The NFL stands for National Football League, but a better substitute is Not For Long. Owners don't care what you've done for them in the past. They only care what you've done for them lately.
For that reason, it's pretty easy to see why Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank is rumored to be ready to move on from head coach Mike Smith after this season. Atlanta lost a close game this past Sunday. The Falcons intercepted Cleveland Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer twice in the fourth quarter before losing 26-24 on a last-second field goal.
"Mike Smith of the Falcons (4-0 in the mighty NFC South, 0-7 in all other games) bumbled through another endgame, and he might not be able to save his job after this debacle," wrote Peter King.
All has not been bad for Smith since taking over the Falcons in 2008. He is 64-43 overall (.598 winning percentage) and led the team to their first ever back-to-back winning seasons in franchise history. But Atlanta, twice a No. 1 playoff seed in the NFC, has managed to win just one playoff game in Smith's seven seasons.
The team is just 4-7 this year. Atlanta can't run the ball thanks to an offensive line with more holes in it than the plot of "Interstellar" and the team's defense is worse than James Harden's. All of this points to an eventual split between Smith and the Falcons.
"I can't see how Mike Smith survives," King wrote. "The Falcons have gone from hosting the NFC Championship Game 22 months ago to losing 20 of their last 28. Who knows? If Baltimore beats New Orleans [Monday night], the 4-7 Falcons remain tied for first place in the NFC South, one of the worst divisions in NFL history. It wouldn't be stunning if the division winner is below .500. In fact, it might be more surprising if the division champ is .500 or better. But Smith's clock management was poor again Sunday (he made strategic mistakes in the bizarre last-second loss to the Lions in London a month ago)...When Arthur Blank ran Home Depot, I hear he was very fair, but very bottom-line. Smith is a wonderful person, but barring a turnaround by the team and the coach getting a masters in Clock Management, I can't see him staying on the job past December."
