'Compete Like Hell': Falcons HC Arthur Smith Establishing Culture in Atlanta

The second-year coach is beginning to incorporate his program.

Jeremy Brener | May 10, 2022

The first year of Arthur Smith's tenure as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons will look very different than his second.

Arthur Smith

After leading his team to a 7-10 record behind veteran Matt Ryan under center, he'll now have a different task with veteran journeyman Marcus Mariota or rookie Desmond Ridder as the new quarterback.

Despite leading a rebuild, Smith is hoping that the precedent he set in Year 1 will translate into Year 2.

"So yeah, sure, you can call it whatever you want, you really need to retool or rebuild every year in certain spots," Smith said. "Now, is there some major transition? Yeah, you can make that argument. I think it's obvious. But this team's gonna come out, they're gonna compete like hell, they're gonna fight, we've got good young pieces, and we're gonna play well together in all three phases as a team. I'm excited about it. This is gonna be a fun team to coach."

Smith is getting some familiarity with some players, including Mariota, who was with him during his time with the Tennessee Titans. Mariota is just one of a couple players who have made the move from Tennessee to Atlanta. Earlier this offseason, the Falcons signed tight end Anthony Firkser and linebacker Rashaan Evans, who both played with the Titans last season.

Arthur Smith

Rookie quarterback Desmond Ridder also has similarities to that of Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill.

Tannehill was expected to be Mariota's backup with the Titans in 2019, but when the team made the switch to the former Miami Dolphins quarterback, he became the starter.

Smith is slowly but surely getting his people and his culture established, now he's got to prove that his people and culture can win football games in Atlanta.

Published May 10, 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.