Arthur Smith’s seat is pretty warm after back-to-back losses despite Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank giving the head coach until the end of the year before deciding on his fate.
Nevertheless, Smith is not fazed by the chatter of potentially losing his job.
“No [it doesn’t bother me]. That’s what you signed up for,” he told 92-9’s “Dukes & Bell” on Wednesday. “Doesn’t mean you have to like where you’re at. Let’s go do something about it. You still have life. That’s a key and that’s why you love this job and why I love the guys in this locker room. We had an opportunity and it’s our fault. It starts with me. That’s where you got to be accountable. … I love this job; I love this team and am thankful every day I have an opportunity but we still got life. That’s why this week is so important.”
The Falcons, at 6-8, indeed still have life in the NFC South, trailing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints by just one game but have a difficult matchup this weekend against the Indianapolis Colts.
Among the changes Smith is making to help their chances is starting Taylor Heinicke at quarterback, sending Desmond Ridder to the bench.
“You talk about sharing accountability and it’s always going to start with me as the head coach,” Smith said. “But we can’t keep plodding in a series here and a lull and … it’s time. We’ve got to string together good possessions, score and reach the potential of our offense. There’s a couple of things we’ve gotta do different and we have a lot of confidence in Taylor and are excited about this matchup.”
This is the second time Smith has gone to Henicke over Ridder this season. He previously benched the second-year quarterback on Nov. 1 when the Falcons were 4-4 and tied in first place.
Smith returned to Ridder after Heinicke lost two games and is now back to Heinicke with the Falcons’ playoff hopes at stake.
Despite the ups and downs of the season, Smith hopes it can be a learning experience on the fly.
“We’re sitting here at 6-8, you are what your record says,” Smith said. “We gotta close that gap. … it’s our own fault, starting with me. If you can take adversity, you can learn from your mistakes, you can become better. Could be the best thing that happens to you. Or you could go into a shell and be a victim and take the ball and go home. And that’s not what I’m gonna do here.”