Tag: Arthur Smith

Oct 28, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith walks the sidelines during warmup for a game against the New York Giants at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

Steelers OC Arthur Smith on UNC interest: I’m happy here

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith confirmed Thursday that North Carolina reached out to him about its coaching vacancy.

Smith, 42, was an offensive lineman for the Tar Heels from 2001-05 and launched his coaching career as a graduate assistant in Chapel Hill in 2006.

North Carolina announced earlier this week that this will be the final season for Mack Brown, the winningest head coach in school history.

Smith said he had a preliminary call about the opening but told reporters he is personally and professionally happy in Pittsburgh, where the former Atlanta Falcons head coach is in his first season on Mike Tomlin’s staff.

“I’ve got an awesome job here. When you’ve got something good, my family loves it here,” Smith said, according to the Steelers’ team website.

Smith posted three consecutive 7-10 campaigns with the Falcons from 2021-23. He was an assistant coach with the Tennessee Titans from 2012-20, the last two seasons as offensive coordinator.

–Field Level Media

Oct 13, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields (2) celebrates with team mates after scoring a rushing touchdown against the Las Vegas Raiders during the second quarter at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Steelers’ Justin Fields takes blame; OC hints at divide in pending QB call

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields sounded like a man that believes he lost his job, even though head coach Mike Tomlin has yet to publicly hand the starter designation to Russell Wilson.

“I don’t think I played good enough, if I’m being real with you,” Fields said Thursday, when asked if it would be frustrating to not start Sunday’s game against the visiting New York Jets. “If I’m being real with myself, I think if I did play well enough, I don’t think there would be any sort of (question of) who should be playing, who should not.

“At the end of the day, (we) got a few wins. Of course, I’m glad about that, but there’s areas that I could be better at and I’m just going to continue to work on those and continue to get better.”

Fields’ comments were noteworthy on the heels of veteran Wilson taking first-team reps this week.

Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith made it clear the past two weeks that Tomlin is making the final call at quarterback.

Last week, Smith seemed to send the strongest signal yet that his vote would be cast for Fields.

“There’s no drama to him. He doesn’t try to live through his avatar or create a perception. That’s probably why he was so endearing to his teammates in Chicago,” Smith said. “Extremely coachable, extremely bright.”

On Thursday, Smith repeated Tomlin has “a decision to make by the end of the week.”

“Unfortunately Russell missed a lot of time. Haven’t really got to see him,” Smith said Thursday. “I think Justin’s done a good job. By no means is anybody perfect around here but it’s about winning. I wish we were 6-0 — we’re not. I think we’ve made progress in certain areas some weeks.”

Fields and Wilson competed for the starting job in training camp, when the latter was bothered by a calf injury. Tomlin made Wilson the QB1 at the end of the preseason, but Wilson’s leg injury crept up before Week 1 and he was inactive for the first five games. Active as the No. 2 quarterback last week, Wilson was deemed healthy by Tomlin on Tuesday.

Fields, 25, has completed 66.3 percent of his passes for 1,106 yards with five touchdowns and one interception. He’s also rushed for 231 yards and five scores. The Steelers (4-2), however, rank 28th in passing and 20th in points.

“I want to be 6-0 right now, but it was a great opportunity for me,” Fields said. “Of course, I’m grateful for the opportunity. I did get those first six weeks, and we’ll just see what happens this week.”

Smith argued that Fields should not lose his confidence if the Steelers go back to Wilson.

“His confidence should be high. He’s 4-2. He’s been pretty productive,” Smith said. “So, whatever Mike tells us to do, we’ll have it ready either way. That’s our job.”

–Field Level Media

Jan 7, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Atlanta Falcons running back Cordarrelle Patterson (84) run in the open field against the New Orleans Saints during the second half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

Reports: Steelers sign RB/KR Cordarrelle Patterson

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The Pittsburgh Steelers signed running back and return specialist Cordarrelle Patterson to a two-year, $6 million contract, NFL Network and ESPN reported Tuesday.

After reinventing himself as a running back for the past three seasons in Atlanta, Patterson will follow former Falcons head coach Arthur Smith to Pittsburgh, where the latter is now the offensive coordinator.

