Something feels different around Flowery Branch, and Arthur Smith is a microcosm of the vibes around the Falcons this year.
He’s happier than ever before donning a new mustache. It’s easy to see why.
Over his first two seasons, the Falcons won 14 games, which might be a miracle considering the talent he was working with.
Atlanta was cap strapped for all of 2021 and 2022 after the front office took on record amounts of dead money to forge full steam into the rebuild. It netted some pretty pathetic rosters. The Falcons’ defense was one of the least expensive groups in the league, and the offense wasn’t much higher.
Somehow though, Arthur Smith wielded his team to 7-10 finishes in back-to-back seasons. His offensive line background shined through, with his team adopting his tough attitude.
“Obviously you need to keep morale up,” Atlanta’s head coach said. “You’ve got to have some results. With two completely different teams, ’21 and ’22, we were not satisfied, but we were right there at the end. … You try to do things the right way. Tough lessons were learned, but we think we’ve had a lot of progress going into Year 3.”
Now, he’s got a playoff-caliber roster. Smith has spoken ad nauseam about the differences in this team compared to others, but that underdog and rugged mentality hasn’t changed. The Falcons still embody their head coach’s personality.
“Love it. We’re a gritty football team,” Smith said in response to whether he takes pride in his team’s lack of flash. “We don’t have any social media stars here.”
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