Q&A: Coach Mike Smith sifts through the rubble
New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees passes during the second quarter. AP
NEW ORLEANS — Falcons coach Mike Smith was caught off guard by his team’s woeful performance against the Saints.
“I didn’t see that coming,” Smith said.
Here’s what he had to say after the Saints routed the Falcons 45-16 on Monday night.
OPENING STATEMENT: We obviously are disappointed in the way that we played i the ball game tonight. We didn’t play well enough in any phase of the game to give ourselves a chance to win. We didn’t make enough plays. There were some opportunities early on and then it kind of got out of hand there at the end.
ON WHERE IT WENT SIDEWAYS: We were 0 for 3 in the red zone. We didn’t score touchdowns when we got down there. We really had a tough time in the first half stopping them on third down. They were 8 for 8 on third downs and we had some very favorable down and distances. Third-and-8, third-and-10, third-and-12, third-and-13 and we weren’t able to get them off the field. That was really the thing that happened there in the first half. I thought the special teams played well through the first 30 minutes. Then in the second half they gave up the real long kickoff return to Sproles. . . That’s kind of where it got out of hand and got out of whack. We had way too many penalties. The penalties were very lopsided in terms of penalties committed against our team. Some of them happened in the red zone and knocked up behind the sticks and early in the ball game as well.
ON TRYING TO RALLY IN THE SECOND HALF LIKE THEY DID AGAINST CAROLINA: No doubt about it. We knew we had to come out and play one play at a time. We went out there and got an interception on that first series defensively, but the offense had a three and out. Then the next drive I believe they went down and scored on an 80-yard drive. They had way too many long drives where they were moving the ball in chunks.
ON THE PASS DEFENSE: We had some opportunities to get them on the ground twice there in the first half and he was able to get out. If you don’t get the pressure and affect Drew, he’s going to make the throws. That’s what they did today. Unfortunately, we did not play very well today. I know that our guys are disappointed in the way that we performed.
ON IF THE SAINTS RAN UP THE SCORE AT THE END: Drew Brees has had an outstanding season in terms of the number of yards that he’s thrown for. My hat is off to Drew. That’s a longtime record here in the NFL. He accomplished that tonight against us.
ON THE STATE OF THE DEFENSE: I hope it’s an aberration in terms of the way that we’ve been playing defense. We had some opportunities there in the first half where the ball was thrown. We had opportunities to intercept it and we didn’t intercept it and they were able to continue and keep their drives alive. It happened twice in the first half. We were not on top of our game in any phase in terms of our football team in my mind. We just weren’t playing very consistently. It was just not the type of effort that you want to have when so much is on the line in terms of what the outcome could have meant to our football team.
ON HOW HE FELT COMING INTO THE GAME: I felt like we have a very good week of preparation. I though the guys handled Christmas Day and Christmas break that we had built into our schedule. I didn’t see this coming. We didn’t play Atlanta Falcons football and the scoreboard indicates that.
ON WHY THEY DIDN’T RUN MORE NO-HUDDLE: I think we ran a little bit more than that (six plays). Early in the game we moved the ball down the field. In the third drive, we jumped into our no huddle. We moved the ball down the field, but we weren’t able to put it in the end zone. Then in the second half we ran some of our no huddle out of our 21 personnel package. We were running it not out of our 3-wide set. We were running it out of two-back, one-tight end set.
ON REGROUPING: It’s just like any other week. We have to make corrections. We have to evaluate the film. Believe it or not, there’s going to be some positives that you’re going to be able to take out of this game.
ON THE TEAM BEING TOO HAPPY ABOUT BEING IN THE PLAYOFFS: There was a lot to play for in this ball game in terms of seeding in the post-season tournament. Believe me, our internal goals are much higher than just making the playoffs and being a participant in the playoff field. We knew what was at stake tonight. We knew that we didn’t have complete control, but we had an opportunity if we would have taken care of business there would have been a potential to move up in the seedings. . . we are disappointed. But no, I don’t think it had anything to do with us becoming a member of the playoff picture and securing a spot. We were fighting our tails off before the ball game to try to enhance and get our seeding a little bit higher.
