OK, so it didn’t work, but Mike Smith made the right choice
Sometimes football is, as Michael Turner said, "a game of inches." (AJC photo by Curtis Compton)
I’d have gone for it. I’d go for it again. I might call a different play the next time, but I find no fault with Mike Smith’s reasoning. His choice was to try and keep possession by gaining six inches or to rely on his defense to halt the great Drew Brees yet again. That’s no choice at all.
Said Dunta Robinson, who we should note plays defense for the Falcons: “We were more bothered when we saw the punt team going out there [which it did before Smith called timeout and changed his mind] than when we saw the offense. We felt there was no way we weren’t going to get that first down.”
But they didn’t, and the Falcons lost another wild and crazy game in the series that leads the world in wild and crazy games, and now they’re 5-4 and trail New Orleans by 1 1/2 games in the NFC South. Give them this, though: They went down swinging, surging from 10 points behind in the final five minutes to force overtime, losing in overtime on their terms — not Drew Brees’.
We can and will debate whether these Falcons are as good as they should be, but we cannot question their guts. They out-dared the Saints, who as we know are a dauntless bunch, and came within an eyelash of stealing a game Brees and Co. should have locked away. That’s not to excuse the loss — there are no moral victories in the NFL — but it is to suggest that anyone who believes this excruciating game will crush the local team hasn’t been paying attention.
This is a feisty bunch, and this coach is a gutsy guy. Mike Smith made some curious decisions Sunday — a poor challenge that cost a timeout, an onside kick that came too early — but his team was in position not just to tie but to win at the end of regulation. (To me, Sean Payton messed up worse than Smitty did.) And that fourth-down call at the 29 in overtime wasn’t some flight of fancy but a considered decision based on, of all things, a grasp of history.
Said Smith: “We have had no success in giving them the ball back.”
He referred to two games: A five-point loss in the Superdome on Dec. 7, 2008, when the Falcons punted to the Saints with 3:15 remaining and saw New Orleans kill the clock, and the deflating game here on Dec. 27, 2010, when the Falcons, trailing by three, again punted with 2:44 left and never touched the ball again. Many among us ripped Smitty for a failure of nerve after the second game — that’s my hand you see raised — and we can’t have it both ways, can we? A coach can’t be half-daring, can he?
Smith again: “The message all week was that we were going to be an aggressive football team.”
As to the play itself: It was awful. Needing six inches, the Falcons eschewed a quarterback sneak and handed instead to Michael Turner, who had two lead blockers but had to wait for those blockers to array themselves. By that time, the Saints had him.
Said Turner: “If I didn’t like [the call], I would have walked off the field and let somebody else run the ball.”
The bottom line is that Smith’s daring gave the ball to Brees 40 yards closer than a punt would have, but there’s a line that undercuts even that bottom line: If you can’t get six inches in a game of this magnitude, you don’t deserve to win.
Said linebacker Curtis Lofton: “Fourth-and-inches, it being overtime — why not? You’ve got to go for it.”
Actually, you don’t. A skittish coach would have punted and, after the great Brees had driven his team to victory, have said, “Whaddaya want from me? I played the percentages!”
This is what we got from Mike Smith: “It’s something I take full responsibility for … It’s not anybody else’s fault. It’s my responsibility.”
Loading ...As Smith spoke, his employer sat five yards to his right. Asked if he’d have gone for it, Arthur Blank said: “It was absolutely the right thing to do. You can’t keep giving the ball back to that offense.”
Let’s say again that there are no quality losses in pro football, and the Falcons somehow lost a game in which they outgained the great Brees and his offense by 118 yards. But these teams will meet again the night after Christmas, and the Saints have the tougher schedule from here. This division race isn’t over, and I’m pretty sure this coach’s men aren’t going to quit on him. On the contrary.
“I’m behind Smitty,” said center Todd McClure. “In this situation we didn’t get it done, but I like that our head coach has faith in us to get it done.”
Maybe in December they’ll gain those six inches. But a few words to the daring Mr. Smith: Quarterback sneak next time.
