There had been a lot of growing optimism in Atlanta over the past few years with the hiring of offensive whiz Arthur Smith as the Falcons’ new head coach. The excitement quickly escalated when Smith and general manager Terry Fontenot made high first round investments in three of the most explosive playmakers we have seen in recent years. Kyle Pitts, Drake London, and Bijan Robinson all look like they were bred specifically to play in the NFL, and yet, they have been less than productive during the tenor of Smith.
It’s been a buzz around the league seemingly all year that Smith and the Falcons’ are not scheming up these next level talents, and instead game planning for touches for veterans like tight end Jonnu Smith and wide receiver Mack Hollins. When you hire an offensive mastermind to be your next head coach and hand him these kinds of weapons it is fair to expect that they be used on a fairly consistent basis and schemed in a way to create mismatches across the board. Kyle Pitts in particular is one of the best athletes we have seen every come out of the draft, and somehow in his three year stint under Smith he only has four total touchdowns.
Arthur Smith can’t get out of his own way. pic.twitter.com/uPCYw56TCY
— Kurt Benkert (@KurtBenkert) November 5, 2023
It extends to this years rookie running back as well. Every time we see Bijan Robinson touch the football he looks like the most explosive and competent back on the field, yet he has ceded more than a handful of carries to the two other backs in this running back rotation. It is baffling to many that Robinson only has 24 touches through the ground and air in the last two weeks. That isn’t to say Tyler Allgeier is a subpar talent by any means, but he has out touched Robinson in multiple games this year, and there is a noticeable skill gap between the two.
Bijan Robinson wasn’t on the field for this entire drive pic.twitter.com/O9V4lwFANW
— Fantasy Football Today (@FFToday) November 6, 2023
Arthur Smith unexpectedly finds himself on the hot seat and his glaring lack of use of these high value assets is a large reason why. It is in Atlanta’s best interest to bring in an offensive coach that can help fix the quarterback position and put these many weapons to good use in the future. Wasting the talent of these superstars is the biggest case of pro football malpractice we’ve seen all year.