FOLLOWUP ON IF THE SAINTS RAN UP THE SCORE TO GET BREES THE RECORD: Again, guys I’m not going to comment on that in terms of running up the score. It’s our job to go out there and stop them. I doesn’t matter if they are running the ball or throwing the ball. The job of our defense is to go out and stop them. Again, my hat is off to Drew Brees. It’s a record that’s been long-standing. He’s had a great season.
–D. Orlando Ledbetter, The Atlanta Falcons beat blog
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682 comments Add your comment
Dee
December 27th, 2011
7:58 am
What would have been gained was the refs credibility. Call the game correctly and consistently. That’s all I’m asking.
Falclowns are the UGA of the NFL aka you got owned and embarrassed by the Saints and LSU! LMAO!
December 27th, 2011
8:01 am
Enter your comments here
Falcon Bill
December 27th, 2011
8:01 am
Bad/missed calls are part of the game. That door swings both ways. Get over it. We got crushed by a better team. Better prepared, better coached, just better. I hate it, but like someone said earlier, we gotta get real about it.
Statick
December 27th, 2011
8:02 am
“yeah, and some of the others too, insist on looking like witch doctors, then go to Hati and do it right. But if you want to play football cut those damn worms off your head and study football.”
What in the world has that got to do with them knowing how to play the game of football? NOTHING. If you want to bring culture into it, how about Smitty getting Brian Van Gorder and Mike Mularkey off his staff and getting them the heck out of Atlanta.
Dee
December 27th, 2011
8:03 am
Sure they are, but those calls were blatantly BAD. It reminded me of the 81 playoff game where Randy White jumped offsides and the refs didn’t call it.
NuclearJIm
December 27th, 2011
8:04 am
The better team won. Period.
Cal
December 27th, 2011
8:04 am
As fans we must demand a better product on the field, a better system from the coaches. Yes we have some good players but what’s the point if the coaches can’t get them to where they need to be. The flip side of that is, do you really want a coach that want get rid of a player that’s not producing? or a Coordinator that’s over his head? Rise up fans, force them to do better at the top. I just heard the same speach I heard after the Texan game last night.
Oh yea, to the person that said we would win in the playoff…….keep dream. I’m a fan, but i’m also a realist and i know the falcons are not very competative right now, when playing a above 500 team.
Falcon Bill
December 27th, 2011
8:08 am
OK, I concede that bad calls killed us last night. Adjusted final score – Saints 45, Falcons 18. I feel so much better now that we’ve blamed the refs for our ineptitude.
bill
December 27th, 2011
8:09 am
Smith, thanks for getting the Falcons up for a key Monday night game, right. BVG, i.e. “clueless”….9 for 9 on 3rd down, many in long situations & you can’t stop them. Tired of hearing about you coaching Ga., time to go back to college. Mularkey, get a head coaching job, then M. Ryan can run no-huddle and we’ll be much better. Thomas D..”thanks for” D Robinson, T DeCoud, Ray Edwards, a punter who can’t punt or kick off, great job…..Not sure they can beat Tampa Bay, “back into playoffs” Prediction: One (1) and done, if they play the Saints it will be another blowout. This team is backing up, not moving forward
As for Saints running up the score, who cares, they should have the Falcons didn’t earn the right for NO to stop playing.
Dee
December 27th, 2011
8:11 am
That’s not entirely my point, but yeah, bad calls have never impacted an NFL game.
Statick
December 27th, 2011
8:15 am
“…a punter who can’t punt or kick off…”
Bosher had a bad start to his rookie season, but has gotten better since then. As for not kicking out of the end zone, it’s the ST coach/Smitty that instructs the kid to directional kick in order for the coverage to have some type of advantage. That didn’t work last night unfortunately.
PMC
December 27th, 2011
8:15 am
Didnt see it coming? Coach? Really?
Q&A: Coach Mike Smith sifts through the rumble | NFL Online News
December 27th, 2011
8:16 am
[...] Atlanta Falcons This entry was posted in Atlanta Falcons and tagged coach, Mike, rumble, sifts, Smith, through. Bookmark the permalink. ← Week 17 power rankings (ProFootballWeekly.com) [...]
Cal
December 27th, 2011
8:19 am
STOP BLAMING THIS GAME ON BAD CALLS!!! The falcons got WHOOPED in every possible way. The D is horrible and every team in the league knows our secondary is a joke.
