Falcons Coach Arthur Smith, Players React to 'Crazy' Grady Jarrett Penalty
The Atlanta Falcons trailed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by 21 points entering the fourth quarter, but after three consecutive three-and-outs by the defense and a pair of scoring drives from the offense, found themselves within six points inside the game's final five minutes.
Atlanta's defense had Tampa Bay in a 3rd and 4 with 3:18 to go and forced an incomplete pass from quarterback Tom Brady ... but a questionable holding penalty on Falcons corner A.J. Terrell extended the drive.
While it's largely become an afterthought for what occurred next, Terrell shared his thoughts on the play after the game.
"Just trying to get off the field, and they called what they called," said Terrell. "It's something I can't control so just next play mentality. We had another opportunity and put it in the refs hands again. Just get back to the drawing board next week."
The "opportunity" Terrell referenced came three plays later, when the Buccaneers had a 3rd and 5 with 3:03 to go, and Brady was sacked by Falcons defensive tackle Grady Jarrett ... but a controversial roughing the passer penalty gifted Tampa Bay a first down and, ultimately, the football game.
Jarrett's penalty dominated the conversation among players and media alike, but he didn't partake in any of it, opting not to talk with reporters after the game.
However, Falcons running back Caleb Huntley was more than willing to speak his mind, largely expressing the same values shared by most who observed the play.
"It was crazy," Huntley remarked. "Because I mean, it was just a regular sack, like it wasn't anything extra (on) Grady's part. I guess the referee saw it the other way, (but) had we got the ball, we probably wouldn't be sitting here sad and mad about the outcome of this game."
Falcons outside linebacker Lorenzo Carter echoed similar sentiments, though also acknowledged that the team has work to do moving forward.
"It looked like football to me," Carter said. "It looked like football, we just played aggressive. We've got to do what we've got to do to eliminate those penalties, though."
The NFL is notorious for cracking down on players and coaches' criticisms of officiating. As a result, most chose to reserve judgement or take matters into their own hands and figure out how to improve.
Falcons coach Arthur Smith, who made headlines as the media interpreted his words to head referee Jerome Boger, falls into the latter category.
"I didn't talk to (the refs)," said Smith. "I've got to find out how I can coach better ... from a technique standpoint."
Quarterback Marcus Mariota, who finished just 14 of 25 for 147 yards, heated up in the fourth quarter to a tune of five of 7 for 63 yards and a touchdown. As Huntley referenced, the Falcons found a rhythm and would've had an opportunity to piece together a go-ahead drive.
Despite having the chance taken away not once but twice, Mariota viewed the sequence of events with a broader perspective, citing Atlanta's lack of offensive production for the first three quarters as the biggest root cause of the defeat.
"It is what it is," Mariota said. "Unfortunately, you can't leave this game up to the refs. I thought if we would've been better on offense earlier in the game, we would've had an opportunity to win and not had that scenario come into play. Those guys call it the way they see, and you can't frown on it, can't do much about it - it's out of your control."
In the end, the Falcons took themselves out of the game with lackluster offensive execution for the first three quarters, but the balanced effort that led to a storming comeback at the end more than warranted a chance for Atlanta to pull out a victory.
However, the calls simply didn't go the Falcons' way - and there's just not much more to it.
"The refs can determine calls and we just got to play the next snap," stated Terrell. "It's out of our control."
The headlines will continue to echo the same thoughts, and its evident that some - if not most - inside the Falcons' building feel as if the calls were unwarranted. Nevertheless, Atlanta had several chances earlier in the game to put themselves in a better position, and while the officiating decisions certainly didn't help in the end, they were far from the sole reason behind the loss.
The Falcons' next opportunity to bounce back comes this Sunday, when the San Francisco 49ers enter Mercedes-Benz Stadium for a 1 p.m. kickoff.
You can follow Daniel Flick on Twitter @DFlickDraft
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