The Falcons were unable to find their long-term answer at quarterback in the three years that Arthur Smith served as head coach, which is arguably the main reason he’s no longer in Atlanta.
Smith’s three seasons produced three 7-10 records, but 2023 was supposed to be the year that this team took that next step to the playoffs. After spending millions in free agency and getting off to a 2-0 start, the Falcons went 5-10 over their final 15 games and failed to secure a playoff spot.
If the team was able to win just one or two more games, Smith might still be the head coach. That’s the way former Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff sees it, anyway.
During an interview with Kevin Clark of ESPN/Omaha Productions, Dimitroff laid out why coaches fail to develop quarterbacks and ultimately fail in the NFL, mentioning Smith as an example.
“Would Arthur Smith have survived this year if, well, if he would have picked another quarterback? But even that, even some of those losses, they could have been on the other side of .500. I think he could have still been in Atlanta.”
I asked Thomas Dimitroff why there aren’t more stash-and-develop QB plans like Green Bay. Answer? Coaches who want to get to 9 wins and keep their job.
“There are lazy coaches out there who don’t have it in them to develop young players and they’re worried about the time frame” pic.twitter.com/y6tNVk2kOo
— Kevin Clark (@bykevinclark) February 15, 2024
Dimitroff goes on to talk about working under Falcons owner Arthur Blank, and how coaches worry more about their jobs than developing talent to build sustained success.
“There are lazy coaches out there who don’t have it in them to develop young players and they’re worried about the time frame,” concluded Dimitroff.