NFL rumors: 5 Bill Belichick landing spots if Patriots go through with firing
By John Buhler
3. Atlanta Falcons need a quarterback and a better head coach, pronto!
Look. This is the team I root for, and I really don't want this to happen, but I'd be lying to you if I thought my beloved Atlanta Falcons were a well-run operation. Outside of a few good years here and there, it has been mostly heartache and pain in the Dirty South. The most painful moment of my Falcons fandom came because of one Bill Belichick. Would Arthur Blank actually hire Belchick after 28-3?
Although Blank may like Arthur Smith, Atlanta is falling out of favor with its frustrating head coach by the day. The former Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator has been unable to put together any winning streak of significance here over the last three years, or score upwards of 30 points a game with any regularity at all. Despite a bad roster to start or awful quarterback play now, Smith has to go.
While Belichick has been tied to NFC South teams, and Atlanta in particular from Dianna Russini's reporting, this all feels incredibly short-sided. Then again, the Falcons are a good quarterback and a great coach away from contending for championships. You have to remember Blank is far better at hiring general managers (Thomas Dimitroff, Terry Fontenot) than coaches (Smith, Bobby Petrino, etc.).
Dimitroff came from New England, and Fontenot came from the New Orleans Saints, so we shall see.