Patterson entered the league as a wide receiver and a first-round draft pick of the Minnesota Vikings in 2013. He was a four-time Pro Bowler, a four-time first-team All-Pro selection and a two-time second-team All-Pro as a returner over the first eight years of his career with Minnesota (2013-16), Oakland (2017), New England (2018) and Chicago (2019-20).

Patterson, 33, has returned nine kicks for touchdowns in his career, though just one in his past three seasons. He led the league in kick return yardage in 2019 (825) and 2020 (1,017).

He started 13 games at running back for Atlanta in 2021, appearing in 16 games total, and had a career-high 1,166 yards from scrimmage (618 rushing, 548 receiving). In three seasons with the Falcons, Patterson tallied 1,494 rushing yards, 708 receiving yards and 20 total touchdowns.

–Field Level Media

Dec 24, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith shown on the field after the game against the Indianapolis Colts at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Report: Steelers hiring ex-Falcons coach Arthur Smith as OC

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The Pittsburgh Steelers are expected to hire former Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith as their offensive coordinator, NFL Network reported Tuesday.

The Falcons fired Smith on Jan. 8 at the conclusion of his third straight 7-10 season.

Smith, 41, was the offensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans in 2019 and 2020 before taking the Atlanta job.

He originally joined the Titans in 2011 as a quality control coach before working with the offensive line (2013) and the tight ends (2014-18).

The Steelers fired offensive coordinator Matt Canada on Nov. 21. Running backs coach Eddie Faulkner took over the day-to-day responsibilities of the OC position and quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan became the new play-caller.

Pittsburgh (10-7) rallied to make the playoffs with three straight wins to close the regular season. The campaign ended with a 31-17 road loss to the Buffalo Bills in the wild-card round.

The Steelers finished 28th in the NFL in scoring (17.9 points per game) and 25th in total offense (304.3 yards per game).

When Smith directed the Tennessee offense from 2019-20, it was a run-heavy attack behind All-Pro Derrick Henry. Henry led the NFL in rushing both seasons, including a 2,027-yard campaign in 2020.

Smith’s stable of running backs in Pittsburgh includes three-time 1,000-yard rusher Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren, who gained 1,154 yards from scrimmage in 2023.

–Field Level Media

Aug 22, 2020; Inglewood California, USA; Los Angeles Rams safety coach Ejiro Evero during a scrimmage at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Falcons interview Ejiro Evero, Anthony Weaver for head-coaching job

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The Atlanta Falcons conducted virtual interviews with Ejiro Evero and Anthony Weaver on Sunday as they continue to search for a new head coach.

Evero, 43, spent this past season as the Carolina Panthers’ defensive coordinator after holding the same role with the Denver Broncos during the 2022 campaign.

At the NFL level, Evero has also had stints with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2007-09), San Francisco 49ers (2011-15), Green Bay Packers (2016) and Los Angeles Rams (2017-21) working mostly on the defensive side of the ball.

Weaver, 43, has been with the Baltimore Ravens as their associate head coach and defensive line coach since the 2022 season. He went to Baltimore in 2021, when he was the defensive line coach and run game coordinator.

Before his time with the Ravens, Weaver spent five seasons with the Houston Texans (2016-20) as their defensive line coach, adding the title of defensive coordinator for the 2020 campaign. He was the Cleveland Browns’ D-line coach from 2014-15.

Weaver has also made pit stops with the New York Jets (2012) and Buffalo Bills (2013). He worked at Florida and North Texas before moving up to the NFL.

Atlanta has now interviewed five potential suitors to take over for Arthur Smith, who was fired late last Sunday. Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan and 49ers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks all virtually met with the Falcons before Evero and Weaver.

Smith, 41, went 21-30 in his three seasons as head coach. Atlanta never won a playoff game under his tenure.

–Field Level Media

Dec 31, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Taylor Heinicke (4) drops back to pass against the Chicago Bears during the first half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike Dinovo-USA TODAY Sports

Taylor Heinicke hurting, Falcons cling to fragile playoff hopes

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With one week remaining in the regular season, the Atlanta Falcons are down to a wing and a prayer when it comes to miniscule hopes for the playoffs.

And in what has become a recurring theme, the Falcons may need to switch quarterbacks when they visit the New Orleans Saints in Week 18.

