Former Falcons coach Mike Smith, the winningest coach in franchise history, has kept a low profile since his contract was terminated by the Falcons on Monday.
After receiving the news in a morning meeting with owner Arthur Blank, Smith met with the team and his assistant coaches. He received a standing ovation as he left the team meeting room. Also, a few players went over and thanked him personally.
Smith, 55, helped to resurrect the Falcons back in 2008. He took over a team in shambles after it lost quarterback Michael Vick to federal prison and previous coach Bobby Petrino walked out on the team after 13 games.
Smith guided the Falcons to a 66-46 mark over seven seasons. He was 56-24 over the first five seasons, but injuries and roster decisions eroded the talent base and the Falcons went 10-22 over his final two seasons.
After drafting quarterback Matt Ryan out of Boston College in the first-round of the 2008 bdraft and signing running back Michael Turner in free agency, the Falcons had the key components to build a power offense. With wide receiver Roddy White already on the roster, the Falcons, under offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey cobbled together an offense that carved the way to an 11-5 record and a wildcard playoff berth.
Turner, who was a reserve behind LaDainian Tomlinson in San Diego, had a breakout season as he rushed for 1,699 yards and 17 touchdowns. Ryan passed for 3,440 yards and 16 touchdowns. White added 88 catches for 1,382 yards and seven touchdowns.
The defense was led by John Abraham, who had 16.5 sacks. But they were upset in the playoffs by Arizona, who went on to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.
In 2009, injuries to Ryan (turf toe) and Turner (high ankle sprain) slowed down the Falcons. A victory over Tampa Bay in the season finale secured a 9-7 record and marked the first time the Falcons had back-to-back winning seasons since being founded in 1966.
In 2010, the Falcons went 13-3 and claimed the No. 1 seed for the playoffs. There was talk of reaching the Super Bowl, but a hot Green Bay Packers team body-slammed the Falcons 48-21 in the Georgia Dome. The Packers would go on to win the Super Bowl.
In 2011, the Falcons finished 10-6 and were defeated by the New York Giants 20-2 in the playoffs. The Giants would go on to win the Super Bowl.
In 2012, the Falcons went 13-3 and claimed the No. 1 seed again. They defeated Seattle in the divisional round of the playoffs and appeared on their way to the franchise’s second Super Bowl when they took a 17-0 lead on San Francisco in the NFC championship game.
But the 49ers exposed a void in the Falcons’ defense and rallied by almost exclusively passing to their tight ends. The 49ers rallied to win 28-24. The Falcons attempt to retake the lead died at the 10-yard line with 1:09 left in the game.
“Coach Smith has been a great coach to us for seven years,” White said. “He has done a lot of good things. We have been to the playoffs a bunch of times, won a lot of games, and it has been a very, very, very good time. I love that guy to death.”
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