It’s as if Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith is purposely making his own job harder than it has to be. I can’t imagine the motivation behind this level of self-sabotage, or if it’s an ego thing where he’s trying to prove how he can maximize middling talent, but it’s equal parts frustrating and hilarious to behold.
When the Falcons defense forced a fumble and returned it to the Vikings 1 on Sunday, Smith had the world at his feet. Call possibly literally any single play to gain a single yard. You know, go nuts and maybe get the ball in the hands of one of your one, two, three best skill position players.
Here’s how it actually played out:
Not only is it coaching malpractice not to deploy Bijan Robinson in a situation where you need one yard — we’re talking Marshawn Lynch in the Super Bowl-caliber dereliction of duty here — but it’s baffling that you’d go to Jonnu Smith twice. The second play was a run, too!
arthur smith going with jonnu smith in the redzone over bijan pic.twitter.com/25HnuQhaJ5
— Annie Agar (@AnnieAgar) November 5, 2023
The Falcons spent a top-four draft pick on Kyle Pitts. He plays tight end but is not your typical guy at that position. Let me ask y’all this: Would you rather give a jet sweep to a tight end who ran a 4.62-second 40-yard dash (1.64s 10-yard split) entering the NFL all the way back in 2017, or to a guy who ran a 4.40 flat (1.52s 10y split) in 2021?
Just looking at those raw numbers on paper, it’s a literal no-brainer. You have to be a blinding idiot to hand it to the first guy. But that’s what Arthur Smith did. Tell me Arthur, what did you expect to happen?
The people are CRYING out for justice, Mr. Smith! What are you DOING with Bijan Robinson and Kyle Pitts!?
Is it a last-name preferential treatment operation you’re running over there in Atlanta??
I don't know how you design a redzone offense without Kyle Pitts and Bijan Robinson. Why spend premium picks on those players if you aren't going to feature them? This has been asked a million times and Arthur Smith still has no answer.
— Kevin Knight (@FalcoholicKevin) November 5, 2023
Arthur Smith can’t get out of his own way. pic.twitter.com/uPCYw56TCY
— Kurt Benkert (@KurtBenkert) November 5, 2023
Arthur Smith: Has top-ten picks invested in Bijan Robinson, Kyle Pitts, and Drake London. Has a 1,000-yard rusher in Tyler Allgeier.
Arthur Smith: "This offense needs more Jonnu Smith and Mack Hollins!"
— Schlasser (@UrinatingTree) November 5, 2023
Yall really bullied Arthur Smith into using Jonnu Smith > Bijan Robinson at the goal line
He's decided a middle finger to the fantasy football community is more important than winning football games
— Mason Dodd (@MasonDoddFFN) November 5, 2023
Bear in mind, Arthur is the same guy who put Jonnu in the backfield for an ill-fated “halfback” pass last week:
Speaking of getting cute. Falcons get gift fumble recovery at 29 and settle for FG. Run trick play from the 7 yard line on first possession? #SoFalcons pic.twitter.com/AOhGcBlcgK
— Matt Stewart (@MattStewartTV) October 29, 2023
Arthur Smith had TE2 THROW THE BALL to TE3 while the highest drafted tight end ever blocked for them.
In the red zone. pic.twitter.com/z5X6Gcegl9
— Q (@atl_q0) October 29, 2023
Moving on from Jonnu. Had my fill of him.
All due respect to Tyler Allgeier — who ran for over 1,000 yards last year as a rookie and happens to be my spot starter on my decimated fantasy team today — he ain’t Bijan Robinson. Not in the same class of player. Few are in Bijan’s stratosphere. It’s not a slight. It’s fact.
"Saying Bijan Robinson > Tyler Allgeier is toxic groupthink."
– Arthur Smith, probably pic.twitter.com/8wb9qnVcPp
— Underdog Fantasy (@UnderdogFantasy) November 5, 2023
"You spent the 8th overall pick on Bijan Robinson you're going to use him right?"
Arthur Smith: pic.twitter.com/1oXcn2SAM8
— Pickswise (@Pickswise) November 5, 2023
Just to drive all these points home, please inhale the play-by-play screenshot below to grasp how much of a conscious slumber Arthur Smith is in.
Arthur Smith is a DEEPLY unserious head coach pic.twitter.com/VUks8jsBJW
— Deep Dive Podcast (@DeepDivePod) November 5, 2023