By Mark Bradley
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352 comments Add your comment
Mo
November 14th, 2011
1:26 am
Get rid of this bum and go and get Bill Cowher. Maybe Mike Smith can hang around in the H2o distribution and jockstrap retrieval department.
Bert
November 14th, 2011
1:45 am
Gutsy call, but Qb sneak puts the pressure in the refs to get it right.
Rick S
November 14th, 2011
2:08 am
I do not have a problem in going for it but I do believe the play call was wrong as it is obvious that the Saints would be stacking the line so why not quick pitch to Turner and let him go outside and run for the first down!
wild & crazy
November 14th, 2011
2:11 am
Arthur Blank is Not just Smith’s employer but he’s also Mark Bradley’s EMPLOYER…or he at least is on BOARD of DIRECTORS of the COMPANY that OWNS the AJC. …Maybe that’s why downbeat Mark is so upbeat about this “wild & crazy” loss.
Mitchell
November 14th, 2011
2:54 am
OK, so it didn’t work, but Mike Smith made the right choice
6:00 pm November 13, 2011, by Mark Bradley
Just from the outside, looking at this on the surface as someone who is not a huge Falcons fan, that is a completely ridiculous and quintessentially Bradleyian statement.
If the “choice” as it is characterized by Mark Bradley was to go for it, and they didn’t make it and subsequently lost the game as a result, then Mike Smith’s “choice” was the wrong one.
Regardless of how you look at it, one would think if a coach’s decision ended up costing his team the game, you generally wouldn’t expect to see such a favorable and apologetic headline in the paper the next day.
But this is Atlanta. It’s different here.
It’s not just our favorite teams that make us the city of losers we know and tolerate.
Mr. Thomas Anthony Jones, SR
November 14th, 2011
3:15 am
Mike Smith is a dummty. He is scaed of a team that lost to the Rams. The Saints are beatable. Drew Brees is not Superman. Now the Saints know we are scared of them and they will rock the Superdome later this season.
hatelanta
November 14th, 2011
4:54 am
mattymelt is serviceable… smart statue w a weak arm. problem is coach, philosophy mixed w the wrong personnel. run first + defense wins regular season games. it’s not today’s nfl. it’s not playoff football. add players with talent but no character ala roddy white and his big mouth. weems constantly screwing his teammates. and a mediochre kicker… well that spells losing. giving away the bank for julio jones means losing for a looong time.
Cannon Ball Butler
November 14th, 2011
5:34 am
It was the correct call. If your offense cannot gain 6 inches in a crucial situation then you do not deserve to win.
RedandBlackPeachy
November 14th, 2011
5:50 am
I also was surprised when the field goal unit was going out on the field and was pleased with the decision to go for it. The offensive play call was suspect however. The only way the call is a viable one is in the spreaad offense formation. Otherwise the call should have been for Ryan to use the length of his body to get the inches with a line push similar to the one earlier in the game (getting Turner more than 4 inches to a 1st down). I wonder why that particular play was called. THAT is what doesn’t make sense. It seems another bad call in a series of bad calls throughout the season.
TechRon
November 14th, 2011
5:51 am
Going for it was the right thing to do. What a shame he called the wrong play and that our line did not block. Disgraceful performance with everything on the line. Of course, it was the right call because he knew our defense could not hold them.
inkspot
November 14th, 2011
6:07 am
Agree with the call. This team needed a wake-up call. These Falcons, in particular the offense, look spaced-out and not-ready-for-some-football for entire quarters at a time.
But the big question is…
What is wrong with Roddy?
Roddy White WON games for this Falcons team in the last couple of years. Now he’s losing them.
FactCheck
November 14th, 2011
6:20 am
No he did not Brady. Let us get over Smith can’t do no wrong crap. Fourth inches in you own 30 yard line, going for a power play up the middle is about as dumb as you can get. May be the right decision but wrong play call. Mularkey and Smith needs their heads examined.
