FLOWERY BRANCH — Falcons coach Mike Smith went through additional health testing and announced that his heart is in fine condition. He said there was a discovered ailment but he did not reveal what it was.
“I want to be as transparent as I can be,” Smith said on Monday. “I did have a follow-up appointment and follow-up testing on Friday. The follow-up appointment revealed the cause of the problem that I was having in Charlotte. I want to tell you that it’s not my heart. My heart is fine. I am fine.”
Following the Falcons-Carolina game on Dec. 11, Smith, 52, had chest pains and was taken to a Charlotte hospital before the team’s charter flight left for Atlanta. Smith had undisclosed tests and arrived home the next day at 3 a.m. He went in for a follow-up appointment and some additional last week.
“The doctors have devised a medical plan to deal with the issues and I can assure you again, it’s not my heart,” Smith said. “I am fine and I want to talk about the football team.”
After the Charlotte incident, Smith said he may have to make some lifestyle changes.
“It will not be anything that affects how I coach the football team,” Smith said. “I just want it to come to a conclusion. The testing and such that took place on Friday, we’ve got a way to deal with it and we’ll move forward with that.”
Ryan helps set record
Quarterback Matt Ryan has had five games where he passed for more than 300 yards.
There have been 105 individual 300-yard passing games this season, the most in a single-season in NFL history.
There were 104, 300-yard games in 2009 and 96 last season.
The Falcons are 2-3 when Ryan passes for more than 300 yards this season. They have losses to Chicago (329), Tampa Bay (330) and New Orleans (351). They beat Tennessee (316) and Carolina (320) when Ryan’s thrown for more than 300 yards.
Rookie window
With Carolina's Cam Newton and Cincinnati's Andy Dalton leading the way, the 2011 rookie starting quarterbacks have a chance to break Ryan and Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco's record for most combined wins by rookie quarterbacks in a season since 1970.
Ryan and Flacco combined for 22 wins in 2008 as they both guided their teams to the playoffs.
With the Panthers and the Bengals winning on Sunday, this year's class of rookie starting quarterbacks have combined for 19 victories. Dalton (8), Newton (5), Houston's T.J. Yates (2), Minnesota's Christian Ponder (2) and Jacksonville's Blaine Gabbert (2).
The previous second-most wins by rookie starting quarterbacks was 18 set in 2004.
Pro Bowl voting
Fan voting for the Pro Bowl concluded at the end of the Pittsburgh Steelers at San Francisco 49ers Monday Night Football game. Players and coaches will vote this week..
The teams will be announced at 7 p.m. Tuesday, December 27 on a special NFL Total Access 2012 Pro Bowl Selection Show on NFL Network.
“There are a lot of good football players that are probably going to not be chosen on the balloting this week,” Smith said. “Our players will do their balloting tomorrow when they are in here. Our coaching staff, we took the better part of this morning. . . We take it very serious about how we want to evaluate the rest of the players in the league. Some of them, we haven’t played against so we have to do some TV scouting.”
Last season, seven Falcons — Ryan, wide receiver Roddy White, running back Michael Turner, tight end Tony Gonzalez, fullback Ovie Mughelli, defensive end John Abraham and specialist Eric Weems — were named to the NFC team. Right tackle Tyson Clabo and cornerback Brent Grimes went as alternates.
Etc.
All of the assistant coaches returned to work on Monday. The players return on Tuesday for a light workout before getting Wednesday off. . . The Falcons will hold a walk-through practice in a hotel ballroom in New Orleans on Sunday. . . Wide receiver Julio Jones leads the rookie class is yards per catch at 18 yards.
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