Hitch ‘n Go: Unlikely suitors
Atlanta Falcon's coach Mike Smith
By RANDY SETTERBERG
The Trucker News Services
12/9/2008
As the NFL season heads into the home stretch, a few franchises find themselves in an unfamiliar position: holding court in their respective divisions with a playoff reservation in sight.
Predatory Maneuvers
Mike Smith had pushed himself all his life. His mentor, Jaguar coach Jack Del Rio, said of Smith, “Nobody works harder. He’s got a great mind for football.” One thing’s for sure; as the oldest of eight siblings, Smith diligently wedged his way up to the dinner table. But his parents instilled in him the values of a strong work ethic, and those virtues spilled over from his first college football gig as a recruiting coordinator at Morehead State. Twenty-two years later, Atlanta Falcons’ owner Arthur Blank offered the head coaching job to a man who parlayed a high school football injury into a lifetime of coaching. On January 23, 2008, Mike Smith became the 14th head coach in Falcon history.
But before Smith could take inventory, it was too late. He had inherited a team that was more dysfunctional than a shotgun wedding. A franchise player-turned-dog slayer serving time in the state pen. Head coach Bobby Patrino quitting mid-season to accept a collegiate coaching opportunity. His predecessor, Jim Mora, publicly campaigning to coach his alma mater. Since 1999, a total of nine first or second-rounders no longer in Falcon colors. The talent pool was shallow, and “quality control” was a term associated only with food venders. Smith didn’t just have to reconstruct his product, he had to assemble a brand new prototype.
So the one they call “The Teacher” rolled up his sleeves and went to work. He drew on his days as a defensive assistant with Baltimore, which included the Ravens’ 2000 record-setting championship team. That Ray Lewis-led defense permitted only 165 points, a league record for a 16-game season. Now, under Smith’s defensive tutelage, youngsters Chris Houston, Michael Boley, and Erik Coleman — all 26 years of age or less — are on pace for career years. DE John Abraham, the 30-year-old “senior citizen” of the starting crew, is on pace for an 18-sack season. Even though the Falcons are ranked in the middle of the pack statistically, they are performing as a single unit. The concept of “team” is beginning to stick, and Smith refuses to let individual goals interfere with the franchise’s ultimate objective: get to the playoffs.
But it’s the offense that has Falcon fans in such a frenzy. First-year quarterback Matt Ryan has shown poise and composure normally associated with a 10-year veteran; he should walk away with offensive Rookie-of-the-Year honors. RB Michael Turner has shed his “backup” reputation and is on pace for a 1,400 yard season, and WR Roddy White — who before this season was known primarily for his support of miscreant Michael Vick — has become Ryan’s go-to guy. Atlanta has improved in seven statistical categories, meaning Smith’s schooling is taking hold. But stats don’t get you to the post season; as Smith will tell you, hard work, dedication, and the resolve to succeed will ultimately determine whether or not the Falcons are playing football deep into January.
Titanic Resurgence
Much to the chagrin of transplanted University of Texas fans, the Vince Young experiment may be over. The man primarily responsible for his employ and development in Tennessee, offensive coordinator Norm Chow, was fired after last season. So after a three-year hiatus, Mike Heimerdinger returns to run the offense, and the team has synchronized into a fluid product of perfection. When Young went down in the season’s first week - suffering from a knee injury and a huge case of self-pity - 14-year veteran Kerry Collins immediately assimilated himself into the blueprint. Under Collins’ leadership, the Titans have an unblemished record heading into the seasons’ second half. It’s a maturity thing: Through six games, Collins has taken only one QB sack and fumbled only twice. Through 15 games last season, Young suffered 25 sacks and coughed up the ball nine times. With ball security issues at a premium, who would you rather have taking snaps?
Coach Jeff Fisher, frequently the butt of suck-up-to-the-owner jokes and often ridiculed for implementing team discipline, is having the last laugh. The longest tenured coach in the NFL, Fisher’s 15th season may be his masterpiece. He’s principally responsible for a Tennessee franchise that isn’t just bowling over opponents, they’re downright embarrassing them. The Titan running game is fourth in the league, averaging 150+ yards per game, and they set a team record by slicing through a porous KC Chief defense for 332 yards. And this year, the defense is holding up its end of the bargain. DT Albert Haynesworth has already matched last year’s sack total (6) and is a leading candidate for the defensive MVP award. Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz is the league’s best kept secret; at press time, Tennessee is leading the NFL by permitting only 11 points per game.
So the next opponent that expects to cakewalk through this franchise and notch another “W” prior to leaving town is in for a shock. The Titans are no longer a predictable pushover, meaning this Tennessee waltz is anything but cordial.
Sovereign Stampede
Apparently, you can come home again. Dick Jauron began his professional coaching career in 1985 as the Bills’ defensive coordinator. 21 years later Jauron came full circle in 2006 when he agreed to become the 14th head coach in Buffalo’s storied history. But the transition was not without trepidation. Five years after a lynch mob ran Jauron out of Chicago after posting just one winning season during a five-year stretch, he now has the Bills on the brink of their first playoff appearance this decade.
The key to Buffalo’s success has been a patient owner, admission of errors, and the players’ belief in team unity. As founder and team president, Ralph Wilson is the only owner the franchise has ever known and, at age 90, has little reason to exhibit patience. But Wilson signed off on Jauron’s employment, then bit his tongue when his Bills suffered through consecutive 7-9 seasons in Jauron’s first two years. Wilson knew the big picture was starting to take shape. In 2007, a total of 17 Buffalo players were placed in injured reserve; the highest number o