ATLANTA — This was a good day for Arthur Blank. His football team won Sunday, and there haven’t been enough of those this season. Blank clapped his hands and raised both fists in the air in the game’s final seconds, congratulated players and staff members, hugged coach Arthur Smith just outside the stadium tunnel, then hugged him again after the postgame news conference. He remains as emotionally invested an owner as there is in professional sports.
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But Blank will soon have to make a difficult call on whether to keep Smith or fire him, and it’s easy to see this is wearing on him. These decisions are never easy, and the fact the owner has fired four head coaches — not including Bobby Petrino, who slithered away by himself — doesn’t make it easier.
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I walked with Blank to his car after the 29-10 win over Indianapolis at Mercedes Benz Stadium. I referenced fans calling for Smith’s job and asked a question I already knew the answer to: Are these decisions more difficult than most people think?
Blank looked at me and said nothing. I started to repeat the question, thinking maybe he didn’t hear me.
“I heard you — I understand the question,” he said. “I’m trying to figure out how to answer it.”
Pause.
“These are very complex decisions. There’s a million factors that go into it. You know you have to represent the franchise, the fans, the players, the coaches — everybody. You have to make the right decision for the right reason, and you have to live with those consequences. My mother used to tell me that all the time.”
Blank smiled. He didn’t want to go down the road of what he was thinking, instead reiterating comments from a few days earlier that he was “committed” to Smith — however one defines that — but that a decision on the coach’s future would be made after the season.
“Like coach Smith said, there’s some relief (about the win) but it’s mostly joy for the players, the coaches, the fans and all of us. We have two more games to go. Let’s see what happens. Like I said last week, we’ll play these last two and we’ll go from there.”
Tyler Allgeier takes it 31-yards to the house and the @AtlantaFalcons lead 20-7! 💨
📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/Zz79WJiFQD
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) December 24, 2023
I’ve believed all along it is more likely than not that Smith keeps his job. The angst and anger from fans is understandable, especially when looking at Smith’s three-season record of 21-28 and the fact the offense — Smith’s specialty — has largely underachieved. But his first two seasons came during a rebuild. This season’s record of 7-8 can be attributed in part – though not completely – to a turnover-laden former starting quarterback, Desmond Ridder. And yes, picking Ridder is a grease stain on Smith’s resume.
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It’s possible Smith saved his job Sunday, not only because the Falcons won but because we saw the upside of the offense when a quarterback doesn’t screw things up. Taylor Heinicke threw for 229 yards and a touchdown, but more importantly, he didn’t commit a turnover. Atlanta totaled 406 yards in offense and scored a season-high 29 points.
Amazing what happens when you don’t throw the ball to the other team.
🎱 corner pocket!!#ProBowlVote x @kylepitts__
📺 FOX | NFL+ pic.twitter.com/8Mh8rXsTDY— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) December 24, 2023
To view Sunday as a breakthrough would be premature. The Falcons’ record is a pedestrian 7-8, their final two games are on the road (Bears, Saints) and they still need the dominoes to fall just right to make the playoffs. But in theory, both Arthurs could view this game with some level of hope for the future — assuming the Falcons draft the right quarterback in the offseason.
Emotionally, this was a big day for Smith. In addition to his uncertain future, several of his family members were in attendance, including his father, Fred Smith, the founder of Federal Express. It wasn’t the first time he had relatives attend a game but the timing seemed more significant Sunday, given the backdrop.
“They show up — they’re huge Falcons’ supporters,” Smith said. “At least they didn’t go the other way. It would be a bad thing if your family stops texting you or calling you, or don’t show up.”
The Falcons had dropped eight of 12 since a 2-0 start. Last week’s 9-7 loss at Carolina was especially aggravating for anybody who had elevated expectations this season, especially Blank. It’s logical to wonder if the win over the Colts carried more relief than joy for Smith.
“Sometimes you hear coaches say winning is a relief,” Smith said. “But what’s been good is you see the response from the team. That’s why you love this game. You don’t want to lose that joy, so I would say it’s more joy. But sometimes it can feel like relief.”
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The players have his back. If they didn’t like Smith, if they didn’t want to play hard for him, it would’ve shown Sunday. This was one of their best all-around games of the season.
“Sometimes you can tell when the energy is bad in the locker room, you can tell change might be coming,” Calais Campbell said. “We haven’t had that feeling. Just logically speaking, when you lose ballgames and you don’t achieve, people are going to get fired. But we’re definitely fighting to show we believe in him. I think he’s a great leader.”
That counts for something. But if this was an easy decision, Blank would’ve made it by now.
(Photo of Arthur Blank congratulating Taylor Heinicke after Sunday’s victory: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)