Mr. Thomas Anthony Jones, SR
November 14th, 2011
6:28 am
Mike Smith is a big dummy. When he made that asinine decision I knew it would backfire. Common Sense says that the visiting team takes chances and the home teams plays a more conservative brand of ball. Why you ask. The home team has the the home crowd on its side. A mart person would line as if they were trying to go for to see if the Saints jumped offside. If the Saints are smarter than the Falcons and do not jump offside like the Falcons. Then you punt the ball. You see if the Saints punt returner drops the ball. Maybe Vrees throws an interception. A good coach tells his defense he has faith that they are a well-discipline well-coached well-trained well-conditioned team and he has Full Faith that they can handle the much better Saints offense. Instead Mike Smith showed he does not have any faith in the Falcons defense. If a coach does believe in his team then we as fans should not either. Next Smith punt the ball and let the defense do its job. You ain’t Vince Lombardi, no Tom Landry, no Chuck Knoll. Don’t start thinking that you are. I man needs to no his limitations, right Smith. And why did you try that asinine onside kick, dummy? You ain’t going to be in the Hall of Fame and do not preteen that you are!!!! Again a man should know his limitations always!!!!!
mowreck
November 14th, 2011
6:30 am
I would NEVER hand the ball to Turner four yards deep and expect him to make five yards when the middle is so stacked up. A QB sneak would have been better. I think it was the right call, just the wrong play.
Mr. Thomas Anthony Jones, SR
November 14th, 2011
6:31 am
The Saints injured head coach outcoached Mike Smith. That is why the Falcons lost. Pitiful. Just plain pitifull!!!!!
Mr. Thomas Anthony Jones, SR
November 14th, 2011
6:34 am
I have seen high school coaches coach better than Mike Smith. Mike Smith needs to put in a call to the Georgia Department of Labor for help finding another job. Preferably in another city. (London, Paris, Barcelona, Tropoli!)
War Eagle.
November 14th, 2011
6:34 am
Falcons/Smith should not have been placed in that position to begin with. I don’t know how the refs overturned the 1st down from the previous play based upon the replay footage that you could see….it should have already been a first down. Smith’s gamble was just that and he lost it…but he was thinking the same thing that everyone else was….you keep giving Drew Brees the opportunity to score and he is going to. Hopefully Smith’s ballsy call and their nice comeback will energize the Falcons heading into next week’s game.
Same Ole Story
November 14th, 2011
6:39 am
Roddy still has the drops, Abraham is still our only decent pass rusher, Gonzalez is still our only decent receiver and our secondary is still atrocious
Flash
November 14th, 2011
6:40 am
Bradly you keep writing and leave the calls to the coaches if that was the right call Penn state did nothing wrong.
The DAWG
November 14th, 2011
6:40 am
Right call. Don’t lay all the blame on Coach cause the freaking offense should have made a foot.
clix
November 14th, 2011
6:42 am
It was , despite your position on the field the thing to do (I do not trust our punter). I can’t understand the play call.. I think a short dump pass to Rodgers would be successful. Yaneverno. If you felt you HAD to run then do a sweep…
indigo
November 14th, 2011
6:59 am
Good call.
Recall loss to Tampa Bay earlier in season. Falcons, down by 6, had ball inside 5 yard line with 4 and 1. Kicked field goal with about 4:30 remaining. Never got the ball back. Should have definitely gone for it then- even if failed on 4th down, Tampa gets ball inside on 5. And should have gone for it yesterday.
It looked like play stopped so bad that Turner should have tried to bounce back and go outside with better chance. Or even flip to Gonzalez, standing near by. Don’t understand why he keep trying to go for it, even after backed up two yards in own backfield.
ohhhhYEAH
November 14th, 2011
7:07 am
I think i will now affectionately refer to Roddy as “Droppy” White, ESPECIALLY on slant passes. Right thru your hands for an interception…really? Dropped in the ENDZONE with 10 seconds left for the game winner….really? And to all the idiot falcon fans who love to hate on Mr Ryan…..I’ll let his performance yesterday speak for itself. He looked damn good out there yesterday, no matter what you say
CPR
November 14th, 2011
7:11 am
I find it interesting that a defensive coach shows no confidence in the defense making a stop in overtime at home…. And the whole offensive playcalling in overtime was trash. Remind Falcon fans if this was the right call when they end up one game out of the playoffs… You get what you expect.
