UNC Football: Atlanta Falcons announced firing of Arthur Smith

Shortly after the Atlanta Falcons' season-ending loss to the New Orleans Saints, the organization announced that former UNC football player Arthur Smith was fired from his head coaching position with the franchise.

Smith's tenure with the Falcons lasted just three seasons, each of which ended with losing records. Overall, the Falcons posted a 21-30 record, as the franchise is currently in a playoff drought since 2017.

The last few weeks haven't gone well for Smith and the Falcons, as the franchise lost four of its last five contests, including back-to-back blowout losses to end the season. Owner Arthur Blank and the organization felt there was a need for a change, as they'll look for another head coach to turn things around.

After a decade-long stint with the Tennessee Titans, Smith emerged as a hot name on the head coaching market. The Falcons, at the time, were looking to turn their offense around, as Smith seemed to be a good candidate to make that happen.

However, even after using each of their three first round draft picks on offensive skill players, Smith wasn't able to improve the offense, as there were plenty of instances where the media and fans alike speculated as to why certain players (such as Kyle Pitts and Bijan Robinson) were non-factors within the offensive scheme at various points.

The writing seemed to be on the wall, as it appeared more likely by the day that this was going to be the outcome. Now we'll have to wait and see where Smith's next coaching stop takes him, as it's probably more likely that he'll end up as an assistant somewhere for his next gig.

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