7 best Falcons coaching candidates to replace fired Arthur Smith from Bill Belichick to Jim Harbaugh
7 best Falcons coaching candidates to replace fired Arthur Smith from Bill Belichick to Jim Harbaugh
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It seemed like Falcons owner Arthur Blank was willing to keep the team's coach Arthur Smith in place for at least one more season with just a few weeks left in the 2023 NFL campaign. But oh, how quickly things can change in the NFL. The Falcons announced that they had fired Smith to kickstart the NFL's Black Monday coaching cycle after their 48-17 defeat to the Saints in Week 18. "Decisions like this are never easy and they never feel good," . "We have profound respect for Coach Smith and appreciate all the hard work and dedication he has put into the Falcons over the last three years. He has been part of building a good culture in our football team, but the results on the field have not met our expectations. After significant thought and reflection, we have determined the best way forward for our team is new leadership in the head coaching position." It's hard to argue with Blank's decision. The Falcons squandered a chance to win the NFC South over the final five weeks of the 2023 NFL season. They went 1-4 in their final five contests, enduring lo ses to each of their divisional opponents, including a humiliating 9-7 lo s to the Panthers in Week 16. Couple that with the embarra sing blowout against the Saints with a division title potentially on the line, and that was enough for Blank to change things up. MORE: Atlanta's offense was often out of sorts under Smith despite his offensive pedigree. He showed a frustrating reluctance to lean on his top offensive playmakers like Bijan Robinson, Drake London and Kyle Pitts to carry the team, and that likely caused Blank's confidence in Smith to wane. Now, Blankwill likely spare no expense is seeking out a potential replacement for Smith. The 81-year-old owner has hopes of one day winning a Super Bowl, so he may believe the window is now to capitalize on what is a weak NFC South. Who could replace Smith with the Falcons? Below are some of the top candidates available that could end up tied to Atlanta. Jim Harbaugh Team: Michigan Position: Head coach Harbaugh represents the biggest swing the Falcons could consider in targeting an offensive-minded replacement for Smith. The Michigan coach has a succe sful track record in the NFL, having overseen Alex Smith and Colin Kaepernick during their best seasons as starters and posting a 44-19-1 record in four seasons with the 49ers. Harbaugh's ability to develop quarterbacks should intrigue Blank and the Falcons. They could plan on pairing Harbaugh with a solid veteran like Kirk Cousins or targeting a high-end quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft, which is loaded at the position. It's po sible that Harbaugh would prefer to work with a player like Justin Herbert if he has the option to do so. But if he wants to reunite with his Michigan signal-caller J.J. McCarthy at the NFL level, the Falcons could be a landing spot that allows him to do that. Either way, the Falcons have the offensive weapons needed to be succe sful with a new quarterback and head coach combination. Harbaugh would be able to get the most out of those weapons, and his track record of hiring the likes of Vic Fangio, Mike Macdonald and other high-end defensive coordinators will ensure Blank that Harbaugh could build an excellent staff to bring Atlanta to the next level. (Getty Images) Eric Bieniemy Team: Commanders Position: A sociate head coach/Offensive coordinator The Falcons might not end up being Harbaugh's Kolton Miller Jersey preferred destination if he makes the jump to the NFL level. If not, Atlanta may look to acquire another well-respected offensive mind to take over its offense. Bieniemy has long been respected as a high-upside coaching candidate, but he hasn't yet gotten a chance to prove himself as a head coach. That could change in 2024 as teams look at how the Chiefs have performed with and without the seasoned coordinator. During his time in Kansas City, Bieniemy coached Patrick Mahomes to two MVP seasons and two Super Bowl. He also led the Chiefs to the NFL's top yardage mark in three of his five seasons there. Since Bieniemy's departure, Kansas City's offense has dropped to the back end of the top 10 while Mahomes posted the worst pa ser rating of his career as a starter (92.6) and a career-high 14 interceptions. That regre sion will cause many to attribute at least some of Kansas City's succe s to Bieniemy. As such, the Falcons should kick the tires on Bieniemy to see if he can work wonders with Robinson, London and Pitts in a way that Smith couldn't. At the very least, Bieniemy would be a solid figure to have around as Atlanta considers adding a new quarterback to the fold. Ben Johnson Team: Lions Position: Offensive coordinator Johnson would be the least proven of the top three offensive-minded coaching options for the Falcons. Still, there's little doubt that he has the upside needed to be the NFL's next great coach. Johnson, 36, took over as the Lions' offensive coordinator ahead of the 2022 NFL season and quickly turned them into a top-tier offense. The team has ranked top-five in both yards and points per game in each of his seasons in Detroit. The most impre sive