gt4ever
November 14th, 2011
7:17 am
George,
Again we disagree… You kick the ball in hopes of better field position… Coach Smith and Paul Johnson must have conferred…. Although this was a completely different circumstance… Coach Smith should have the offense that can get 6 inches on fourth down…. In either case you PUNT the ball! Period…
The Wrong Call
November 14th, 2011
7:20 am
This was absolutely the wrong call. I would bet that 90% of NFL coaches would not take that chance. As the 1st poster mentioned. The risk, reward was too great. Punt the ball and have confidence that your D will come up with a stop. New Orleans only had 23 points at that time.
JP
November 14th, 2011
7:29 am
Dimitroff traded the future for a wide receiver under the mistaken assumption that we had a quarterback that could create “explosive” plays downfield by accurately delivering the deep ball. Oops.
Senior falcon
November 14th, 2011
7:33 am
Smitty did the right thing–some players did not.
Randy
November 14th, 2011
7:35 am
If it didn’t work, then it wasn’t the correct choice. DUH
Peter
November 14th, 2011
7:46 am
Silly call period….. So you get a first down, and then you go 3 and out… or do you try it again on 4 and 2 at the 38 ? Please no you punt.
DUMB move. Bradley you don’t have a clue…and what about that record you said the Falcon’s would have at his point ?
Please they will be a wild card team at best.
pebbebeach
November 14th, 2011
7:54 am
Right call wrong play…why not a handoff to the running back and let him run left or right first along the line and then cut up the side across the line of scrimmage as it thins out…
Saints R.E.A.M.
November 14th, 2011
7:57 am
Another reason why Sean Payton owns Mike Smith and the Falcons. STUPID coaching decision by Mike Smith. The best part is that all of these Silly Falcon Fans agree!!! He went for it on 4rth down earlier in regulation…but the situation was so different. If going for it in regulation doesn’t work you have a chance to overcome the gamble….here you let the Saints have the ball in FG position with a chip shot to win the game.
Once he called timeout I knew he would go for it……RIDICULOUS.
Sure you may not have won the game anyway…but that was basically saying I don’t trust any of the defensive preparation, coaching or players to get a stop. You had just previously stopped the Saints 3 minutes ago in OT. WTF?????
Falcon Fans that support this boneheaded call deserve every bit of the frustrations of losing. For the Falcon fans that know better I actually feel for you……a little bit.
Geaux Saints!!
truth
November 14th, 2011
7:59 am
QB sneak?
How about 5 wide then go for a QB sneak
DHD
November 14th, 2011
8:02 am
Fans scream and holler….GO FOR IT!!!! Then, when you don’t make it, they scream….YOU IDIOT…WHY DID YOU GO FOR IT????
Come on, man.
Joey
November 14th, 2011
8:06 am
“The message all week was that we were going to be an aggressive football team.”
****************************************************
Coach, that is BS. The only time your offense gets aggressive is 1) When you get 2 or more scores behind, or 2) When Ryan is calling the plays in the hurry-up.
Your QB is better at calling plays than your OC, but you’re the only one who doesn’t see that.
J-Tag
November 14th, 2011
8:06 am
No guts, no glory. I’m with Coach Smith on this one. It is REAL easy to second guess.
Saints R.E.A.M.
November 14th, 2011
8:12 am
I feel for the Falcon fans (a little) that know that this call was a boneheaded way to end a game…especially after coming back and having a little momentum. From a Saints fan perspective after the onside kick (another example of M.Smith not trusting the defense) this game should have been over. But the door was left open.
For the Falcons fans that think this call was gutsy….you all deserve all the heartache you have…Geaux Saints.