The Falcons (7-9) suffered a 37-17 loss at the Chicago Bears on New Year’s Eve to fall into third place in the NFC South. Late in the game, starting quarterback Taylor Heinicke injured his left ankle and was replaced by Desmond Ridder.

Falcons coach Arthur Smith told reporters Monday that the team should “have a good idea by Friday” whether Heinicke will be able to play in the critical game at New Orleans.

“Obviously, he’s going to do everything he can to play,” Smith said of Heinicke. “We’ll have to monitor that. … I know Taylor. He’s going to put everything he can into trying to go.”

Ridder and Heinicke have swapped spots on the depth chart three times this season due to both injury and ineffectiveness. Heinicke is the more experienced of the two, but he tossed three interceptions and just one touchdown on 10-of-29 passing Sunday against the Bears.

Ridder completed three passes and threw one pick in relief of Heinicke. He has been turnover-prone all season, with 11 interceptions and six lost fumbles.

Heinicke hurt his ankle in a Week 16 win over the Indianapolis Colts and was limited in practice throughout last week, meaning Ridder took plenty of reps in his place.

Smith, who has faced questions about his job security toward the end of his third season in Atlanta, has been dealt plenty of adversity at the most important position in football.

“It’s like a lot of things in life. What you can control and how you react to things and having plans is part of your job,” Smith said. “Obviously what you’re doing at that position, that’s why you always got to make sure everybody’s ready to go, because it’s real.”

With that in mind, the Falcons turn to their final division game of the season. They have only one path to reach the playoffs following Week 17 results.

Only if the Falcons beat the Saints and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lose to the cellar-dwelling Carolina Panthers could Atlanta sneak into the postseason. In that scenario, a three-way tie atop the division at 8-9 favors Atlanta. The Falcons have the tiebreaker by virtue of having the best head-to-head record against the other two clubs (3-1).

The Saints (8-8) have won three of their last four games, including a big 23-13 win at Tampa Bay last Sunday to keep their division hopes alive. Derek Carr threw for 197 yards and two touchdowns on 24-of-32 passing.

Ridder was the Falcons’ quarterback when they beat the Saints 24-15 on Nov. 26 in Atlanta. He threw for a touchdown and two interceptions, while Bijan Robinson had 91 rushing yards, 32 receiving yards and two scores in that one.

“Any time we play New Orleans, it’s a big deal,” Smith said. “Certainly this game’s got a lot on the line. I know that some of it’s out of our control, but again, that’s our own doing, right? To not control your own (destiny). But we gotta get ready to go and put everything we got and go beat New Orleans.”

–Field Level Media

Dec 24, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Taylor Heinicke (4) passes the ball against the Indianapolis Colts during the first half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Conditions clear: Falcons to keep pushing on offense

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A late December afternoon by the lake in Chicago is not usually somebody’s idea of great weather, yet as far as the Atlanta Falcons are concerned, the conditions figure to be a welcome respite from what they have seen of late.

After wet and windy conditions in their past two road games — at New York against the Jets and at Carolina — the Falcons view a New Year’s Eve forecast of 37 degrees and mostly cloudy as downright welcoming conditions.

Atlanta kept its long shot playoff hopes alive with an impressive 29-10 victory at home against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday and now have three wins in the past five games following a three-game losing streak. It is essentially win-or-else time.

“The last two (on the road) the weather has been a factor too,” Falcons head coach Arthur Smith said on a video conference call Christmas morning, when asked about the team’s struggles on the road. “I’m sure it will be cold in Chicago, but I think it will be pretty clear, which will be nice. That will be a change.”

In poor conditions against the Jets, the Falcons mustered just 194 total yards, including 104 passing, and a single touchdown, yet still pulled out a 13-8 victory. The heartbreaker was another wet and sloppy game at Carolina on Dec. 17, when the Falcons had 204 yards and fell 9-7 on a last-second field goal.

Atlanta has shown they can move the ball when outside factors aren’t taking a bite out of the gameplan. In Sunday’s victory over the Colts, the Falcons had 406 yards of total offense.

“I don’t think it was by accident that we found a way,” Smith said. “I think it has been what now, six games of 400-plus yards? There is only one other team that’s done that. We’re not patting ourselves on the back about yards. But there are signs that we’re able to move the ball and guys are getting open.”

