Mike Smith: Falcons Head Coach Reportedly Doing Well After Heart Attack Scare

Sunday was a very intense day for Atlanta Falcons' head coach Mike Smith. His team overcame a 16-point deficit against the Carolina Panthers, and later that evening he was pulled off his plane and taken to a hospital in Charlotte because of chest pains. 

Sports Illustrated's Peter King had a series of tweets regarding Smith's status, one quoting Falcons' GM Thomas Dimitroff saying, "Everything came out negative with the tests. Mike is in good spirits." 

King also tweeted that, "Smith plans to be at coaches' meeting Monday at 4." 

These are all great signs for the Falcons head coach. It wasn't a heart attack, but had he been unable to get off the charter plane, it could have gotten worse.

D. Orlando Ledbetter, Falcons beat writer for the Atlanta Journal Constitution, wrote that the team plane was on the runway for over half an hour because of an air traffic delay.

At the age of 52, Smith's chest pains could have been caused by the whirlwind of emotions felt in Sunday's 31-23 victory over the Panthers. Atlanta played sloppy all game until rallying to score 14 points in the fourth quarter for the win. 

Thankfully, Smith is doing well now, and even though he plans to go about his normal business as coach, he should probably take it easy this week. 

The Falcons have a short week, as they must host the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday night. 

This is a game Atlanta should have no trouble with, but the same thing was essentially said a week ago. There's no doubt the Falcons play much better at home, and just for safety reasons, Smith needs to be in a stress-free environment leading up to the game. 

For now, everyone is just happy Smith is OK. He's been a vital reason for the Falcons success in recent years, and they need him moving forward, especially if Atlanta hopes to make a playoff run.