If this is the lasting image of Arthur Smith as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, it would be fitting.
Smith was clearly displeased with New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen as the two convened at midfield for their postgame handshake following the Saints’ 48-17 demolition Sunday. Cameras captured Smith using multiple choice words during the confrontation. Allen did not back down, as Smith jawed at him on his way back to the locker room.
Allen apologized for a Jamaal Williams’ 1-yard touchdown with 1:10 left and the game already decided, the likely source of Smith’s frustration. The TD came on what was essentially a fake kneel-down, with Allen saying after the game the players were instructed to kneel the ball.
‘That’s not who we are, not what we’re about,’ Allen told reporters.
Saints center Erik McCoy said the touchdown wasn’t with the intent to embarrass Atlanta. Instead, New Orleans players wanted to reward Williams for taking on a blocking-centric role this season. McCoy added that all 11 Saints in the huddle came to the decision.
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‘Like, ‘This guy deserves it,” McCoy said. ‘And if it wasn’t a collective, then we wouldn’t have done it.’
In his postgame news conference, Smith said that Allen did not need to apologize for running up the score in the second half. New Orleans kept its postseason hopes alive with the victory but needs help in the Sunday late-afternoon window.
‘Dennis is a great coach,’ Smith said.
The game was knotted at 17 at halftime, and the Saints reeled off 31 unanswered points the rest of the game.
‘Nobody wants to end the season like that,’ Smith said. ‘Credit to them. They made the plays. Certainly, second half got out of hand, they can do whatever they want. But it doesn’t take away from the fact they beat us in the second half.
‘They can do whatever they want. There are no rules against it. Like I said, we didn’t stop them in the second half. … They kicked our you-know-what in the second half.’
Smith is one of the NFL coaches whose seats will be the hottest with ‘Black Monday’ looming. The Falcons entered the day with a chance of winning the NFC South, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ victory over the Carolina Panthers made that impossible anyway. Atlanta has gone 7-10 and missed the playoffs in each of Smith’s three seasons at the helm.
‘We just finished the game … as I’ve said, I love doing what I do,’ Smith said when asked about his future.
He later added: ‘It’s been such a privilege to work with these guys. They’ve worked extremely hard all season. We clearly came up short. But I appreciate the hell out of them. I love coaching this team.’
