Moving to a new location
AJC blogs are moving to a new technical platform. So check out Terence Moore’s new blog home and bookmark it.
Home > Terence Moore > Archives > 2008 > July > 29 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USPlayers know Falcons head coach means business
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Flowery Branch — Nobody knew the outwardly compassionate Bill Walsh would evolve into a secretly ruthless NFL head coach. Chuck Noll was more about actions than words from the start. Then you had the sideline calisthenics of John Madden, Jerry Glanville and the rest.
Anyway, who is Mike Smith, and what will he become?
You just can’t tell, especially since this particular “Mike Smith” is entering his seventh month with the Falcons as a first-year NFL head coach.
What we do know is that Smith has coached for 26 years overall, including nine in the NFL. He also has the facial profile of a kinder, gentler Vince Lombardi, and he smiles like Steve “wild and crazy guy” Martin. Plus, despite having a team that began training camp this week dominated by question marks instead of exclamation points, he gives you the impression that he is eternally joyful.
So why did Falcons defensive end John Abraham raise his eyebrows after easing into a smile between two-a-days on Tuesday after our last comment?
“I’ve seen him angry,” said Abraham, before adding in a hurry, “It wasn’t fiery angry, but I’ve seen him get an attitude a couple of times. He puts his foot down when he needs to, and a lot of times, you can have a tendency to overlook that, because if you look at his exterior, he’s such a nice guy. But when you have somebody who is always happy, you don’t want to see him when he gets mad.”
That’s true, which means the Falcons may have what they need — a head coach who makes players comfortable, but only to a point. In other words, Smith isn’t wearing the blinders of Jim Mora, who was so chummy with his players that he once climbed into the Lamborghini of DeAngelo Hall to follow the bus containing the rest of the Falcons to a team event.
Then again, Smith is sort of like Mora, suggested Abraham, who has seen more than a few coaching styles during his nine seasons in the league that began with the New York Jets. “To me, [Smith] is a mix of a several people, including Jim Mora, and he’s a little bit of Herm Edwards,” Abraham said. “Both of those coaches know how to treat guys on and off the field. That’s the biggest thing to me. You can always go to Mike’s office and talk to him.”
Bobby Petrino, not so much. He was Smith’s predecessor, and he also was a rookie NFL head coach. His style was to treat professional athletes as if they were the same as the college players he was used to coaching. The word “dictatorship” comes to mind. Not surprisingly, with much of the Falcons locker room threatening to shove a goalpost down his mouth, he bolted in the middle of the night to call Hogs in Arkansas near the end of last season.
You had Mora before Petrino, and you had Dan Reeves and his traditional ways as a veteran NFL head coach before that. As for other Falcons skippers, their styles aren’t worth mentioning, except for moments of goodness by a Leeman Bennett here and a Glanville there.
Now you have Smith and his occasionally deceptive calmness. “I’m not a hothead by any stretch, but the guys know when it’s time to get on point,” Smith said, straight-faced, forgetting to add … or else.
Permalink | Comments (20) | Categories: Falcons/NFL
Services »
Comments
Commenting is now closed for this entry.
By Herschel Talker
July 29, 2008 5:23 PM | Link to this
First! Everyone knows that Terence Moore means business! And that he’s the worst sportswriter ever.
By mg3
July 29, 2008 5:53 PM | Link to this
Smith will do good…he appears to have the temperment to keep the ship afloat when things don’t go well….which will be often with the won/loss record expected for his first season as head coach…I have confidence in this man much more than Mora or Petrino….good article TM.
By FalFan
July 29, 2008 6:09 PM | Link to this
Hey Terence, I really enjoyed your article and I never thought I’d say that. Who wrote it for you?
By Dan
July 29, 2008 6:26 PM | Link to this
It’s about time we get a coach who is more interested in football business than personal success or cult of personality. I could live with a losing season or two to give this guy time to build a solid team. It took Mr. Blank three times, but I think he finally got it right. Now get a real offensive line and we might be in serious business
By TPM
July 29, 2008 6:28 PM | Link to this
Let’s wait for the Falcons to play a few games before we label Mike Smith’s coaching style.
By littlebird
July 29, 2008 6:40 PM | Link to this
We hope this translates into a Lombardi-like team … one that knows how to win and does exactly that!!! It’s about time …GO BIGBIRDS
By STLfalcon
July 29, 2008 6:44 PM | Link to this
Training camp is halfway through the first week, and this is all you have?
You said it yourself, there are many more question marks - so how about looking for some of those answers — like a journalist or something.
Can you post how to apply for your job?
By Greg
July 29, 2008 6:56 PM | Link to this
Smith has some very good assistants (his doing, and a compliment to him), so even though he is untested in several respects, we ought to be OK or better on the coaching front. I’m a lot less worried about Smith than I am about personnel. We still need several upgrades/additions to be competitive in our conference. I hope Dimitroff (about whom I am a bit undecided) realizes this and is preparing to do something in FA.