Mr. Blank, please go out and ask some of your owner and GM friends to tell what they really think about this team. Maybe i’m wrong though, maybe you just want to break even every year finacialy and could care less about a championship.
Hardy Falcon
December 27th, 2011
8:20 am
Mike Smith is another Leeman Bennett, Smith cannot get a team up for the Big game. Our Whole Defense is an EMBRASSEMENT. TD has a lott of HOOP-LA when he signs draft picks and (has been) free agents, they all have been BUST. I hope AB will let some heads roll. I know AB didn’t build Home Depot up with people like this on his staff.
I’ve been a Falcon fan for 40 + years and last night was totally unexceptable.
IT DOESN’T MATTER WHO WE PLAY IN THE PLAY-OFFS, BECAUSE WE WILL BE 1 AND OUT—-AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Falcon Bill
December 27th, 2011
8:20 am
Dee, I didn’t mean to be so harsh, but the calls just didn’t matter. Maybe in a close game it makes a difference, but not last night. We got schooled.
BVG just doesn’t get it. It ain’t the players folks. Our free agents didn’t star elsewhere and suddenly stink when they got here. Dunta is a man-to-man corner; always was. He isn’t effective in zone coverage. I’m sick of everybody blaming him for our pass coverage woes. IT’S COACHING and SCHEME!!!
Dee
December 27th, 2011
8:21 am
I’m not blaming the entire game on bad calls, just ineptitude of the refs on the blatant ones.
Cal
December 27th, 2011
8:23 am
Hey Mr Blank, Smitty and TD this is what the front page of ESPN reads……..Brees breaks Marino’s mark and BURIES FALCONS!!
PMC
December 27th, 2011
8:24 am
Hmm things that were on the line…. 3 seed. Pride. Not being a freaking embarrassment on national TV Again. Penalties, field goals, mistakes. There is no semblance of a worthy post season team here. Even the 5th seed feels like a pipe dream today. This ride to the playoffs feels more like a trip to the Slaughterhouse. I don’t care if Jesus himself plays qb for New Orleans. It is Thomas Dimitroffs job to find players to beat him and Smittys job to coach what is here. We are not even close. Grimes is the only guy who even competes with his man in the secondary
Statick
December 27th, 2011
8:25 am
I’ve been saying its the coaching and/or the scheme for the longest. Thing is, what it’s going to take for Smitty to realize he has to change it? 3 years of the same crap and it’s like he’s looking for the defense to automatically right itself. I’m starting to think he’s clueless about why his team can’t get off the field on 3rd down.
J Stacy
December 27th, 2011
8:28 am
I’M SICK OF THE LAME EXCUSES, THIS IS A POOR EXCUSE FOR A NFL TEAM, THIS IS THE ONLY TEAM IN THE NFL THAT DOESN’T BLITZ, AND THE ONLY TEAM THAT IS IN LOVE WITH FIELD GOALS. HORRIBLE PLAY CALLING, THE OC AND DC NEEDS TO FIRED PRONTO, OUT OF 38 YEARS HERE, IT’S BEEN THE SAME LAME EXCUSES. IF THE FANS CAN SEE THE PROBLEMS, WHY CAN’T THEY!!!!
Bobby Cox..
December 27th, 2011
8:30 am
“Jeff Schultz wrote this long column about the Falcons getting their reality check. He could have easily summed it up in 5 words or less with these headlines instead:
5 words: They got their azz kicked.
4 words: See You Next Year.
3 words: What A Joke.
2 words: It’s Over.
1 word: Damn.”
Coach Mike Smith=Norv Turner
Cal
December 27th, 2011
8:31 am
This teams play for Mike Smith because he’s a good guy, not because he inspires them. His style was great for bring the team out of the rumbles after Perterno, but now his voice is stale. I thought it was crazy when he gave the team all that time off after beating Jacksonville…..are you kidding me. Oh yeah, someone spoke on the draft…TD we have only two solid star players on defense and two on offense and matty Ice is not one.
Bobby Cox..
December 27th, 2011
8:32 am
Falcons are 1-13 last 14 MNF Games! Just surreal! You cant make this ish up!