Taylor Heinicke was inserted into the starting quarterback spot over Desmond Ridder and he threw for 229 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions. Younghoe Koo kicked five goals, but Smith said that was more by circumstance. In a different situation, the Falcons could have found the end zone at least one more time.

“(Sunday) was as good as it’s been in a while in terms of constantly mobbing the football and coming away with points,” Smith said. “You would have loved to punch the last two red-zone drives in for touchdowns. We were a little conservative.

“We wanted to pick it up but … we felt the game was over, the clock ran down and we kicked it. Especially on the last one there (with two minutes remaining), I had a play I wanted to call but it’s almost like karma so just kick the field goal.”

According to the NFL’s one playoff probability tracker, the Falcons move into Week 17 with a 10 percent chance of making it to the postseason. Atlanta will give 100 percent effort, not concerning itself with the odds.

It has been a disappointing season for the Bears, but they are surging with three victories over their past four games.

“The most important thing I can do, do my job to the best of my ability… We have to find a way to beat the Bears. That’s all that matters,” Smith said. “Things are out of our hands.

“You’ve been around this league long enough to know that what’s supposed to happen, usually doesn’t. The only thing we can control is to go on the road and play a pretty good Bears team.”

–Field Level Media

Dec 10, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson (7) runs against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the second half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

NFL fines Falcons for violating injury report policy

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The NFL fined the Atlanta Falcons $75,000 and head coach Arthur Smith $25,000 on Friday for violating the injury report policy earlier this season.

The violation involved running back Bijan Robinson and his undisclosed illness prior to a Week 7 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Oct. 22, a game the visiting Falcons won 16-13.

Smith and the Falcons should have added Robinson to the injury report with the illness. The rookie first-round pick had just one carry for 3 yards and played only 11 snaps in that game.

Robinson, 21, has rushed for 801 yards and four touchdowns and added 41 receptions for 323 yards and three TDs in 14 games (13 starts).

–Field Level Media

December 19, 2021; Santa Clara, California, USA; Atlanta Falcons offensive tackle Jake Matthews (70) during the second quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Falcons try to regroup following slew of injuries to key players

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The good news for the Atlanta Falcons is that they remain in the hunt to win the NFC South with four games left to play in the 2023 season.

The bad news for Arthur Smith’s team is that it’s now dealing with a rash of injuries to key players at a particularly important point in the playoff race.

Atlanta (6-7, 3-1 NFC South) entered Sunday’s matchup with Tampa Bay without five starters: right tackle Kaleb McGary, center Drew Dalman, defensive tackle David Onyemata, linebacker Nate Landman and cornerback Jeff Okudah. Defensive tackle Grady Jarrett (torn ACL) and linebacker Troy Andersen (pectoral) are both already out for the year.

But in the 29-25 loss to the Bucs, the Falcons also lost left tackle Jake Matthews, right guard Chris Lindstrom and defensive tackle Kentavius Street, leaving the team decimated in the trenches prior to a crucial upcoming road game against the Carolina Panthers (1-12, 0-4).

Smith seemed optimistic about the return of Matthews and Lindstrom for this week’s upcoming game, but he wasn’t as confident when asked about the availability of Onyemata, Landman, McGary, Dalman and Okudah.

“I think (Matthews and Lindstrom) have a real chance to play this week,” Smith said. “We’ll know more later in the week on the others.”

Atlanta is still awaiting the results of a second opinion on Street, who suffered a pectoral injury. Street stepped into Jarrett’s spot along the defensive front after the Pro Bowler went down.

“It may not be as bad as we thought,” Smith said. “But we’ll see.”

Storm Norton started in place of McGary and Ryan Neuzil took by far his most snaps of the season Sunday in place of Dalman.

Tyler Vrabel, who was elevated from the practice squad on Saturday, filled in for Matthews when he went down. Kyle Hinton stepped up and replaced Lindstrom when he exited, which left the Falcons with just one regular starting O-lineman, left guard Matthew Bergeron, in the game in the second half.

Defensively, Andre Smith started in place of Landman and had eight tackles and a forced fumble. Rookie Clark Phillips III got the start in place of Okudah and was credited with five tackles and two passes defended. But he had a costly holding penalty on Tampa Bay’s game-winning drive shortly after Atlanta took a 25-22 lead with 3:23 left to play.

