Atlanta Falcons: Mike Smith Got a Well Deserved Extension

How could you not keep Mike Smith? He has only done something that no other Atlanta Falcons coach has ever done: coached the team to three straight winning seasons. 

What else could you possibly want from the guy? Maybe he hasn't won a playoff game, but at the same time, the two teams the Falcons lost to were the eventual NFC champions. Plus, he has a young quarterback who is still going through growing pains.

The defense is not where he wants it to be, and even so, they have performed above and beyond expectations. He has yet to draft that defense he wants, but that only comes in time.

But what he has done with the defense over the past three years is amazing. They have been in the top 15 in points allowed in those three years, and this year they were fourth in the NFL.

His offense has been great as well, and he has coached them to excellence like the defense. In fact, this year they had the fifth best scoring offense in the NFL. Obviously, it is not just Smitty who has been responsible for all of the success, but he is the head coach and shoulders most of the responsibility. 

Another positive factor of Smith is his way of keeping the players out of the limelight and out of trouble. His teams have always been under the radar and out of the media, which helps with the team's focus.

Remember Raheem Morris and his statement that the Bucs were the best team in the NFC? Well, his team got beat the next week. But since Smith keeps out of the media, he does not have a target on his head like Morris or Rex Ryan. 

In my opinion, Mike Smith is one of the best coaches in the league. He has done so much with an organization left in shambles by Bobby Petrino and Michael Vick.

To make things worse, the Falcons have historically been one of the worst NFL teams ever. In its 42 years of existence, the Falcons had not had two consecutive winning seasons, they had only been to the Super Bowl once (and lost), and they had been bottom feeders in the NFC multiple times. Simply put, they were bad.

But Mike Smith turned it around. They have not yet become a dynasty, but they are close. I cannot express all of the great things he has done for the Falcons and how pleased I am with him.

The Falcons made the right decision by giving Mike Smith an extension.