NEW ORLEANS -- Here’s what Falcons coach Arthur Smith had to say about the loss to the Saints:
On the loss and the Saints scoring late in the game: “Obviously, nobody wants to end the season like that. Credit to them (the Saints). They made the plays, certainly in the second half. It got out of hand. Do whatever you want. I just gave them my opinion on it. It doesn’t take away the fact that they beat us. That second half, they took advantage of us and they took some shots.”
On the Falcons interception on third down: “They were playing kind of two-man in trap coverage, obviously the guy was in there, (we) just lost sight of him and he made a play.”
On if he wants to remain with the team: “Sure, as I’ve said many of times, we know the industry that we’re in. I love doing what I’m doing. Also, like I’ve told you many times, this is the industry that we are in. I love coaching. I would have loved to win today. Obviously, we didn’t.”
On if he has received any indication of his job status for the future: “We just finished the game. I understand the question. I appreciate it. I love doing what I do.”
On if he has second thoughts taking a deep shot after a third and one, following the Saints taking the lead: “Obviously, hindsight is 20-20. At that point in the game, certainly we are going for it, looking at the numbers…Clearly, that was a big momentum shift. We took a risk and it didn’t work.”
On his motivation to move forward with the franchise: “With any job, you have a lot of confidence. I’m not going to give a State of the Union right now on everything that has happened over the last three years. Like I said, the season just ended. Obviously, it was not the result that we needed today. Clearly, the second half got out of hand. Credit to New Orleans.”
On if Desmond Ridder’s third quarter interception deflated the team: “I wouldn’t call it deflated. (We) turned the ball over. We turned the ball over. It is never one person. Credit to them; they made a play. They had a contested catch on the pop up to (Chris) Olave. Then, they got another huge shot after that. Your question on the third and one and the momentum shift; those are two big explosive plays right there. They made the plays and made us pay off of the turnovers. That really was the story, certainly in the second half.”
On Taylor Heinicke not playing: “He wasn’t going to be able to move well. That’s all….He was in pain. (He) tried to go. We had the contingency plan, clearly, in the first half. (We) hit some plays, executed it. Credit to New Orleans, they held the ball a lot in the first half. The score was 17-17. We did not have the ball very long, so the defense was out there a long time. We turned the ball over a couple of times (and gave them) a short field, (with) an interception and a fumble. They turned it into points.”
On what he told the team after the game: “These guys have been such a privilege to work with these guys. They worked extremely hard all season. To clearly come up short (is hard). I appreciate the hell out of them. I love coaching this team.”
On if playing multiple quarterbacks impacted the season: “I was just trying to get Logan (Woodside) some reps (today). It wasn’t a benching of (Ridder). I was just trying to get Logan some reps, (given) what the score was. (There) was a long interception return right there. Yeah, that’s part of the journey (of the season), certainly. Credit to Des (Ridder). I thought that he came out and opened the game well. Those guys have been fun to coach.”
On how he would describe the season in words: “I’m not going to put it in one word. Any time that you clearly want to play in the postseason, and when you get in the postseason, you want to be the last team there. When you’re not, 31 other teams are not going to win the Super Bowl. The goal when you get to camp, everyone wants to get to the postseason and wants a shot at it. When you don’t do that, nobody feels great.”
On how Calais Campbell should be remembered by people if this is his last game: “He’s a great player. Hopefully he gets called into Canton, Ohio. Certainly, he’s a special player. (He is) awesome to work with.”
On his disappointment on the fourth and goal throw by Ridder: “No. It’s a private conversation. We didn’t execute, so, obviously, we came up short. We had plenty of opportunities before that.”
On frustration with late Saints touchdown: “They can do whatever they want. There are no rules against it. Like I said, we did not stop them in the second half. They can do whatever they want. It is what it is. Hats off to them. They kicked our you know what in the second half. They made us play. They took advantage of turnovers. That’s their prerogative (to try to score). It’s my prerogative to tell them how I feel. Like that or not, oh well. Credit to them. They can do whatever they want there.”
On if there was a point this year where he thought that the season would not be what he wanted it to be: “Every season takes its twists and turns. Every week, you are trying to improve and trying to win the game, stay relevant, and get into the postseason. Obviously, we didn’t do that.”
On his frustration with the offense being productive early in the season, and have more turnovers later in the year: “It happened too much this year. You see flashes of it. The job is to consistently do it; and, we didn’t do it.”
