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Obviously, Mike Smith lives to coach another day. He came out for his typical Monday press conference, and while the questioning was a touch more aggressive and he was a tad more flustered than usual, not much else changed. The angry comments were intact, of course.
Watch angry Falcons fans provide live commentary to Mike Smith's presser http://t.co/1ZoAHVp5Kg pic.twitter.com/ATJn7SvK0z
— SB Nation NFL (@SBNationNFL) October 27, 2014
A firing during the bye always seemed a little unlikely, but I thought the five game losing streak at least opened the door on the possibility, given how painful these last two seasons have been. Smith will get an opportunity to at least finish out the year—it's going to take one hell of a turnaround to keep him here, more than likely—and I sincerely hope he and the team are able to capitalize on it.
With that potential drama clearly not happening, it was a fairly typical Smitty press release. Here's a few curated comments for you to weigh and comment on.
Smith: Will be self-scouting offense, defense, ST this week during the bye.
— The Falcoholic (@TheFalcoholic) October 27, 2014
Smith: "We've got to get more pressure on the QB." Talks about it being an area that the team has been subpar in.
— The Falcoholic (@TheFalcoholic) October 27, 2014
Smith: "I haven't done a good enough job." Says he's let down players, coaches and fans thus far. Expects team to get hot coming up.
— The Falcoholic (@TheFalcoholic) October 27, 2014
Smith asked about traded deadline changes: "We will always evaluate our players."
— The Falcoholic (@TheFalcoholic) October 27, 2014
Smith: "I talk to Mr. Blank after every game." Said he agrees that when you're up 21-0, you should not lose the game.
— The Falcoholic (@TheFalcoholic) October 27, 2014
Smith: "This is a no-excuse business. This is about productivity." Productivity hasn't been there, but "confidence hasn't waned."
— The Falcoholic (@TheFalcoholic) October 27, 2014
Smith: "We didn't execute coming down the stretch. We let the clock stop two times."
— The Falcoholic (@TheFalcoholic) October 27, 2014