The Atlanta Falcons are 2-6 and rapidly falling out of contention in the NFC South. With the playoffs a longshot and a second losing season in a row, some NFL observers think coach Mike Smith could be on his way out of Atlanta.
"I'm fairly certain Mike Smith won't survive a second consecutive lost season in Atlanta," Sports Illustrated's Don Banks wrote. "Smith is a very good coach, and he didn't just forget how to win in the past 24 games of his Atlanta tenure. But his club is 6-18 in that span, and the Falcons bear all the signs of a team in need of a change in leadership."
Banks wonders if a coaching change or an entire front office overhaul is coming in Atlanta.
"The big question in Atlanta is this: Is it Smith alone who is in danger of losing his job, or is respected Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff right there beside him on the hot seat? If you start to see any space being created between those two, who came in together to Atlanta in 2008 and have been a tight, productive tandem ever since, you'll know Smith will be the first and perhaps the only one to go."
Smith, when asked Monday if he is worried for his job, remained calm and positive.
"No," Smith said. "None whatsoever. We're going to do what we've done for the last six-plus years and prepare each and every week like we know how to do it. And I'm going to continue to do that until Mr. Blank tells me otherwise.''
Arthur Blank, the team owner, was extremely frustrated after Sunday's last minute loss. He told the Atlanta-Journal Constitution, "There's no way you lose that game - just no way. There's nothing else I can say."
"I haven't done a good enough job, plain and simple,'' Smith said. "Because ultimately, it's my responsibility. So I haven't done the job that I need to do. I've let down the players, the coaches, and the fans thus far. But I think what we plan on doing, we plan on getting hot and making a really good second half of this season.''
The Falcons are on a bye this week and will play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Nov. 9.
