Former NFL QB turned analyst urges swift action against Falcons HC over handling of Desmond Ridder

In the midst of the NFL head coach upheaval involving the sacking saga of Josh McDaniels, Brandon Staley, and Frank Reich, Arthur Smith, the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, faced scrutiny due to the team’s challenges. Despite this, the Falcons expressed confidence in Smith’s abilities, allowing his tenure to extend into the upcoming season.

While the team fans already voiced their discontent, former NFL quarterback Terry Bradshaw heightened concerns about Smith’s decision-making regarding the team’s quarterbacks.

Terry Bradshaw’s urgent plea to remove Falcons Arthur Smith

Fox Sports analyst and NFL legend Terry Bradshaw delivered a scathing critique of Atlanta Falcons coach Arthur Smith, accusing him of backtracking on the decision to name Desmond Ridder as the starting quarterback. Bradshaw, appearing on Fox NFL Sunday, expressed his lack of respect for Smith and speculated that the move was made to salvage the coach’s job.

“Someone upstairs said, ‘If you don’t win out this year, you’re gonna lose your job, Arthur Smith.’ And he benched him,” Bradshaw asserted.

The 75-year-old analyst later criticized Smith for misleading and hindering the young quarterback Ridder, slamming the Falcons’ head coach as a “ liar”.

“Play the young man. Leave him alone. Don’t lie to him. And [Smith] lied to him. And he needs to get his butt whooped! Nothing upsets me more than when someone lies to me.”

The Falcons’ quarterback situation has been inconsistent, with Ridder and Taylor Heinicke alternating at QB. Bradshaw disapproves of Smith’s handling of Ridder, particularly given the challenges faced by the young quarterback.

The team has historically been unpredictable, often starting strong but ending in mediocrity or a downward spiral. Coaching decisions, especially those made by Arthur Smith, have been a point of contention, earning him more critics than fans. The recent quarterback controversy and Bradshaw’s strong words highlight the challenges faced by the Falcons under Smith’s leadership.

Falcons HC hit with fines over concealing star player’s illness

The NFL has recently issued fines to the Atlanta Falcons and their head coach, Arthur Smith, for violating the league’s injury reporting policy during Week Seven. The undisclosed illness of running back Bijan Robinson led to a $75,000 fine for the team and a $25,000 fine for Smith individually.

In Week Seven’s game against the Buccaneers, Robinson’s limited participation raised eyebrows, given that he played only 11 snaps and touched the ball just once. The league mandates transparency in reporting players’ injuries and illnesses to ensure fair play and prevent information disparities that could provide a competitive advantage or be exploited by gamblers.

Robinson, who revealed he hadn’t been feeling well on the game day and the day before, was not appropriately added to the injury report for his illness. This lack of disclosure led to the league’s intervention and subsequent fines for the Falcons organization and Coach Smith.

The NFL’s emphasis on transparency becomes even more critical as the league increasingly embraces sports gambling. Fans who had placed prop bets based on Robinson’s expected performance likely felt aggrieved when he had minimal involvement in the game.

Coach Smith addressed Robinson’s condition during a halftime interview, stating that the running back was “just not feeling all that great.”

Nevertheless, Robinson himself elaborated on his health struggles, revealing a worsening headache from Saturday night to Sunday that prompted him to take medicine to get rid of the pain, per Yahoo Sports.

“I was feeling weird. I woke up, just completely out of it. I tried to take medicine so I could be good for the game. But my head was hurting. Bad. I don’t know what was going on. I tried to go in pregame, but then Coach Smith said, ‘We’ll be all right. Let’s get you right.”

Amid all the saga, the Falcons secured a 29-10 victory against the Colts on Sunday, improving their season record to 7-8.