The Atlanta Falcons today announced that head coach Mike Smith has signed a three-year extension of his contract. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
"When we hired Mike Smith in 2008, we believed we had found the total package: a head coach with strong leadership skills and experience and the track record to back it up, and a man of high character and integrity," Falcons owner & CEO Arthur Blank said. "In his three seasons with us, Coach Smith has demonstrated all of these characteristics, and then some.
"We are pleased to extend Smitty's contract, and we are very proud of the way he represents the Falcons through his coaching of our players, in supporting our club's business goals, and through his caring for our fans and the community."
Since being named the 14th head coach in Falcons history in 2008, Smith has recorded three consecutive winning seasons — a first for the club — and a collective 33-15 record, easily the best three-year coaching mark in franchise history.
"I am looking forward to continuing to build upon the solid foundation we have in place within our organization and on our football team," Smith said. "I'd like to personally thank both Arthur and (general manager) Thomas Dimitroff for their outstanding support and guidance. We are going to continue to work as hard as we can to bring a championship to Falcons fans and to the city of Atlanta."
In 2010, Smith led the Falcons to an NFC-best 13-3 record and won a division title for only the fourth time in team history. The Falcons clinched the number one seed in the NFC playoffs for the first time since 1980 and for only the second time in team history.
Additionally, Atlanta had a league-high nine players named to the 2010 Pro Bowl.
Smith's emphasis on being a balanced team also led to the Falcons being the only team in the NFL this past season to rank in the top five in both scoring offense (25.9 ppg) and scoring defense (18.0 ppg).
Smith earned Associated Press NFL Coach of the Year honors following the 2008 season.
Following the 2010 season, Smith was named NFL Coach of the Year by The Sporting News and also earned NFC Coach of the Year honors from the prestigious KC 101 Club. Smith has been named Coach of the Year by both The Sporting News and the KC 101 club twice during the past three years. Smith first captured both awards at the conclusion of the 2008 season when he took over a 4-12 Falcons team and guided it to an 11-5 regular season record and a trip the playoffs for the first time since 2004.
