move that Fontenot has made pointed to a Falcons rebuild.
READ MORE: Fontenot and Smith's Bold Claim of 'Win Now'
"If you know much about myself and where I’m from or much about Arthur Smith and his mindset, rebuilding doesn’t make any sense." Fontenot told Robert Mays on The Athletic Football Show podcast before the season.
"They hired the wrong guys if they thought we were going to lower expectations, take our time, and rebuild,” Smith said before the season. "That’s just not who we are. The expectation is to win now, build for the future, have plans."
Fontenot's draft strategy pointed to a rebuild. The lack of salary cap flexibility to help the team right away pointed to a rebuild. Smith's strategy of sitting virtually every veteran during the preseason pointed to a rebuild.
And let's face it, the Falcons need rebuilt.
Roling's grades for the seven rookie head coaches.
Arthur Smith, Falcons - C
Dan Campbell, Lion - C
David Culley, Texans - C+
Urban Meyer, Jaguars - D
Brandon Staley, Chargers - A
Robert Saleh, Jets - C-
Nick Sirianni, Eagles - C
The Falcons are in London this week against another rookie head coach Robert Saleh of the New York Jets. Saleh gets a C- on the season thus far, and expectations couldn't possibly be part of the below average grade.
The Jets were an early season favorite for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Like the Falcons, New York enters the game on Sunday 1-3, and the loser of that game may very well be the first team on the clock in the NFL Draft next year.
