Mike Smith/AP Photo, John Bazemore
The calm demeanor of Atlanta Falcons' head coach Mike Smith is something that many Falcons fans have gotten used to.
Much was made about the stark white hair of the 49-year-old head coach when he began.
Many asked "Who is this guy?" when he was hired. Many others believed his white hair would become no hair after taking over what was considered a train wreck of a franchise in the wake of Michael Vick and Bobby Petrino.
Smith isn't the type to take advantage of the last laugh, but you can't help but believe he didn't laugh just a little in the privacy of his office after his rookie season.
It appears that the only thing Smith lost last season is a few pounds and along the way he gained quite a bit: a city's admiration, a Coach of the Year award, and the respect of a team on the rise.
Tuesday Smith spoke with local Atlanta radio station AM 790 (The Zone)'s Mayhem in the A.M. on Tuesday and held a press conference at the team's complex in Flowery Branch, GA.. In both appearances, the now familiar positivity and enthusiasm of Smith rang true as he spoke about the upcoming season and the one already in the books.
As expected, the Associated Press and Sporting News Coach of the Year would take very little credit for the awards he won this offseason. He defined the Coach of the Year as a group effort, adding that it should be called the Coaching Staff of the Year award. He also praised his quarterback Matt Ryan and general manager Thomas Dimitroff for the Rookie of the Year and the Executive of the Year awards.
I think it just bodes well for the future in terms of the foundation that we've set.
Though the 2007 season is a distant memory it will never completely be removed from the organization's history. Smith seems to acknowledge that while 2008 was a surprising success, the bar has been set and he understands that anything but a winning season in 2009 will quite possibly erode some of the goodwill he's built up with the fan base. Without ever mentioning it, it's almost as if he's acknowledging that the organization's first back-to-back winning seasons is a critical step.
He said he and his coaching staff are employing a similar approach to what they used when they first arrived last season. They simply "turned the page on 2007" and now they look to do the same again. He and his staff have evaluated every aspect of the football operation, including all 1400 snaps, and only hope to improve.
One of the ways he believes his team will improve in 2009 is by adding players in the draft, but he's quick to point out that the Falcons haven't been as quiet in free agency as everyone seems to think. They signed free agents Mike Peterson (linebacker) and Brett Romberg (center), but they also re-signed defensive end Chauncey Davis. Atlanta re-signed defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux and wide receiver Michael Jenkins during the 2008 season and he believes they are key signings for the future of the team.
Smith is excited about Peterson coming to Atlanta. He describes him as a player that provides the team with flexibility, able to play all three linebacker positions in the scheme, a scheme in which he's very familiar.
"Mike will be a good mentor for Curtis Lofton," Smith said of Peterson's impact on the second-year middle linebacker, "who we anticipate is going to have an outstanding year."
And now as he and Dimitroff look toward the draft, he said they'll spend the coming weeks together, as they prepare for the draft and edit their draft board.
He describes it as an exciting time for the organization because of the opportunity to add another draft class.
"If we can add the type of players that we were able to add last year with that draft class, I think we're going to really feel good about where we're heading," Smith said. Referencing foundations again, he said that group of players helped set a solid foundation for the Falcons organization.
In both interviews Smith stressed that he and Dimitroff have a philosophy of building their team through the draft. Specifically, he says Dimitroff's draft approach is "needs based."
We're not a team that's going to take the best available athlete.
In the long run, the Falcons head coach believes a team can be more successful by placing a premium on drafting players. In regards to the upcoming draft he says they've identified what they need to address and they've done some of that in free agency, but their focus is currently on the draft.
Of course he didn't share what those specific needs are, but it's likely that the former defensive coordinator wants to see his defense improve dramatically. He also added that more free agency moves could be coming in the future.
Reflecting on the 2008 season, Smith describes the entire experience as enjoyable and he always tried to allow his players to experience a similar feeling.
"That's kind of the way I try to approach my job," Smith said of his coaching values.
We're going to have fun. We want our guys to enjoy playing the game of football. It is a game, but also we have to be very task oriented and make sure we understand that when we have to snap in, we can snap in. We should enjoy it, because it is a game.
While the playoff loss to Arizona was heartbreaking, he feels it was a good experience for his young team and he looks forward to more returns to a similar spot. In the way he discussed that game and the experience gleaned from it, one can't help but believe Atlanta's head coach has moved on from that loss. He quickly moves the conversation from dwelling on the past to the evaluation of the past for future success.
"We want to get better," he said, "and that starts with me as the head coach."
But a head coach in the NFL can only do so much. Ultimately the players have to perform and it's always a benefit having strong leaders on the field who can act as extensions of the coaching staff between the lines. Smith spoke candidly and openly about the assertion that with the loss of veterans like linebacker Keith Brooking and safety Lawyer Milloy the leadership of the Falcons, especially on defense, is in limbo.
"Every year is a changing roster," Smith said of the movement of players in the NFL. "And there's going to be some guys that are going to be asked to step up and take those (leadership) roles. ...We have some guys and that's the thing about the NFL, it's ever-changing. The roster is always changing."
Specifically he mentioned safety Erik Coleman, Lofton, defensive end Jonathan Abraham, and defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux as the players he expects to take on more leadership of the team.
He continued the leadership theme with his final comments of the press conference sharing some real insight into the beliefs of Mike Smith the head coach, some lessons obviously learned in his 27 years coaching football.
I don't think you anoint leaders. Guys become leaders and they earn that leadership role. So there'll be some guys that step up and become the leaders of our football team in 2009.
Spoken like a true leader--A leader that often wears the Super Bowl ring that he earned as an assistant in Baltimore.
On the topic of hardware, Smith reiterated that he feels the individual honors bestowed upon him this season are nice, but he believes they're more team honors.
"All 19 guys on the coaching staff deserve the award," he said.
Ever the task master, focused only on what comes next, not what happened yesterday, Smith said he's never even unpacked the trophies.
The man always with a plan perhaps intends to simply leave them packed away, holding the shelf space for a Super Bowl trophy.
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