'A Wealth of Knowledge': Falcons Coach Arthur Smith on Jerry Gray

The Atlanta Falcons hired Jerry Gray as the assistant head coach/defense in January, bringing over two decades of NFL coaching experience.

When the Atlanta Falcons hired Jerry Gray as the assistant head coach/defense, they were getting somebody who knew football inside and out. 

And despite playing and coaching football at the highest level for nearly four decades, Gray is always trying to educate himself more about the game. 

"He's got a wealth of knowledge," Falcons head coach Arthur Smith said. "Certainly, Jerry as a player, having played different spots, different schemes. Some guys, whether they played at any level, they try to relate too much about, 'oh, this is how I did it.' It's not one size fits all.

"Things he's taught me along the way, and where he's at now, he's in a very different spot. He's never stopped learning, and it's refreshing when you get to work with people like that."

Gray joined the Falcons in January after spending nine seasons in the NFC North as a members of the Minnesota Vikings (2014-2019) and Green Bay Packers staffs (2020-2022). 

Wearing multiple different hats throughout his 28 years as a collegiate and NFL coach, Smith credits Gray's ability to adapt as to why Atlanta brought him over from Green Bay. 

"Jerry's got that unique ability of teaching and he's got a lot of perspective - he's been in a lot of different schemes," Smith said. "We're just trying to problem solve, and so whether that's behind the scenes and we're talking or Ryan and him are talking, we're going to make it our own, and that's when you hire the right people, smart people that have got passion for this job, that are great teachers and that want to work, it's how we've evolved - things that we did in Tennessee that we certainly now going into Year 3, when you have the right staff members."

Gray looks to improve a defense that has witnessed a major overhaul this offseason as the Falcons hope to end their long playoff drought. 

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Follow Riley Sheppard on Twitter @RileyDSheppard.

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