For the first time in what feels like forever, the Atlanta Falcons are finally headed in the right direction. On paper, hiring Kevin Stefanski feels like one of the best moves the franchise has made in quite some time, which has more than just the fanbase and locker room on board with where things are headed in Atlanta, even if not everyone is convinced.
Stefanski's vision is starting to show shades of the Mike Smith era, and his hire just received a stamp of approval from Smith himself. During an exclusive interview with Betway, the ex-head coach spoke on several trending NFL topics, but when asked about the Falcons' new coach, he had plenty of nice things to say about what he'll bring to the table.
"The thing that stands out the most about this hire is that Coach Stefanski is going to emphasize physicality on this football team, which is a great thing. Football is a physical game where you win in the trenches, so I think he’ll focus on that. "Mike Smith
As expected, the 66-year-old is on board with the Dirty Birds hiring the two-time Coach of the Year. But while his track record speaks for itself, Smith thinks the most important thing that Stefanski will bring to Atlanta is his emphasis on physicality, which has been nowhere to be found in recent years.
Mike Smith is showing support for the Atlanta Falcons' decision to hire Kevin Stefanski
The Falcons haven't made the playoffs in eight years, so even though his last two seasons in Cleveland were as uninspiring as it gets, Smith knows this marriage is a better fit. He'll be better off with these offensive weapons and thinks what he did in Cleveland will translate to his new home.
Smith also revealed that he thought the 43-year-old was the second-most desirable head coaching candidate available this offseason. The only person he would have preferred was John Harbaugh, but it would have taken an arm and a leg to steal him away from the New York Giants' head coaching gig.
Smith also shed light on the hiring of Matt Ryan as Atlanta's new president of football since he coached Ryan for the first seven seasons of his NFL career. And he made sure to throw in a note that he still believes that the former MVP quarterback deserves a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
"When it comes to Matt Ryan, I’m very biased, and I’ll always be very high on him...In his new role as president of football, I have no doubt in my mind that Matt’s going to enjoy the same type of success that he had as a player.  Anything Matt does is just full steam ahead. So, he will lead the Falcons to a quick turnaround. "Mike Smith
As someone who helped draft Ryan and spent a lot of time around him, you'd expect rave reviews about him, but he doesn't have that same relationship with Stefanski. Smith must really trust Arthur the new vision of this Falcons' front office, but it's hard to blame him for being hopeful knowing how successful he was in Atlanta.