They had never worked together, yet there was still a familiarity between Atlanta Falcons coach Arthur Smith and his new defensive coordinator, Ryan Nielsen. It’s because of their general thoughts of football, which could be gleaned in how Nielsen’s defensive lines played and everything Smith has tried to create in his first two years in Atlanta.
While many of Smith’s hires have had some connection to his past, not all of them have, and Smith has made clear it wasn’t a prerequisite. He has always been about searching for fit and for people who can bring new and potentially innovative plans to what he has been trying to build.