By: Andy Davies

When Arthur Smith was hired as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, he came into the role with a great reputation for improving players after a two-season spell as the offensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans.

One player he helped improve was quarterback Ryan Tannehill. The former first-round pick arrived after a mixed spell with the Miami Dolphins. Tannehill improved massively, earning the award for Comeback Player of the Year after his first season with the franchise despite starting the season as the backup to Marcus Mariota. When Smith was promoted to offensive coordinator, he only got better.

Smith was predicted by many to help Matt Ryan get back to his former MVP self after what he did for Tannehill. Ryan has not improved or regressed in 2021. Instead, it has been Cordarrelle Patterson that has been the biggest improver under Smith. 

Here is why Patterson is Smith’s new Tannehill. 

Overcoming Expectation

The Falcons experimented with the idea of bringing Todd Gurley back to his best in 2020 but this only lasted one season. Instead of giving Gurley a new deal, they went for the versatile Patterson in Free Agency who signed a one-year $3 million deal. 

Patterson has been seen as somewhat of a journeyman during his NFL career, with the Falcons his fifth organisation since being drafted 29^th overall in 2013. For a while, he was seen as a great return specialist at best, with the occasional snaps as a running back or wide receiver.

He is a Super Bowl champion, earning a ring with the New England Patriots after their 13-3 win over the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl 53. However, he had just two rushing attempts for 7 yards and two receptions for 14 yards as well as a 38-yard kick return. He did not exactly have a big role in the game, in what is the lowest scoring Super Bowl in history. 

Patterson has started eight games this season. This is tied for the most games he has started, alongside his 2016 campaign with the Minnesota Vikings. The growth of Patterson and improvement made under Smith can be seen when you compare these two seasons.

In 2016, he recorded 43 rushing yards from 7 attempts and 453 yards from 52 receptions. In 2021, he has so far recorded 489 rushing yards from 106 carries and 518 receiving yards from 44 catches. He is having the best season of his career by some distance. 

The Falcons need to make sure he is at the franchise for more than one season. Giving him a new contract should be number one on the list of priorities for this team. He has been a brilliant addition to the Falcons offense. Kyle Pitts leads the team in receiving yards this season (770), but Calvin Ridley announced midseason that he would take a break from the sport for personal reasons. With the offseason departure of Julio Jones, Patterson’s rise in form has come at the perfect time. They currently sit at 6-7 with a chance of making the playoffs for the first time since the 2017 campaign.

Smith’s Influence

The aforementioned Tannehill spoke about Smith during the 2021 offseason.

“He’s a great coach. Everything you look for in a coach and a leader and a great offensive mind.”

It is not just Tannehill that saw massive improvement under Smith. Running back Derrick Henry was seen as just a good running back during his first three seasons but saw his best two seasons alongside Smith. He recorded 2,293 rushing yards across his first three seasons in the NFL. His next two (2019 and 2020) saw him combine for 3,567 rushing yards and 33 rushing touchdowns, becoming just the eighth player in NFL history to record over 2,000 rushing yards in a single season when he had 2,027 in 2019. 

Smith clearly knows how to work with running backs, as can be seen with Henry. The same is happening again with Patterson. After their 21-14 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in November, Smith was in high praise of Patterson.

“He’s a warrior. He’s a big physical presence that can do a lot for us.”

This was proved when he was listed as a back safety earlier this month.  It is a sign of a good coach when they can get the best out of a player and see their potential. Not even the greatest head coach of all time in Bill Belichick realised Patterson’s potential. Smith has taken a player seemingly on the wrong end of his career, to now being one of the best players this season. Some are even viewing him as an outside MVP candidate.

Patterson has a lot to thank Smith for. 

The post Is Cordarrelle Patterson Arthur Smith’s New Ryan Tannehill? appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Andy Davies

The Atlanta Falcons had a disastrous 2020 season, with a gradual freefall since their heartbreaking Super Bowl 51 loss to the New England Patriots.