TN Jeff
December 27th, 2011
8:33 am
Would have been nice if somebody would have asked the coach about the fact that they are going into the playoffs having beaten only 2 (for now as the Titans may end up with an 8 & 8 season) teams with a winning record. There is little hope of even 1 playoff victory much less any serious thought of a Super Bowl run.
PMC
December 27th, 2011
8:34 am
Hi you can’t blitz when only one member of the secondary is capable of coverage.
Statick
December 27th, 2011
8:36 am
Blaming Matt? Really? I mean, REALLY? Ryan may not be as solid as Brees or Rodgers right not, but he hasn’t been in the league as long either. He’s doesn’t stink, that’s for sure.
Peter
December 27th, 2011
8:36 am
This was a statement game, and the statement is if Defense wins championships, for get about it !
Too much spend for Julio Jones, and Ray Edwards is awful. He is suppose to be a physical specimen, perhaps he should try body building ?
We were out coached yet again…. wow !
Cal
December 27th, 2011
8:42 am
The sad part about all this….the Falcons will proably play the Saints again in the first round of the playoffs……….if Mike Smith and his group of bumbling coordinators aren’t scared, someone should check their desks for drugs. I hate the Saints, but the falcons are not even close to being able to beat them. The one win they got was when the Saints kicker missed a 27 yard field goal. They used two running backs last night, the other two running backs will be healthy for round one. So if it’s in the air or on the ground, they will get drugggggeeeddd again across the terf.
Konehead
December 27th, 2011
8:43 am
When you dont have the play makers on Defense to stop Brees either by the rush or pass coverage you will get beat EVERYTIME. The defense is horrible… Did 93 play at all last night??? I mean man, I understand he’s coming off a knee injury but to just totally not show up this year is amazing. We dont have the secondary that can cover guys to make up for the lack of pass rush. Either we improve one or the other. If not, we will continue to be 5th or 6th best in the NFC. Maybe we need to get out the soft zone we run and play bump and run with some blitz schemes. If you got the high dollar Robinson and a goos corner in Grimes you sould be able to play man more than we do now. I think the high dollar Robinson can’t play man. He’s pitaful at best. I would say he made “A” good play last night. But that was maybe his 2nd or 3rd pick all season. To be paid that much money he has to produce more than that. Just having him play 10-15 yds then dump the recv off to the safety while he just chill in that zone is crazy to me. Make him earn his money. He should have enough pride to go to the def coordinator and demand to play man coverage. So that’s my spill. I’m not going to even get on the O-line…they just look slow and sloppy. We desperately need a change there.
66falconrooter
December 27th, 2011
8:47 am
PLAY OFF TEAM MY REAR END.
iF YOU CAN’T BLOCK, TACKLE, CATCH OR RUN, YOU WILL NOT WIN VERY MANY FOOTBALL GAMES. IF YOUR DEFENSE CAN’T GET TO THE QB OR STOP THE RUN, YOU WILL NOT WIN
VERY MANY BALLGAMES.
I DON’T SEE THE FALCONS PROFICIENT AT ANY OF THESE QUALITIES.
I’ve watched them for forty five years and it has never changed. Maybe a little upside every so often
but that never lasts long. I don’t think the current players and coaches will ever do any different. The
more changes made the more they stay the same.
To be a Falcon fan, means you will have to go through a lot of suffering.
The Falcons. last night were a disgrace to their fans as well as the city of Atlanta.
78dawg
December 27th, 2011
8:47 am
This team just QUIT….Blow them up Arthur Blank.!!!!!!!!!!
Ern
December 27th, 2011
8:48 am
For the donks posting “who dat”, the answer is the St. Louis Rams. That’s who. If you lose to the Rams you lose all rights to talk smack for one year.
corvette63
December 27th, 2011
8:48 am
we need to put panties on these players or let them play flag football because they cant take a hit. if the old quarterbacks had these rules they would still be playing.
Ern
December 27th, 2011
8:51 am
The really scary part for the Falcons is where to fix things next year. We need a new defensive coordinator, at least two players in the secondary, two or three on the offensive line. Did you see Clabo getting beat by a three man rush??? There is a lot to fix before we can compete with the elite teams. Good thing we have the draft…sonova…..
