“They’re driving me NUTS”: Atlanta Falcons HC Arthur Smith BLASTS his team for lacking motivation and drive
Follow Us
Arthur Smith
The Atlanta Falcons are in a rebuilding phase, the team has had a rough run in the past couple of years, ever since the team got obliterated by Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl, they have not been the same. Last season was the tip of the iceberg for fans as the team looked demotivated and the players played like they did not give a damn.
The Atlanta Falcons made some inexcusable mistakes last season, some of those errors made us cringe as those are mistakes that high school and college football players are supposed to make. This season will be no cakewalk for them either, the team is without veteran quarterback Matt Ryan who signed with the Colts this offseason. In light of this, Head Coach Arthur Smith spoke about his team’s prospects for this season.
Arthur Smith is bringing a positive change in the culture of the Atlanta Falcons:
The Atlanta Falcons looked more or less the same in the preseason, in the game against the Jets, the offensive had let a valuable opportunity to score slip through its fingers. The team failed to make it to the endzone in the second half of the game as they were unable to convert and had to settle for a 30-yard field goal. HC Smith was not happy with this and was seen yelling at players.
HC Arthur Smith cannot stand some of the most fundamental errors that he has seen from his players, “The ones that really drive me nuts are any of the procedure stuff. We have to play with good fundamentals and technique.” He was referring to the penalties that the team got during the game
Since this happened in the preseason, the team would have had an opportunity to go through film and make improvements, this season may be nothing more than just another tanking season for the team. Let’s be honest, nobody projects the Atlanta Falcons to make the playoffs, we’d be surprised if they win 5 games but Arthur Smith views it differently. For him, this season will not be like last year when the team just handed out wins, it’s about time the team’s opponents begin to earn wins.
Atlanta’s primary focus now is changing the environment in the locker room and the team culture. The team does not just need a roster overhaul but they need an overhaul of their mindset. Arthur Smith is attempting to do this by making every single rep in the preseason or regular season count, if the players make mistakes, they ought to correct them. One of the reasons that the Falcons HC was irked in the preseason games was because he wants his players to take every game seriously. He can even take credit for having his team come back against the Detroit Lions in the last quarter of their preseason outing.
It’s not just Arthur Smith spearheading such a change, Defensive Coordinator Dean Pees also stated that the Falcons are now changing the locker room environment, “We’re changing the culture around this place, it’s not going to be in the bottom half of the league like it’s been 15 of the last 20 years. Sick of that crap. We’ve got to take charge, and it’s not going to be anyone else to do it but us. I’m tired of everybody telling us how bad we are because after a while you start believing it,” Pees stated. He like many others is sick of the reputation that the Falcons have gained over the past couple of years.
This season Marcus Mariota will be the starter for the team and rookie Drake London brings in some hope in the wideout department, the roster is one that does not have stars but if we count experiences, the Falcons have a lot of veterans on their team. This offseason the signings of Marcus Mariota, Rashaan Evans, Casey Hayward, Damien Williams, and Bryan Edwards will help them perform better than last season.
This season will also be the last chance for Marcus Mariota to prove that he belongs in the NFL, it is his second opportunity to be a starter. He has been around multiple teams and is looking to make a solid comeback, the good news for him is that he is familiar with Arthur Smith’s offense as he was the offensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans when Mariota was there in 2019. The Atlanta Falcons kick off their season against the New Orleans Saints on the 11th of September. What are your predictions for the Atlanta Falcons this season? Let us know!
Do follow us on: Google News | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
Also Read: “Future GOAT vs GOAT,” Skip Bayless makes an early and BOLD prediction on the Super Bowl LVII winner
Stay Updated!
/techfirstnow/media/agency_attachments/kATjCXskQdJKkXN0OuqW.png)