The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have hired former Falcons head coach Mike Smith as their defensive coordinator.
Smith joins the staff of former Falcons offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter, who was promoted to be the 11th head coach in the Bucs' history. The two first worked in Jacksonville in 2007 when Smith was defensive coordinator and Koetter was the Jaguars' offensive coordinator.
Koetter served as Smith's offensive coordinator in Atlanta from 2012 to 2014.
The Falcons fired Smith - the winningest coach in franchise history - following the 2014 season. Smith had a 66-46 record in his seven-year tenure in Atlanta, along with a 1-4 mark in the playoffs.
Smith is expected to boost a Bucs defense that finished 10th in the league in yards allowed.
Could Roddy White be next?
As Koetter, Smith and the Bucs' front office work to rebuild the team, it's worth wondering if Falcons wide receiver Roddy White will be the next to transition from Atlanta to Tampa. (Click here to read more on MyAJC.com)
Plenty of good seats left
One year into sales of personal seat licenses for their new stadium, the Falcons have sold about 27,000 seats — roughly 40 percent of the non-suite seats in Mercedes-Benz Stadium. (Click here to read more on MyAJC.com)
We all love the NFL, no matter what
Performance-enhancing drugs aren't the only controversial issue people are willing to overlook while enthusiastically embracing the NFL. (Click here to read more on MyAJC.com)
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