Atlanta Falcons finally made the right decision in Arthur Smith

Atlanta Falcons finally made the right decision in Arthur Smith

The Atlanta Falcons had a decision to make this offseason and they elected to evaluate carefully and fix their eyes on winning.

The Falcons elected to hire Arthur Smith– former Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator- as the head coach and, at least through the first day, it seems that it was the right decision.

Smith met with the media for the first time Tuesday afternoon and he talked about plans moving forward. One of the most intriguing quotes from the day came when he was asked about Matt Ryan and how the Atlanta Falcons will use him moving forward.

"“Just because we did something with Ryan [Tannehill], doesn’t mean we’re gonna do the same thing with Matt [Ryan],” Smith said via Falcons Wire. “We’re gonna play to Matt’s strengths, just like we tried to play to Ryan’s strengths. But I’m obviously, looking forward to getting in there and coaching Matt when the time comes.”"

The only way the Atlanta Falcons can win soon is if they put the pieces around Matt Ryan to be successful

We can talk about trades, contract loopholes and draft picks all we want to when it comes to the quarterback position, but the truth is simple: If the Falcons want to win any time in the near future, it’s going to have to be with Matt Ryan.

Ryan’s contract doesn’t allow for much flexibility when it comes to what the Falcons can do and hearing Smith talk about how he’s going to specifically tailor to Ryan should be a breath of fresh air and words of comfort for Falcons fans.

Smith was successful in orchestrating an elite offense with Ryan Tannehill at the helm. He helped develop and save the careers of both Tannehill and RB Derrick Henry.

Now, he’s coming to Atlanta with the same kind of plan in mind with it tailored to Ryan and his strengths.

This is a guy who knows how to develop and run an offense. He said all the right things at the press conference- which can be heard here- and it’s going to be fun to watch and see how this team develops under Smith’s leadership over the next couple of seasons.

We had a little fun with his shaky video introductory, but in all seriousness, this seems like one of the first ‘right’ decisions that this franchise has made in quite some time.