Two weeks ago, Phillips filled in for A.J. Terrell when he was ruled out with a concussion.

“Unfortunately, we’ve had a run these last two weeks with injuries,” Smith said. “A lot of different O-linemen are playing, some D-linemen are playing and it’s our job to problem-solve and find ways to go win. We got to regroup and try to get back on track this week because we still have of opportunities ahead of us”

–Matthews has made a franchise-record 157 consecutive starts at left tackle. It is the longest active streak in the NFL. That streak could be in jeopardy if he is unable to play against Carolina.

–Drake London set career highs in catches (10) and yards (172) in the loss to the Bucs. It was the most yards by an Atlanta wideout since Julio Jones had 173 yards against the Cincinnati Bengals in 2018.

–Field Level Media

East Rutherford, NJ December 3, 2023 -- Jets quarterback Tim Boyle is sacked in the first half. The Atlanta Falcons topped the NY Jets 13-8 at MetLife Stadium on December 3, 2023 in East Rutherford, NJ.

Arthur Smith credits defense as Falcons eye three-game win streak

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After a three-game losing streak, the Atlanta Falcons are in position to piece together a three-game winning streak Sunday when they host the rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Following a 13-8 road win over the New York Jets, Atlanta is 6-6 overall and 3-0 in the NFC South. If the season were to end this week, Atlanta would earn the fourth seed in the NFC playoff bracket. The rival Bucs and New Orleans Saints are each one game back in the division race.

“You are going to hit adversity in some seasons. There have been some really great teams that have had a three-game skid,” Smith said.

“In the NFL, very rarely has anybody had a perfect season. Everybody strives for it, but what you’re seeing is, everybody is going to have adversity. But if you don’t have the right people, it can go sideways in a hurry.”

Smith praised his defense for helping to right the ship. The Falcons haven’t allowed a touchdown in two weeks — the Saints made five field goals in Atlanta’s 24-15 two games ago before the Jets were limited to two field goals and a safety Sunday.

In the win over New York, the Falcons recorded four sacks, forced four fumbles (two of which were recovered) and had one interception.

The Jets had the ball late in the fourth quarter with a chance to take the lead, but Trevor Siemian was sacked by Arnold Ebiketie, which put New York in a fourth-and-17 situation on its 37-yard line.

On the next play, Bud Dupree nailed Siemian, which forced an errant throw and ended the game.

“This is the NFL, people are going to make plays, but don’t give up (and) turn those into disasters and let them get momentum,” Smith said. “That’s a credit to mindset, but a lot of things we’ve been trying to work on week to week, certainly coming out of the bye, and we’ll continue to try to do that.”

Ebiketie leads Atlanta in sacks with 5.5, while Dupree has five. Despite the losses of Pro Bowl defensive tackle Grady Jarrett, starting defensive linemen Calais Campbell, David Onyemata and Kentavius Street have joined Ebiketie and Dupree in making it tough on opposing offenses.

“When those guys are rolling, you can have the best scheme but it’s going to come down to the fundamentals,” Smith said about his team’s defense. “We have some guys that are heavy-handed and play with good technique and leverage.

“You may think you have Calais Campbell doubled, but Calais is a grown man out there. He makes it hard to run close-sided on him, and David is as good as anybody. His stats may not show up in the stat sheet, but if you ask any player or coach in this league they’ll tell you he’s a real dude inside.”

Atlanta ranks 10th in the league in total defense (315.9 yards per game) and seventh in scoring defense (20.0 points per game).

Tampa Bay (5-7, 2-1 NFC South) is coming off a 21-18 win over Carolina. Star wide receiver Mike Evans has scored five touchdowns in the past four games, so Atlanta’s secondary could have its hands full, especially if top cornerback A.J. Terrell is sidelined. Terrell left the game against the Jets and is in concussion protocol.

Regardless, Smith wants his team to keep stacking wins.

“It’s a big game. But we’re looking forward to it,” Smith said.

–Smith said the injuries to Terrell, right tackle Kaleb McGary and linebacker Nate Landman were “not long-term” and he would know more about their status Wednesday.

McGary and Landman are dealing with knee injuries.

“It may be a week or two weeks, but luckily it’s not season-ending for Kaleb or Nate,” Smith said.

–Field Level Media