It seems like we're not the only ones growing tired of labor talks that, although are making progress, still seem to be going nowhere fast. Coaching staffs around the NFL are more than ready for mandatory, team-wide practices to resume. Mike Smith and company are no exception.
In an interview with the AJC, Smith admitted that he is growing quite lonely without his Falcons players to keep him company. However, that does not mean the coaching staff has not been keeping busy.
In the meantime, Smith says that team efforts have been focused on two specific tasks: the re-evaluation of the potential free agent class, and secondly a wholesale analysis of the offensive and defensive systems currently in place. At the very least, it is heartening to see that the coaches are still working towards team improvement.. Even minor changes can go a long way.
When you boil it down the Falcons coaching staff has been playing the waiting game like everyone else. The Falcons' staff, although it has not openly supported either the players or owners, has yet to comment on the NFL Coaches Association brief, which was released back in late May and detailed the coaches' support for players.
However, several teams publicly disagreed with the brief, and stated that the Coaches Association did not represent all coaches accurately. Fortunately the Falcons are not among them (ironically, the Saints are, which makes us wonder how Drew Brees must feel about all of this). Regardless of stance, however, every coaching staff is eagerly awaiting a deal in the near future.
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