Atlanta Falcons coach Arthur Smith looked like a sore loser when he confronted Dennis Allen at midfield following the New Orleans Saints’ 48–17 victory in Week 18.
Smith took issue with the Saints scoring a touchdown in the final minutes of the game by going into victory formation. But rather than quarterback Jameis Winston taking a knee to keep the clock running, New Orleans gave the ball to Jamaal Williams, who scored a touchdown.
Taking that into consideration, Smith’s anger at Smith seemed rather justified. Take a knee or run the ball, but don’t fake kneeling when in a formation that tells the defense that the offense is surrendering a down.
However, the situation was clarified during postgame interviews. Smith didn’t call for a fake from victory formation. Winston changed the call because the players wanted Williams to score his first touchdown of the season.
Jameis Winston apologized to Dennis Allen because the play call was "victory". But also explained to Allen it was a "team decision" to go for the Saints TD. "We decided as a team to do it." pic.twitter.com/BorTC6p4nm
— Garland Gillen (@garlandgillen) January 8, 2024
“I apologized to [Allen] because the play was ‘Victory.’ But I also explained to D.A. that it was a team decision,” Winston told reporters, including WVUE’s Garland Gillen. “I think that when you have a team morale and I asked the guys, ‘What do you want to do?’ We know how much Jamaal means to this team. And I understood from D.A.’s perspective.”
“D.A. didn’t condone that at all,” Winston added.
Winston obviously has the best perspective on the matter since he was directly involved in the decision to change the play. But Falcons defensive end Calais Campbell confirmed his account while speaking to reporters.
Maybe this play will arise when the Saints and Falcons play next season. Athletes love their motivation. But now that it’s been explained–and Williams is well-liked across the league–there may be no issue.