work that Johnson has accomplished in Detroit is with Jared Goff. The veteran starter entered Week 18 having averaged 4,478 yards, 29 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions per 17 games played under Johnson's tutelage. He's also completing 66 percent of his pa ses with a 97.9 pa ser rating -- not bad for a player who many once considered to be a bust. So, if the Falcons can't land Harbaugh or Bieniemy, they could hone in on Johnson as a high-upside Trevon Moehrig Jersey quarterback guru for the team. Given that the Panthers seem like the top threat for Johnson, it might not be bad to deny their divisional rival from getting his services. MORE: Bill Belichick Team: Patriots Position: Head coach The Falcons will probably prefer to add an offensive-minded coach given that they don't have an established quarterback, but Belichick can't be counted out of the team's potential coaching search. Belichick is coming off a few down seasons with the Patriots, , but the fact remains that he is arguably the greatest coach in NFL history. He is one of just three coaches with 300-plus regular-season wins and he won six Super Bowl titles alongside Tom Brady in New England. Some have some warranted qualms with Belichick. Notably, he hasn't always surrounded himself with the best support staff in recent season, and he did a terrible job building the Patriots' roster as the team's de facto general manager. That said, if Blank can vet Belichick's offensive coordinator and get the veteran coach to delegate personnel decisions to general manager Terry Fontenot, then Belichick could be trusted to coach up the Atlanta defense into a top-tier unit. His work on that side of the ball has never been in question, and there's no doubt that the Falcons could use a shot in the arm on that side of the ball. All that's to say that Blank could be comfortable trusting Belichick to turn the Falcons into a contender. And if it doesn't work out, then at least Blank could say that he left no stone unturned in seeking out a championship-caliber coach for the Falcons. (Getty Images) Raheem Morris Team: Rams Position: Defensive coordinator Morris is another defensive-minded option who should get some love acro s the league this offseason. The 47-year-old was once the NFL's youngest head coach, as he was in charge of the Buccaneers from 2009 to 2011. That didn't work out, but Morris has continued to establish himself as a high-end defensive mind in the seasons since then. It also helps that Morris has experience with the Falcons. He worked for the team from 2015 to 2020, serving as Atlanta's a sistant head coach, defensive coordinator and, eventually, interim head coach in 2020. He posted a 4-7 record during that stint and drew some consideration during the hiring proce s that landed Smith. Blank and the Falcons bra s may like Morris' leadership skills and could ultimately choose to bring him back in the hopes that some time away from the team could spark him. They also may hope that he could pluck an offensive coordinator from the rich Sean McVay coaching tree with the Rams to create a complete, all-around coaching staff. And even if not, Morris has shown an ability to piece together quality units with the Rams despite seeing a lot of roster turnover as veterans have left the team in recent seasons. That could appeal to an Atlanta defense that has some solid personnel but needs to play more cohesively in 2023. IYER: Bobby Slowik Team: Texans Position: Offensive coordinator Slowik isn't nearly as proven as some of the other top options available on the coaching market, but there are still plenty of reasons to be excited about the 36-year-old. Slowik helped the Texans reach the playoffs in his first and only season as a full-time play-caller. He led C.J. Stroud to one of the best seasons for a rookie quarterback in recent memory, as Stroud completed 63.9 percent of his pa ses for 4,108 yards, 23 touchdowns and five interceptions while posting a 9-6 record as a starter. Many NFL owners will look at what Slowik did with Stroud and wonder whether he could do the same with a high-end quarterback prospect with their team. That could give Blank an interest in Slowik, Bo Jackson Jersey and his candidacy will be buoyed by the fact that he was a part ofMike Shanahan's legendary 2013 Washington staff that has produced head coaches Kyle Shanahan, Sean McVay, Matt LaFleur, and Mike McDaniel. Dave Canales Team: Buccaneers Position: Offensive coordinator Like Slowik, Canales has only one season of experience as a full-time play-caller. As such, it may be a bit early for him to get hired as an NFL head coach. That said, Canales was one of the architects behind Geno Smith's Pro Bowl season with the Seahawks in 2022. He then followed that up by turning the Baker Mayfield-led Buccaneers into a playoff team in a season that saw Mayfield post a career-high 28 touchdown pa ses. These results showcase Canales' potential as a quarterback guru. He will draw interest from numerous teams because of this, and if the Falcons want to weaken one of their opponents or bolster their chances of landing Mayfield as a bridge quarterback to a developmental prospect chasing Canales would be a sensible decision. The 42-year-old should get a chance to interview for at least one coaching opening during the 2024 NFL offseason.
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