Coach Smith knew Falcons would battle through

A snippet of Mike Smith’s postgame news conference following Sunday’s win over Chicago at the Georgia Dome.

Opening statement:

What a fantastic game, huh? A true 60-minute game. There were a lot of ebbs and flows in the game. We talked all week as a staff to our players [telling them] that we were going to need all three phases to step up and I think they did that. I really think there was a fourth phase too. To see the crowd here today, it was a very rambunctious crowd and I think they helped our football team.

“It was a fun day. Our players stayed composed. They had resolve. These are all things that we talk about as a football team.

“It looked bleak there for a minute. It really did. But Matt [Ryan] came out and made a great throw with six seconds to go after the kickoff. We were able to get the ball out of bounds and then Jason [Elam] … We had a good operation on the field goal. With a nice snap, hold and we were able to put the ball through the pipes.

I think this team knows how to play for 60 minutes. I think all through the first six weeks, this is a team that has come out and played hard. I’m very proud of our football team and I’m very proud of our coaching staff. We talk all the time about camaraderie and being a team. All successful teams are teams that have those traits. …

Q. Could you take us through that bleak period?

A. We had a couple of scenarios that we were going through as a coaching staff depending on where we were going to get the football in terms of after that kickoff. Once we got it out there around the 45-yard line, we felt like that with six seconds, instead of throwing a desperation throw, we felt that if the ball was to come out of the quarterbacks hands on time that we had a chance to hit that ball on the sideline. Mike [Jenkins] made a great catch. Matt went back there on his fifth step and got the ball out of his hands and we were able to put ourselves in that situation to kick that field goal.

Q. How big was it for Jason [Elam] to make the game-winning field goal after missing one earlier?

A. I can’t speak for Jason. He’s got to feel a heck of a lot better right now than if we didn’t get the opportunity to kick the field goal. That was a pressure kick. He’s hit a lot of game-winners in his career. I guess he wanted to add a game-winner there at the end.

Q. Have you ever been in a game comparable to this?

A. This is one of the most exciting games I have ever seen. I haven’t been in a game that finished quite like this. There were a lot of ebbs and flows in terms or emotions for everybody out there. I thought that our football team, which we’ve talked about being task masters, that’s what they did today. They stayed on tasked for 60 minutes. When you do that you’re going to like the outcome.”