Falcons' Arthur Smith: Worst Coach In NFL?

The Falcons coach isn't particularly favored.

Jeremy Brener | May 25, 2022

Atlanta Falcons coach Arthur Smith is entering his second year at the helm, but the former Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator isn't stacking up against the rest of the NFL head coach fraternity.

Arthur Smith

According to SportsBetting.ag, Smith has the worst odds to win the 2022 NFL Coach of the Year Award at +5000, tied with Carolina Panthers coach Matt Rhule.

Smith, who celebrates his 40th birthday this week, went 7-10 in his first year as head coach with the Falcons in 2021. Before joining the Falcons, Smith spent a decade as part of the Titans coaching staff, working his way up to offensive coordinator.

Smith inherited a team last season that didn't feel like his, but he's made changes since then.

At quarterback, out went Matt Ryan, and in came Marcus Mariota, his former quarterback with the Titans. Desmond Ridder was added to the roster as well, who has shades of Ryan Tannehill in his game.

Mariota isn't the only former Titans player who finds himself in Atlanta. Tight end Anthony Firkser and linebacker Rashaan Evans also made the 250-mile move from Nashville to Atlanta this offseason.

The roster that Smith has now plays to his strengths and looks very different than the one that he had when he was hired last year. And even with a roster that didn't play to his style, Smith was still able to churn out a seven-win season.

Arthur Smith

While it might be a long shot to call Smith the worst coach in the league, if he regresses with the roster he's more comfortable with or fails to improve off his Year 1 success, his seat in Atlanta could get a little warmer.

Published May 25, 2022

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.