By Charles
July 29, 2008 6:57 PM | Link to this
You still let the best damn coach we ever had go in Dan Reeves. Even though I didn’t like everything abou Dan he still was a good coach. One Super Bowl season I will never forget. Who else got us close?
By bigeasy830
July 29, 2008 7:08 PM | Link to this
I think the questions that surrounds this team is more about talent and not the coaches. I think Coach Smith will be a lot like Wade Phillips. The man I hoped the Falcons would have hired after Arthur Blank made his biggest mistake in firing Dan Reaves. I think if the Falcons win more than 4 games, it will be because of the coaching. I love what I hear about Coach Smith. I see a lot of Lovie Smith in him also. I think he will be a great Coach for the Falcons that will get this thing turned around in due time.
By George Holman
July 29, 2008 7:15 PM | Link to this
We can only hope that this guy is a keeper unlike most of his predecessors.
By spoonman
July 29, 2008 7:18 PM | Link to this
I kept waiting for Moore’s hatred of all Atlanta sports to spill out. Maybe his assistant wrote this. Can’t wait until Moore actually writes something himself that badmouths every aspect of any Atlanta organization.
But thank your assistant, it was one of the best articles I’ve ever seen your name attached too. Can’t wait to see what happens after the first loss.
By Jim Brown
July 29, 2008 7:30 PM | Link to this
Mr. Moore is a journalsim LEGEND!!! You knuckleheads need to appreciate that.
By dawgman
July 29, 2008 7:36 PM | Link to this
when are they going to give DJ shockley a fair chance to be a head coach! Or a sports writer,,,When is he ever going to get a fair chance in this town to be a mayor? For the rest of the dawg nation… I found this web site that buys old jock straps and squeezes out the sweat and puts it in a aftershave bottle..sniffff………aahhh!!! they got buck balue, herchel, and lindsy scott
JOcksqueezin.com
By Ted Striker
July 29, 2008 7:40 PM | Link to this
Maybe some of you guys who are always whining and bellyaching ought to submit your own sports commentaries for publication.
If they’re better than what Terence Moore comes up with, surely the AJC will find a place for publication. In fact — I challenge you to do just that.
Or, dear readers-who-whine, are you all talk and no courage-enough-to-back-it-up? What’s that you say? You’re not all talk no courage?
Prove it.
If even YOU could do better than Terence Moore, step up to the plate, chief. Otherwise, swallow a heaping spoonful of shush.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I’ll be over Macho Grande, before some of you guys get over yourselves.
By J Money Hughes
July 29, 2008 7:58 PM | Link to this
Ok - What did you folks do with T-Mo?? This article makes too much sense and doesn’t exist for the single purpose of p** folks off.
Did he REALLY write this or did you hire a publicist for his worthless rump.
By AUtiger
July 29, 2008 8:04 PM | Link to this
Hey guys,
At least TM is saying something POSITIVE about the Falcons. Let’s hope he keeps it that way.. and speaking off positive the Falcons are undefeated in 2008. Go birds!
By Marc
July 29, 2008 8:24 PM | Link to this
I didnt even read your column about Mike Smith. I just went straight to the post comments column because I wanted you to know that up until Sunday, I thought people were a little too hard on you. But I dont think that now after listening to you Sunday night on Sports Final. The comments you made about p** Florida off because of what we did last year and how Georgia shouldnt have done that to Big Bad Florida. I realized that you are a real Idiot. Dude, you are in GEORGIA. After all the disrespect we took from Florida all those years, somehow we are sppose to be concerned about p** Florida off. We dont give a D**N about p** florida off or you either. If they are mad we say BRING IT!!!! Payback is hell and now it’s our time to have the swagger for 10 years. Terrance I hate when you prove people right about you. Seem like since you cover sports in Georgia that you would rally behind atleast one team in Georgia that can back up what they say cuz every other team we have here is very suspect. Leave it up to you to try and put a damper on the one good team we have. In the words of the late Fred Sanford, ” You Big Dummy”!!!!!
By TheAntiMe
July 29, 2008 8:52 PM | Link to this
I think that the Head Coach/GM tandem of Mike Smith/Thomas Dimitroff has the potential to be the most successful one in the Falcons inglorious history for owner Arthur Blank.
I think that the Leeman Bennett/Eddie LeBaron tandem was good under the penny pinching Rankin Smith ownership, but could have been much better with an owner willing to pony up the pesos such as Mr. Blank.
By Saul
July 29, 2008 8:55 PM | Link to this
TM,
Im glad to see you give some props to Glanville. He was a nut but he brought us out of our darkest period (the late 80’s) and brought excitement to the team. His playoff team in ‘91 was a a damn good team.
Reeves was the best coach we’ve had, simply because he took us to the SB. But his downfall every year was the in-ability to put a quality back up QB in place.
Leeman (and Glanville) put the all time best Falcons team on the field and I think every one agrees they should have been given more time…ala Cowher.
Smith…it will be interesting to watch.