It came down to Atlanta Falcons head coach Mike Smith and Miami Dolphins head coach Tony Sparano, but it was Smith who ultimately came away with the prize. This season marked both coaches' first as head coach for teams who needed facelifts. Sparano may have turned last year's 1-15 Dolphins into a playoff team this season, but Smith had even more odds against him. Prior to his arrival at Atlanta, the Falcons had to deal with the negative press surrounding former quarterback Michael Vick as he faced charges of dog fighting, for which he is currently incarcerated. Another blow hit late last season when head coach Bobby Petrino resigned following week 14. Fans can see the Falcons next season with Atlanta Falcons tickets.
The Falcons started out this season 2-2 after week four, but ended up finishing 11-5. The performance led to a playoff berth, which matched them against the Arizona Cardinals. Although the Cardinals ended the Falcons' playoff run, they had already proven themselves to their fans and the league. The AP Coach of the Year award was decided by votes from writers and broadcasters who cover the league. Smith won by one vote, tallying 23.5, while Sparano had 22.5 votes. Tennessee Titans coach Jeff Fischer had three votes while New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick had one. Belichick won the award last year. Also receiving honors from the AP was quarterback Matt Ryan, who won the Offensive Rookie of the Year award. Ryan finished this season with 3,440 yards, 16 touchdowns, 11 interceptions and a passer rating of 87.7 after starting all 16 games.
Smith has had a storied career as a coach, since he first started coaching with his high school after an injury took him off the playing field. He started his college coaching in 1982 as the assistant coach at San Diego State. He moved to linebackers coach before becoming the defensive line coach at Morehead State in Kentucky. After spending one year at Morehead, he moved to Tennessee Tech as the defensive line coach, where he eventually became the defensive coordinator and led his team to two top 10 defensive finishes. He stayed through the 1998 season.
He made his move into the NFL in 1999 when he became the defensive assistant and defensive line coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars. He was brought there by Brian Billick, who he worked with at San Diego State. With Smith on staff, the Jaguars went to win the Super Bowl in 2000 with the league's top-rated defense. He stayed through the 2001 season. He moved to the Baltimore Ravens as the linebackers coach in 2002. Smith moved back to the Jaguars in 2003 to become the defensive coordinator. From 2002-2006, the team ranked in the top five in overall defense, offensive points allowed and rushing defense. They had the number 12 defense in 2007, Smith's last year with the Jaguars. He is the Falcons' 14th head coach and was hired in January of 2008. Before Smith arrived, the Falcons finished the 2007 season with a record of 4-12.
"..... Smith moved back to the Jaguars in 2003 to become the defensive coordinator....."
Author Resource:-
This article was written by Brent Warnken and is sponsored by StubHub. StubHub sells tickets to sporting events, concerts and theater productions. Go to StubHub for Atlanta Falcons tickets.
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.searchnfindarticles.com/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites