Mike Smith the right choice

Plenty of speculation had been made as to whether or not Mike Smith was the right man for the job.  The Falcons were in a bind last season when Bobby Petrino left three-quarters of the way through the season.  While Petrino left the Falcons in bad shape, the team stayed together.

In comes the search for a coach.  With many high profile names on the market like Bill Parcells, George Seifert and Mike Tice, the Falcons ended their search shortly after the season ended with hiring on Mike Smith from Jacksonville.  His name won't obviously ring any bells, but his results should.  He was a coach on the defense with the 2000 Baltimore Ravens that won the Super Bowl.  The Ravens defense that season finished first in the league in total defense.  He later became the Defensive Coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars, who had, previous to his hire, been in the bottom 10 of the league in total defense from 2000-2002.  

Last season the Falcons lost 12 games, six of those giving up over 30 points.  This season they are stopping people on defense and they are playing more aggressively.  A big name candidate doesn't necessarily translate into success.  The Cowboys under Bill Parcells made it to the playoffs once and couldn't get out of the first round; and, Joe Gibbs couldn't take the Redskins back to the Promised Land.  So, why was Mike Smith the obvious right choice?  

Mike Smith comes to an organization that was jilted by Bobby Petrino's selfish act, the teetering of Bill Parcells being a part of the organization as a consultant, and the infamous Michael Vick fiasco.  What Smith brings to the table and represents is a clean slate.  He started that by drafting a quarterback with their first pick.  It was also evident that Smith wanted that draft pick to move the team past the Michael Vick-era.  He later drafted Sam Baker out of USC to help protect the new future.  They would later draft four defensive players to mold for the future.  One is already starting, Curtis Lofton. They would later sign Michael Turner, a valuable backup to LaDainian Tomlinson to be their feature back and he has not disappointed.  The Falcons struggled on offense last season, and while that may not be Mike Smith's specialty, he's building a valuable and threatening offense.  Give Smith some time and he will mold the defense to the strength it was when he was a Defensive Coordinator for the Jaguars. 

Thus far the Falcons are 2-1, with wins coming against the Lions and the Chiefs.  It can be argued that combined those teams are 0-6, however, the Lions and the Chiefs are known for their potent offense and the Falcons held them to 21 points or less.  

Mike Smith is going to be the coach for a while.  Yes it is too early to tell if he'll pass the test of time and if he'll ever get through the mess that Petrino and Michael Vick left, but one thing's for sure: the Falcons look like they've forgotten.