Arthur Smith’s latest stop is only making the old Falcons frustrations look sharper.
Two head coaches have come and gone since Smith’s run in Atlanta, but the damage from that stretch still hangs around. Falcons fans watched him struggle to get the most out of a loaded offense, and the same complaints are back now that he’s running Ohio State’s attack.
Smith had Bijan Robinson, Drake London and Kyle Pitts in Atlanta, but the offense often looked built around Tyler Allgeier and Jonnu Smith instead. That kind of mismanagement left a mark, and it also helped convince Arthur Blank to stay away from first-time head coaches.
Smith still found another NFL landing spot after Atlanta, with the Pittsburgh Steelers hiring him as offensive coordinator, but that offense was every bit as hard to watch as the one in Atlanta. Once the Steelers moved on and hired Mike McCarthy, the NFL options dried up.
Then came Ohio State, where Brian Hartline’s departure opened the door for Smith to take over as offensive coordinator. On paper, it looked like the kind of job that could clean up his reputation. Instead, it’s only reinforced the concerns.
The Buckeyes are 6-3, have dropped back-to-back games to USC and Oregon, and now sit at No. 21 in the AP poll, their lowest ranking since 2014. A big part of the problem has been the offense, which has lacked execution in a way that feels out of place for one of college football’s premier programs.
That’s where Smith’s fingerprints are all over it. This was supposed to be a soft landing, a place where he could reset and get his career back on track. Instead, Ohio State’s offense has looked worse.
Things weren’t even especially smooth before Julian Sayin got injured, but once Sayin went down, the whole thing started to unravel. Smith has not done enough to make life easier for Luke Fahey, and the run game has been a mess despite Smith’s reputation as a “run game technician.”
He’s also working with a rare collection of talent, including Jeremiah Smith, who is being wasted as more of a decoy than a centerpiece. No. 4 has been the only real reason the offense hasn’t completely fallen apart without Sayin, and even he was visibly frustrated on the sideline Saturday.
The issue isn’t a lack of talent. Jeremiah Smith, Devin McCuin, Bo Jackson and Chris Henry Jr. give Ohio State plenty to work with.
The problem is how little of it is being used. The offense has stayed painfully vanilla, stuck in a pattern of two short runs and then an incomplete pass.
That’s the frustrating part for Falcons fans: none of this feels surprising. Smith’s Ohio State stint is just putting in plain view what Atlanta already knew.
In Other News...
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The challenge gets even trickier because Kansas City does not need to lean on one thing to move the ball. Kenneth Walker III gives the Chiefs a strong ground element, while Mahomes and the passing attack can still stress a defense with quick throws and yards after the catch. For the Falcons, the problem is less about one matchup and more about surviving the full menu of what Kansas City can throw at them. [Read more 🡒]
Chiefs Bring Kicker Drama Into Falcons Game With Bigger Question Looming
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Andy Reid is keeping Butker in the lineup for now, even as the Chiefs have added Justin Tucker to the practice squad and left the door open to a possible shakeup later. For the Falcons, it is the kind of subplot worth watching from afar, because a team that has been steady enough to keep its footing in the standings could still end up facing a very different kicking picture before long. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Just Drew A Hard Line In Their Rebuild
The Falcons were willing to make real moves at the NFL trade deadline, sending away key starters Jessie Bates III and Ryan Neuzil as they continue reshaping the roster. But the front office also made clear there is a difference between retooling and tearing it down, and some names were never part of the conversation in the same way. Atlantas approach suggests a rebuild with boundaries, not a full-scale purge.
One of those boundaries was Bijan Robinson. The Giants reportedly checked in on the running back, but Atlanta never seriously entertained the idea of moving him, a sign of how firmly the team views him as part of its long-term core. For a franchise trying to build around young talent, keeping Robinson out of the deadline churn says plenty about where the Falcons believe their foundation already is. [Read more 🡒]