Falcons name new head coach

[hagansp]

Flowery Branch — The Falcons officially announced Mike Smith as the team's new head coach on Thursday at a press conference at team headquarters.

Smith, the 14th head coach in franchise history, comes to the Falcons from the Jacksonville Jaguars, where he was the team's defensive coordinator.

"I'm thrilled to be a part of this organization," Smith said. "There's no where to go but up."

The team announced that Emmitt Thomas would be the assistant head coach. Thomas served as the team's interim head coach for the last three games of the season after Bobby Petrino abruptly left the Falcons after 13 games to coach the University of Arkansas.

The Falcons decided Smith was their man, after narrowing their search down to four candidates, because his ideals of moving the franchise forward meshed with those of newly hired general manager Thomas Dimitroff and owner Arthur Blank.

"He is an exceptional talent evaluator and a very, very talented football mind," Dimitroff said of Smith.

Dimitroff, who has been on the job for just more than a week, made the recommendation to Blank to hire Smith, who has never been an NFL head coach. The neophyte tandem will try to redirect the wayward franchise forward after one of the more trying seasons in NFL history.

The Falcons are coming off a 4-12 season, sidetracked by quarterback Michael Vick's dogfighting saga, coach Bobby Petrino quitting after 13 games and an injury-ravaged and aging roster.

Blank has now hired three coaches since he bought the franchise in 2002 and fired head coach Dan Reeves, none of whom had previous NFL head coaching experience.

"He's a very bright man. He's very diligent in what he does with his preparation. A great leader," Jacksonville assistant head coach Mike Tice said of Smith. "Great character. I think that everything about him exemplifies a guy that has worked his way up through the ranks. He was a college coach, NFL assistant and defensive coordinator."

Former NFL player Marcellus Wiley, a defensive end who played under Smith at Jacksonville in the 2005-06 season, had a different view of Smith.

"I was looking at this saying, 'Wow, they went way down low on the totem pole for this,' " Wiley said Wednesday on ESPN's "First Take." "I say this because when I was in Jacksonville, [head coach] Jack Del Rio was the defensive coordinator. ... Mike Smith, I won't say he was a puppet figure, but at the same time, Mike Smith wasn't the guy guys in the locker room respected. He wasn't the one you looked at and said, 'OK, he's our leader.' ... We just knew he was standing in front of the room while Jack Del Rio called the shots."

However, current Jaguars defensive end Paul Spicer, an eight-year veteran, offered yet another view.

"He is very competitive," said Spicer, in a release issued by the Falcons. "He wants the best out of you — he demands the best of you. Mike Smith gained the trust of a lot of Jaguars players over the years. He has definitely gained my trust. I would tell any Falcons player that they are definitely getting a gem."

Smith's hiring ends a nearly two-month process to replace Petrino, who resigned to coach at the University of Arkansas.

While searching for coaches, the Falcons simultaneously interviewed candidates to replace general manager Rich McKay, whose job duties were streamlined to be club president — a role he shared with being a GM since 2003.

The process was unorthodox and grueling as prospects for both jobs — Bill Parcells, Pete Carroll, Jason Garrett, Bill Cowher, Chris Mara and Tony Sparano — took other jobs or pulled themselves out of contention. Dimitroff, the director of college scouting for New England, was hired via a Webcam interview.

As for the coaching search, the Falcons whittled their candidate pool to Smith, Minnesota defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier, former Baltimore defensive coordinator Rex Ryan and New York Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo once Dimitroff was hired Jan. 13. Ryan and Smith were interviewed twice, Frazier once.

The Falcons could not interview Spagnuolo, per NFL rules, until after his Giants play in the Feb. 3 Super Bowl against New England. The lengthy window created some angst about Spagnuolo's ability to put together a staff and the possibility that other candidates could redo contracts with their existing teams or take jobs elsewhere.

Smith, 48 and the brother-in-law of former Baltimore coach Brian Billick, just completed his fourth season as Jacksonville's defensive coordinator. The Jaguars routinely were among the most highly rated defenses in the NFL under his direction, including a No. 12 overall ranking this season.

Of the three coaches Blank has hired since assuming ownership in 2002, two (Jim Mora and Smith) have been defensive-oriented. Petrino specialized in offense.

Smith, who played linebacker in the Canadian Football League, has coached for 25 years. He entered the NFL with Baltimore in 1999 as a defensive line coach. He was promoted to linebackers coach in 2002. He coached collegiately at San Diego State, Morehead State and Tennessee Tech.

In terms of assistants, former Miami offensive coordinator/tight ends coach Mike Mularkey and former Cincinnati quarterbacks coach Ken Zampese could be in line for offensive coordinator. Current Falcons quarterbacks coach Bill Musgrave and former interim coach/secondary coach Emmitt Thomas are expected to be retained, although their roles are unclear. Musgrave was Jacksonville's offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach in 2003, Smith's first season as defensive coordinator with the Jaguars. Dallas asked for permission to speak to Thomas, but the Falcons denied the request.

Running backs coach Ollie Wilson is expected to take the same role with San Diego, where he previously coached.

— D. Orlando Ledbetter and Chris Vivlamore contributed to this report.
http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sp...mith_0123.html

[htwheelz01]

I give him what two years then he is fired lol. I wish the best of luck for him though.