It’s difficult to gauge a first-year head coach’s performance when taking over a rebuilding team, as I’ve written in the past. Implementing a new philosophy for a group severely lacking in talent was always going to be challenging. Arthur Smith found out the hard way when he was not able to establish much of a running game, produce easy chunk plays, and score consistently in the red zone. It was a weekly battle where Matt Ryan had to play at an exceptional level for them to have a chance to win.
That no longer is an option following Ryan’s departure to Indianapolis.