Falcons LISTEN: How to Judge Coach Arthur Smith?

Locked On Falcons: Was Matt Ryan Flawless in Week 4? With Special Guest Allen Strk

Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith has struggled to gain his footing as a first-time head coach, but then again, so have most rookie head coaches in the NFL.

Other than the Los Angeles Chargers' Brandon Staley, no rookie head coach has won more than one game, including Smith.

Smith experienced tremendous success as the Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator the past two seasons, but it hasn't quite followed him to Atlanta.

In a Week 4 loss to Washington, Smith is being criticized for his play-calling on a crucial fourth-quarter drive where the Falcons held a two-point lead, but opted to run the ball with a struggling Mike Davis instead of Cordarrelle Patterson, who scored three touchdowns during Sunday's defeat.

The fourth quarter has been a deciding factor in each of Atlanta's last three games, but Smith has only been able to salvage a win in one of those contests.

Coaching comes down to two things: putting your team in position to win, and executing the right plan once the game is on the line. Smith has done a decent job putting his team in winnable scenarios, but hasn't quite cracked the code to bring it home.

Smith has time, considering he's a rookie, but his in terms of heat from critics, the 2021 clock may be running out soon if he doesn't fix it quickly.

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On this episode of "Locked On Falcons," host Aaron Freeman invites Allen Strk (The Falcoholic) to recap the Falcons' Week 4 loss to Washington and discuss their thoughts on the first month of Smith's tenure.

They discuss Matt Ryan's "flawless" performance against Washington, Cordarrelle Patterson's usage, and ways the Falcons can get more out of their defense moving forward before assessing Smith's play-calling and impact on the team through four weeks of the 2021 season.

Aaron deals with all that and more on this episode of "Locked On Falcons." For more podcasts and information, join us here.

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