The Falcons today "decided to part ways" with coach Mike Smith after seven seasons, but GM Thomas Dimitroff "is safe at this time," according to D. Orlando Ledbetter of the ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION. Smith is the "winningest coach in team history" but just concluded a second-straight losing season. An ESPN report prior to the start of yesterday's game against the Panthers noted the Falcons "had retained search firm Korn Ferry about a potential head-coaching search." Korn Ferry has been involved "with several NFL and college coaching searches." Meanwhile, it appears Dimitroff will keep his job despite some "questionable draft picks and shaky free agents signings" (AJC.com, 12/29). NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports Falcons Owner Arthur Blank "has expressed frustration to people close to him for some time with the direction of the team, with the toughness of the team and simply the way the team is playing." NFL Network’s Albert Breer reports Blank over the last couple months "was preparing himself for a change," wanting to alter the "way the organization worked on several different levels." Breer: "You heard about them getting tougher and edgier during the offseason. We all watched that on ‘Hard Knocks.’ Obviously they got knocked around the line of scrimmage yesterday. That was a bad omen for Mike Smith." Another thing to surface over the past few years was the fact that Blank "wanted to take more risks when it came to player acquisition and bring in more guys that are edgy." That is not to say he wanted to "fill the locker room with bad guys," but he "wanted to widen the net a little bit." Blank felt like with Smith as coach, they "had to bring in the team-captain type" (“NFL AM,” NFL Network, 12/29).
BAD TIMING FOR KORN FERRY NEWS: In Atlanta, Jeff Schultz wrote the hiring of Korn Ferry prior to yesterday's division-deciding 34-3 loss to the Panthers is "dreadful timing by Blank." The owner "could’ve waited on this, and it certainly was within his power to make sure this news didn’t get out." Schultz: "Say what you want about Smith, his coaches and the team’s players but none of them deserved to be treated like that by Blank before the biggest game of the season" (AJC.com, 12/28).
ALWAYS LOOKING TO THE FUTURE: The Falcons are scheduled to open a new stadium in '17, and ESPN's Chris Mortensen said, "It’s going to be a spectacular building, and this is the time when you start selling those personal seat licenses. I do believe just generating new energy and new excitement within the community is a factor” (“SportsCenter,” ESPN, 12/29).
