Falcons coach Mike Smith, the winningest coach in franchise history, addressed his job status on Monday.
There is a lot of speculation that Smith will be terminated if the Falcons don’t make the playoffs for the second consecutive season or that he may need a deep run in the playoffs to save his job.
“I know that’s a subject that everybody wants to talk about,” Smith said. “As I’ve said, four or five weeks ago, I hope this is the last time that I have to answer it. I’m going to prepare just like I’ve done for the seven years that I’ve been here. My focus is on winning football games and winning the next football game. I’m going to continue to do that until (owner) Arthur Blank tells me differently.”
The Falcons, despite a 6-9 record, can win the NFC South title by defeating the Carolina Panthers (6-8-1) on Sunday at the Georgia Dome.
If they win, Smith will have taken the Falcons to the playoffs in five of seven seasons. The peak was reaching the NFC championship game after the 2012 season.
In his first two seasons, Smith became the first coach in franchise history to guide the Falcons to back-to-back winning seasons by going 11-5 in 2008 an d9-7 in 2009.
Under Smith, the Falcons have won two NFC South titles and been to the playoffs twice as a wildcard team. His regular season record is 66-39 (.628) and 1-4 (.200) in the playoffs.
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