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When Arthur Smith came to Atlanta, the running speculation was that he would call his own games as he did in Tennessee, with a hired offensive coordinator who would handle the offensive planning ahead of the game. That’s exactly what s. hired Bears passing coordinator Dave Ragone but today he confirmed it.
In his remarks to the media, Ragone made clear what the division of labor would be for the offense, although I’m sure the roles will be blurred as the two feel comfortable working together.
We’re talking to the Falcons’ new OC Dave Ragone and I asked him about his understanding of the dynamic between him and Arthur Smith as Smith will be the lead caller: he said it was his job to set the table for Smith. I found it to be a very interesting metaphor.
– Tori McElhaney (@tori_mcelhaney) January 27, 2021
With strategy and planning on his plate, Ragone said he would spend a fair amount of time figuring out both individual players and the offense as a whole to understand strengths and weaknesses, but that obviously, talent that the Falcons can put to good use was attractive when it weighed in taking the job.
New Falcons OC Dave Ragone says the Falcons’ offensive talent on the offensive end of the ball was a big draw, was’ no brainer ‘to join Arthur Smith’s side
– Kelsey Conway (@FalconsKelsey) January 27, 2021
Ragon also talked about Matt Ryan, which we also saw a lot of Arthur Smith. That in and of itself doesn’t mean Ryan is locked in the starting post in Atlanta, but frankly we’ve all assumed that is indeed the case for 2021, and that’s just more proof.
Ragone says Matt Ryan’s ability to compete in any court and have a “nonstop” attitude is what stands out. He has enormous respect for Matt
– Kelsey Conway (@FalconsKelsey) January 27, 2021
There’s not much new here, but it confirms what we thought we knew about the arrangement here, and it’s very different from what the Falcons are used to. Kyle Shanahan, Steve Sarkisian and Dirk Koetter all seemed to have a ton of offensive autonomy, to the point that Raheem Morris defending Ito Smith as a running back at the end of the year seemed to be lifting Koetter’s hackles. Here, the head coach will have an offensive spirit for the first time in many moons, and the offensive coordinator will not call a game but will set the table, as Ragone has said. If Ragone is good and Smith is as capable of calling a player as he has proven to be in Tennessee, Koetter’s production spike to this coaching staff could be massive.
All of this is of course encouraging and speculative at the moment, but we’ll see how this partnership works in the future. If nothing else, an attacking-minded head coach focusing on repairing what has affected this attack in recent seasons will be very welcome.
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