JoeFann
December 27th, 2011
8:53 am
That was ugly, any way you cut it. Holes all over the place. Can’t cover (except for Grimes.) Can’t tackle (just hit.) Peterson looks done. Need another LB. Pressure, but can’t finish. Can’t run block. Backs can’t break away. DL is better than they looked last night against the run. Can’t get deep. When we do, Ryan can’t hit it. And that was just the first half. 11 days to prepare and Gregg Williams knew what was coming on every 3rd down play we ran. No imagination. Not enough options for MR2. Receivers looked tentative after every catch, waiting to get hit, while NO receivers just run away. Has Dunta Robinson earned a check yet? If the hit on Kelly wasn’t against “a defenseless receiver,” I’ve never seen one. Lofton’s hit was helmet to helmet, but only because the NO receiver lowered HIS head. The irony is that if GB shows up and wins against Detroit Sunday, the Falcons will be favored on the road at either Dallas or NYG, and Ryan should get his first playoff win. If it’s NO again, I haven’t seen anything to make me think round three will be any different. Hope I’m wrong. Again.
Cal
December 27th, 2011
8:53 am
Thomas DeCoud said he wants to play the Saint again……………are you delusional or just crazy. The secondary got beat like a rug, and news flash….you are the worst free safety in the league and slowest. Now ask any analyst that, and see what they say…………I can’t believe this stuff.
Whopper Dawg
December 27th, 2011
8:55 am
Up to your usual standards Ledbetter, using the wrong word in your headline. You are the perfect writer to cover these clowns.
Smith says we didn’t play Atlanta Falcon football. They played exactly Atlanta Falcons football in big games vs big time opponents.
JYD
December 27th, 2011
8:55 am
Welost to a better team. Better prepared, better coached, just better, as usual we looked lost. After two turn over by the defense the offense couldn’t yield anything. Both OC & DC not creative, HD got only one pass thrown his way when it didn’t matter, thought he would be a match up problem since last time we played them they had no answer for him. It will be painful to watch po as we get pasted again then as usually we have our same ol’ soft nice excuse from the coach, by the way we have no 1st round pick next year and half the roster will be free agents, so do will it a rebuilding year? Many teams will be better next year, Panthers, Philly, Giants, Lions, Chicago just can’t tell about the Birds.
Jarrell
December 27th, 2011
8:57 am
Face it folks. The dirty birds are mediocre… on all fronts
SRF
December 27th, 2011
8:57 am
this was pitiful – the punk-azz saints running up the score on these poor junior college falcons
zgoldatl
December 27th, 2011
8:57 am
it’s smith won’t say it, I will. The saints ran up the score
zgoldatl
December 27th, 2011
8:58 am
-if
SRF
December 27th, 2011
8:59 am
I bet if we had some pass rushers who would have have knocked brees to the ground a few times (legal or not) he would not have been interested in running up the score
BamaJ
December 27th, 2011
8:59 am
In order to get to the next level. The Falcons have to step it up. That was a poor defense we played and they held the Falcons to 16 points. Next you win championships with strong defense. We are terrible. That was the worst pass rush I have ever seen. The defensive play calling was poor, execution even worse. Good chance we will play them again. And this team will not make it past the first round. We need better scouting to find the right guys to help this team
Cal
December 27th, 2011
9:04 am
TD has yet to put together a decent secondary, and now we don’t have a first round pick to take a top CB ie the two guys from Alabama and one of the two from LSU. We need a free safety too. A lot of money went out to Clabo who’s playing like bobo, Sam Baker? nuff said. So now we need O linemen to. We are strapped agains the salary recap no DE’s and a EMRON equivalent investment in Dunt’e Robinson. Next year is going to be worst, I predict they will resign all the old players we have and this cycle will start all over again.
Jarrell
December 27th, 2011
9:05 am
Do you think they layed a voodoo curse on da birds? Dats what I am talking about.
CGD..
December 27th, 2011
9:06 am
Mr Blank shooting Blanks!
Hey Dimitroff we could use those drafts picks..What draft picks??????????
PATHETIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
CGD..
December 27th, 2011
9:07 am
Mike Smith=Norv Turner
Cut him loose Bruce
Cal
December 27th, 2011
9:08 am
The Saints should’ve ran the score, so maybe Mr. Blank will force TD to fire this staff and get some new innovative coaches in there…