Hours before the team was set to face Carolina for the NFC South title, it was reported by ESPN that the Falcons had retained search firm Korn Ferry about a potential head-coaching search.
Korn Ferry, an international firm, has an office in Atlanta. Owner Arthur Blank declined The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s request to talk about Smith’s status before and after the game.
Korn Ferry has been involved with several NFL and college coaching searches, including the University of Michigan’s prolonged hunt for a new head coach.
Smith, the winningest coach in franchise history, took the Falcons to the playoff in four of his first seven seasons.
“That’s not my choice,” Smith said when asked if he and his staff deserved to be retained. “This is a business about winning football games and that’s how you’re judged. I understand that and I’ll leave it at that.”
Over Smith’s first five seasons, his teams played solid defense, keep down penalties and made it a habit of winning close games.
The peak was reaching the NFC Championship game after the 2012 season. The 49ers rallied from a 17-0 deficit that day to win 28-24 at the Georgia Dome and advance to the Super Bowl.
It has been downhill ever since. After coaxing future Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez out of retirement last year, the Falcons were expected to be Super Bowl contenders. But a rash of injuries and perceived lack of toughness greased the slide for a 4-12 skid, followed by this season’s 6-10 campaign.
The team blew a 21-point lead to Detroit on Oct 26 in London when the Falcons left enough time on the clock for the Lions to score late. They later blew a late lead against Cleveland. A day after that 26-24 loss, Smith admitted to mismanaging the clock.
Smith’s record is 66-45 (.595) but he’s 1-4 in the playoffs.
“I don’t like to speculate,” Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan said. “Mike has done a great job.”
Ryan was the team’s first draft pick under Smith’s regime.
“The seven years I have been here, he has been first class,” Ryan said. “He shows up every day. He works really hard, he is incredibly consistent. You know where you stand with him as a player and I think the guys respect that.”
“I have nothing but a lot of respect for Mike.”
Trufant stunned: Second-year cornerback Desmond Trufant, who was one of the bright spots on the defense, was dejected after the defeat.
“It was surprising because there was so much on the line,” Trufant said. “We prepared well this week. We were confident. But for whatever reason, we didn’t show up as a team. That’s not acceptable.”
He said he would like to see the coaching staff retained.
“Definitely, the whole coaching staff believed in me,” Trufant said. “They brought me in here as a first-round pick. They put me out there as a rookie. They let me learn and let me grow. I believe in them and they believe in me.”
Smitty's last chat?: Smith was clearly dejected after the game when he spoke to the team.
“He said, ‘That’s not how you want to end it,’” Trufant said. “We knew what was at stake. We knew about the opportunity that we had. We knew that we could make the playoffs and that we controlled our own destiny. For whatever reason, we didn’t show up. That was pretty much the message.”
Umenyiora done: Osi Umenyiora likely has played his last game with the Falcons. The defensive end's two-year deal ran out with the loss to the Panthers.
Umenyiora, 33, made his way along the bench in the closing seconds of the game and shook hands with teammates and hugged coaches. He was unavailable for comment following the game, having left the locker room when it was opened to the media.
Umenyiora, a two-time Pro Bowler with the Giants before joining the Falcons, finished the season with 2 1/2 sacks, nine tackles and three assists. He led the Falcons in sacks last season with 7 1/2.
NFC South champs: The Panthers claimed the NFC South title and will host a playoff game next weekend. The Panthers became the first team to win back-to-back titles since the division was founded in 2002.
Inactives: As expected, Falcons starting running back Steven Jackson was declared inactive. Jackson did not practice last week with a quadriceps injury. Jacquizz Rodgers started in his place.
The Falcons other inactives were: quarterback Sean Renfree, safety Charles Godfrey, cornerback Ricardo Allen, linebacker Tyler Starr, tackle Jonathan Scott and defensive Stansly Maponga.
Draft position: Depending on the late results, the Falcons could draft as high as eight in the 2015 NFL draft. They will finish behind Tampa Bay, Tennessee, Jacksonville, Oakland, New York Jets and Washington. The Falcons, Giants and Rams could all finish at 6-10.
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