When the Hawks hired Arthur Smith, rumors began to circulate that the new attacking head coach could transfer the game day to whoever is appointed as his attacking coordinator. This scared some fans, because Smith’s resume is mainly reinforced by what he does on the field.
However, during his introductory press conference on Tuesday, the new head coach confirmed what fans had hoped for: he would retain offensive duties on game days.
Smith: “I’m going to name the plays.”
– Kevin Knight (@FalcoholicKevin) 19 January 2021
This is obviously an important detail and in line with what OC has done to HC in recent years. Guys like Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan retained control of the offense, even as their responsibilities increased to cover the entire 53-man squad.
In particular for Arthur Smith, his resume has been driven primarily by what he has done over the past two years with the Titans as their offensive coordinator. During this period, his offenses were first place in the efficiency of the red zone, second place in yards per game and fourth place in the score. The only offenses he has followed in the last 20 years have been led by Peyton Manning, Drew Brees and Patrick Mahomes.
This should be good news for Falcons fans who want the magic to spread again in a unit that has dramatically underperformed the talent level. Guys like Matt Ryan, Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley need to line up numbers like the Titans and with Smith in charge, there is a legitimate hope that they will do so in 2021.