NFL Head Coach Rankings: Falcons' Arthur Smith Near Bottom?
If Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith has taught us one thing over his NFL coaching career, it's that he can win the old-fashioned way.
A run-heavy, smashmouth brand of football is what Smith emphasized last season - finishing third in the NFL in total rushing yards and first in attempts.
And even before taking over in Atlanta, Smith led the Tennessee Titans to the second-best rushing offense in 2020 and third the year prior.
However, despite being at the helm of one of the NFL's third-best rushing attacks in three of the last four years, the 41-year-old still has a lot to prove in the league. Leading the Falcons to 7-10 records in consecutive years, Smith was ranked as the No. 29 best head coach in the NFL according to CBS Sports.
"The man can draw up a ground game, which should only be bolstered by Bijan Robinson's arrival," CBS Sports writes. "But his "D" has been consistently porous, he's yet to taste second place in a weak NFC South, and he's now three years in without much of a promising plan at QB, where Desmond Ridder will be tasked with captaining a widely expected breakout."
After ranking No. 26 and No. 27 in the last two seasons in defensive yardage, Atlanta's front office went to work this offseason - trading for cornerback Jeff Okudah and signing Jessie Bates III, David Onyemata, Calais Campbell in free agency.
But can these additions propel Atlanta to the top of the NFC South, which they haven't won since 2016? Or will they tack on a third consecutive 7-10 campaign?
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