Call it like it is
November 14th, 2011
8:13 am
Right call, wrong play. If you cant get 6in in your own house, with your own fans the shame is on the players not the coach.
AlanFalcon
November 14th, 2011
8:17 am
Good call, Drew Brees’s is a surgeon in this situation, it’s ashame that we didn’t have the players that could pull off a 6′ run in this situation.
Stepchild
November 14th, 2011
8:18 am
@ Call it like it is,
I would differ if there is a time to gamble its on the road. You don’t roll the dice when you are at home…everything should slant your way at home. Crowd noise…etc.
Glenn
November 14th, 2011
8:20 am
Just a dumb call . Its not that they went for it . Its that the slow developing run play called . A qb sneak would have got the first down easy . It you are going to run a delay , at that point try to take it outside. Horrible play called .
reality check
November 14th, 2011
8:21 am
The Saints have a FAR superior coaching staff and a FAR superior QB. Matt Ryan will NEVER be more than a game manager. His wobbly duck errant throwing makes me say a prayer every time he throws it. He makes Trent Dilfer look good. Without a Ravens type defense (that won the SB) we will; NEVER have a shot at a SB victory. PERIOD!!! Matt Ryan is NOT the answer…Mike Mularkey is NOT the answer…Mike Smith is NOT the answer… Fire Mike Smith…Hire Brian Billick… and bring Trent Dilfer out of retirement…LOL
Saints R.E.A.M.
November 14th, 2011
8:22 am
This is what happens when you get a conservative coach playing a gambling game. He is inexperienced about when to take a chance. He thinks that this move yesterday was Genius.
Remember when Belichick went for it against the Colts and lost that game. Belichick was criticized but his point was that they hadn’t stopped Manning all day.
That wasn’t the case yesterday. The Falcons defense did a pretty good job…especially late in the game….they did well enough that they deserved another chance.
Mountain Man
November 14th, 2011
8:25 am
Bad call. This call was based on the belief that the Falcons couldn’t stop the Saints twice. What kind of looser mentality is that? If this is at midfield, go for it. Backed up well within N.O. field goal range, you punt and rely on the defense to make a stop.
But also consider this…three nice drives stall out, resulting in 9 pts. Those ABSOLUTELY HAVE to be touchdowns. Score touchdowns on those plays, and we are celebrating our victory over the Saints rather than debating the wisdom of coach Smith’s OT decision.
meh
November 14th, 2011
8:27 am
I like the decision to go for it. I just didn’t like the play they called. I’d go with a QB sneak or or a run to the outside.
falcon
November 14th, 2011
8:27 am
The right call would be to fire Mike Mularkey. And do it today.
Saints R.E.A.M.
November 14th, 2011
8:29 am
@Mountain Man
So right…Saints red zone defense is one of the worst in the league….but not yesterday against the Falcons..who are usually pretty good in the red zone.
I guess that’s why division/rivalry games are so crazy. All stats go out of the window if the teams are equally talented.
Big Old Dog
November 14th, 2011
8:32 am
Dang fire…reading these here posts would make ya believe maybe some of these folks actually believe they know what they’re writing about…NOT….maybe 1 of these days you posters will earn enough money to buy a ticket or if you’re real lucky win the lottery and get yourself a season pass. Because it is painfully obvious that none of buttheads go to the games…you just sit in front of the Idiot Box eating, gettin’ fat and sloppy….bet you yell at the TV too. Get a life ’cause some of you shut-ins need serious help or else start takin’ your Meds again!!!!!!selah
Saints R.E.A.M.
November 14th, 2011
8:32 am
BTW, I vote Colston to the pro-bowl after yesterday. Wow.
And to think I’ve been listening to Falcon fans talk about how good Roddy & Julio are…..and that Colston was just average. Hmmmmm……I think you could have saved your draft picks….especially since Matt Ryan has no ability to throw the long ball.
tony
November 14th, 2011
8:36 am
It would of been the right call if the falcons had a dominant offensive line and a rb who(like a William Andrews) runs hard every play. The falcons have neither. BAD CALL!