On Tuesday, Falcons owner Arthur Blank made it obvious and known that Arthur Smith was his — and president Rich McKay’s — No. 1 choice to take be the coach in Atlanta. In the weeks before the coach and general manager announcements were made, it was even more obvious that former New Orleans Saints assistant GM Terry Fontenot was going to slide in as the Falcons’ GM. What seemed to be in contention, however, was whether Fontenot would be paired with Smith or Carolina offensive coordinator Joe Brady.
There were many reports in the final days of the search that it was Fontenot and Brady who would be paired together. And it made sense: The two had worked together before, and Brady’s name was one thrown around at the start of this search. Even Blank said Tuesday they thought Brady was a “hot candidate” because of the relationship he already had with Fontenot.
The key, however, was that Smith was even hotter.
A theme of…
