After Mike Smith was relieved of his head coaching job in Atlanta there was some interest in him as head coach for a couple of teams, and although his resume is decent, he could not land an HC job. One of the reasons for that may be that his defense in Atlanta, his last couple of years there, was not all that good, even though he was the franchise’s winningest coach. However, his stint in Tampa, as defensive coordinator, easily eradicates the questioning of his defensive mind.
Mike Smith being the DC for his former OC Dirk Koetter, surely helped the rookie head coach settle into his job and it definitely helped with the success of the team this year. But, now six NFL teams are in need of a head coach, at least for the moment, and unless the Glazers sweeten Mike Smith’s pockets, I wouldn’t see any reason that he is not on the phones, already. The Jacksonville Jaguars fired their head coach and to me, that would be the first team on the list and the team with the best fit for Mike Smith, ties and all. But the 49ers fired Chip Kelly and their GM, the Rams fired Jeff Fisher, Gary Kubiak, HC of the Broncos, is entertaining the idea of retiring, the Bills fired Rex Ryan, and the Chargers fired Mike McCoy.
Needless to say, there are a few teams out there in need of an experienced head coach, and Mike Smith has the resume. Hopefully, Tampa’s exciting future can keep our DC here. But whether or not he does leave, I do thank him for his time and for an exciting defense. Even if it turns out to be a short stay, Smith’s time in Tampa was a pleasant one for this Bucs fan.