Just over four years on and the Falcons have a new head coach after Dan Quinn was fired during the 2020 season.

His replacement is Arthur Smith, who spent two seasons as the Tennesee Titans’ offensive coordinator. He oversaw the arrival and improvement of Ryan Tannehill, who won the Comeback Player Of The Year’ after an impressive 2019 season. Is Smith the man to turn Atlanta’s fortunes around?

The Offense He Will Inherit

Despite their 4-12 record in 2020, Atlanta still has a great offense.

Matt Ryan continues to go under the radar, with yet another 4,000-yard season in 2020. He threw for 26 touchdowns and 11 interceptions but was sacked 41 times.

The offensive line was an issue for the Falcons, as was their run game.

Former Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley may have scored 9 touchdowns but only recorded 678 rushing yards. The Gurley experiment is over after just one season.

Former Carolina Panther Mike Davis, who had a breakout season in 2020 during Christian McCaffrey’s absence, will now take the role as the lead back in Atlanta unless Atlanta takes a running back during the draft.

Legendary wide receiver Julio Jones had a rare down year, with just three touchdowns and 771 receiving yards in 9 games during 2020. Calvin Ridley saw more progression in his NFL career by becoming the top Falcons receiver. He scored nine touchdowns and caught for 1,374 receiving yards.

Wideout Russell Gage (786) and tight end Hayden Hurst (571) both played their part when it comes to receiving yards recorded in 2020, combining for ten touchdowns between them.

It is not the offense that is the problem. With the Falcons’ struggles in defense, this is the issue for the Falcons and is one that Smith will need to address for the 2021 season and beyond.

Working On The Defense

The Falcons kept finding new ways to lose in 2020. This included Todd Gurley “accidentally” scoring a touchdown against the Lions.

Atlanta finished last in passing yards allowed (4,697), 18th in total points allowed (414) and 29th in total yards (6,374). Despite this, only five teams allowed fewer rushing yards in 2020 than the Falcons (1,677).

Linebackers Foyesade Oluokun and Deion Jones recorded over 100 tackles each. No Falcons player recorded more than 4.5 sacks. No defensive back had more than 3 interceptions and Oloukun recorded the most forced fumbles with 4.

This shows an issue all around. The Linebacker position seems to be the only area Falcons fans can be happy with, specifically Oloukun, who was Atlanta’s leader in tackles, sacks and forced fumbles.

Atlanta’s fourth overall pick appears too high for a defensive player unless they trade down.

There is bound to be a defensive stud available in the second round, should the Falcons stick with the number four pick. Securing multiple defensive players throughout the draft can go a long way to make Atlanta a threat on both sides of the ball.

The Power Of Their Fourth Overall Pick

Atlanta has the fourth overall pick. With this, they hold plenty of power. The 2021 Draft class is filled with several top quarterback prospects. It will be hard to see Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson available when the fourth pick is on the clock.

The San Francisco 49ers traded up to obtain the third overall pick. This almost guarantees that they will take a quarterback, especially with the 49ers openly talking up the idea of taking a QB at 3. Mac Jones appears to be the favorite but we could also see Justin Fields or Trey Lance.

Teams such as the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots have been rumored to want a quarterback in this year’s draft. It is not out of the question that the Chicago Bears or Washington Football team take a quarterback for the future.

Ryan is still putting up the numbers. As a result, it feels too soon to take a quarterback in the draft.

As previously mentioned, defense is the area that Atlanta needs the most in the draft. Most of the teams in the top 10 need offensive weapons, which means that the top defensive prospects will be still available. The Denver Broncos and New England Patriots are two teams that seem the most likely to trade up.

Being an offensive-minded coach, Smith may want to add to the roster with a tight end prospect as good as Kyle Pitts. Otherwise, it is more than likely that the Falcons should trade down, collect draft capital and help a struggling defense.

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