Falcons' Arthur Smith Very Familiar with Packers' Matt LaFleur

Atlanta Falcons coach Arthur Smith and Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur were on the same staff with the Tennessee Titans in 2018.

Jeremy Brener | Sep 13, 2023

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Atlanta Falcons

When the Atlanta Falcons take the field Sunday against the Green Bay Packers, two coaches who know each other well will face off.

Atlanta's Arthur Smith and Green Bay's Matt LaFleur were on the same staff with the Tennessee Titans in 2018 where Smith was a tight ends coach and LaFleur was the offensive coordinator. Smith succeeded LaFleur when he accepted Green Bay's job in 2019 and held the position for two seasons before Atlanta hired him as a head coach in 2021.

The two have a mutual respect for one another.

"I think Matt [LaFleur]’s done a good job," Smith said. "I think Matt’s a guy – LaFleur – that hasn’t gotten a lot of credit. I think Matt’s a terrific coach and I thought they executed well. When they get down in the red zone and they had a play extension, he worked back and got up one. ... We’re excited about the opportunity this weekend.”

LaFleur's Packers are coming off a 38-20 win against the Chicago Bears on Sunday, the first win of the post-Aaron Rodgers era in Green Bay. Jordan Love is now the full-time starter under center, and he'll have to face off against a Falcons defense that surrendered just 10 points in their win Sunday against the Carolina Panthers.

"Certainly, the focus is on the Atlanta Falcons," LaFleur said. "Got a lot of work to do with them, a team that we haven’t played in four years, so there’s going to be a lot of studying that goes into that. Obviously, they’re coming off a big win over Carolina by two scores and there’s a lot of new pieces there, so I’m sure there’s a new excitement around that football team. It’ll be a really tough task going against them."

The Packers and Falcons kick off at 1 p.m. on Sunday inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Published Sep 13, 2023

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.