Atlanta Falcons coach Mike Smith worked two full-time jobs before joining his family for dinner on Thursday.
The event-filled Thanksgiving was a non-stop whirlwind that included practice and meetings at the Falcons’ training complex in Flowery Branch and community service 50 miles south in downtown Atlanta.
Smith wouldn’t have it any other way, but you would hardly know it.
In his fourth season as an NFL head coach, Smith has 39 career victories, two playoff appearances and one NFC South title, yet he’s a master at deflecting from himself and to his team.
“Smitty,” as his players and fellow coaches call the 52-year-old coach, is long accustomed to putting his family, players, assistants and fans ahead of his personal agenda.
A few fans approached him to say hello and take pictures Thursday as Smith mingled among 6,000 people at Atlanta’s annual Hosea Feed the Hungry event at the Georgia World Congress Center. But Smith mostly blended in and worked quietly without notice.
He and wife Julie stood next to Falcons owner Arthur Blank for about an hour serving Thanksgiving meals. After Blank left, the Smiths picked up plates and brought them to needy people sitting at tables throughout a big ballroom.
Asked to describe the experience, Smith didn’t want to give himself any credit. He was more interested in discussing those that worked with him at the event — tight end Tony Gonzalez, safety William Moore and linebacker Mike Peterson, defensive line coach Ray Hamilton, not to mention Blank’s family members and other Falcons staffers.
“I believe that you want to be a humble person all the time,” Smith said. “And I think the thing that we want to do as an organization, it comes from the top. Mr. Blank is very involved and our team is very involved with this.”
That’s the Smitty way.
“He’s by far the best coach I’ve ever played for,” said center Todd McClure, who played under former Atlanta coaches Dan Reeves, Jim Mora and Bobby Petrino. “Smitty is completely genuine. You want to work as hard as you can for a guy like that.”
Smith’s reputation as a players’ coach took root in 1999, his first season in the NFL as a defensive assistant with the Baltimore Ravens. By the time he was promoted to linebackers coach in 2002, the word was out.
His players loved him.
“He’s a guy who kind of came out of nowhere to be a head coach,” Atlanta running back Michael Turner said. “He wasn’t high on everybody’s list, but the Falcons did a great job of hiring him and he did a great job of putting a staff together that works well with the players.”
During his four years as an assistant with the Ravens, Smith often spent Thanksgiving with former Baltimore head coach Brian Billick. They are married to sisters, but the holiday grew bigger when the Smiths moved to Jacksonville when Mike took over as the Jaguars’ defensive coordinator in 2003.
Mike Smith grew up in Daytona Beach, Fla., as the oldest of eight kids.
When he and Julie and their daughter moved to Atlanta in January 2008, Smith had taken his career to the highest level, but added responsibilities didn’t affect the traditional holiday weekend.
Julie Smith said the family was expecting 14 guests at their home in Suwanee on Thursday night.
“I’ve always been used to having what seems like a huge crowd at Thanksgiving,” Mike Smith said. “That’s why I feel at home here with all these people. It’s a blessing to give back. For me, this is a great time to give thanks and help those let fortunate than you are.”
By Sunday, when Atlanta (6-4) faces Minnesota (2-8) at the Georgia Dome, Falcons linebacker Curtis Lofton knows Smith will have on his game face. The holiday distractions will be a distant memory.
The only thing that will matter is beating the Vikings.
“If he says something he means it,” Lofton said. “It’s not a guessing game. You don’t wonder where he stands, so as players, we know Smitty’s got our back and we got his back. Whatever we go through, we’re going to go through as a team.”
Though Smith won’t say much about himself or his accomplishments, he does acknowledge feeling his players’ affection.
“I always want to be a consistent person,” he said. “That’s something we try to do each and every day. Some days we are not able to do that, but for the most part we want to be consistent and you want to treat people the way you want to be treated. That’s how I’ve approached coaching and how I’ve approached interacting with other folks.”
Smith was about to leave with Julie and drive home. He was still wearing the community service nametag he filled out with a pen a couple of hours earlier.
It was simple and to the point: Coach Mike.
“It’s great to get out and have an opportunity to see our fans,” he said. “To me, that’s part of one of your duties as a head coach.”

ATLANTA – Atlanta Falcons coach Mike Smith worked two full-time jobs before joining his family for dinner on Thursday.

The event-filled Thanksgiving was a non-stop whirlwind that included practice and meetings at the Falcons’ training complex in Flowery Branch and community service 50 miles south in downtown Atlanta.

Smith wouldn’t have it any other way, but you would hardly know it.

In his fourth season as an NFL head coach, Smith has 39 career victories, two playoff appearances and one NFC South title, yet he’s a master at deflecting from himself and to his team.

“Smitty,” as his players and fellow coaches call the 52-year-old coach, is long accustomed to putting his family, players, assistants and fans ahead of his personal agenda.

A few fans approached him to say hello and take pictures Thursday as Smith mingled among 6,000 people at Atlanta’s annual Hosea Feed the Hungry event at the Georgia World Congress Center. But Smith mostly blended in and worked quietly without notice.

He and wife Julie stood next to Falcons owner Arthur Blank for about an hour serving Thanksgiving meals. After Blank left, the Smiths picked up plates and brought them to needy people sitting at tables throughout a big ballroom.

Asked to describe the experience, Smith didn’t want to give himself any credit. He was more interested in discussing those that worked with him at the event — tight end Tony Gonzalez, safety William Moore and linebacker Mike Peterson, defensive line coach Ray Hamilton, not to mention Blank’s family members and other Falcons staffers.

“I believe that you want to be a humble person all the time,” Smith said. “And I think the thing that we want to do as an organization, it comes from the top. Mr. Blank is very involved and our team is very involved with this.”

That’s the Smitty way.

“He’s by far the best coach I’ve ever played for,” said centre Todd McClure, who played under former Atlanta coaches Dan Reeves, Jim Mora and Bobby Petrino. “Smitty is completely genuine. You want to work as hard as you can for a guy like that.”

Smith’s reputation as a players’ coach took root in 1999, his first season in the NFL as a defensive assistant with the Baltimore Ravens. By the time he was promoted to linebackers coach in 2002, the word was out.

His players loved him.

“He’s a guy who kind of came out of nowhere to be a head coach,” Atlanta running back Michael Turner said. “He wasn’t high on everybody’s list, but the Falcons did a great job of hiring him and he did a great job of putting a staff together that works well with the players.”

During his four years as an assistant with the Ravens, Smith often spent Thanksgiving with former Baltimore head coach Brian Billick. They are married to sisters, but the holiday grew bigger when the Smiths moved to Jacksonville when Mike took over as the Jaguars’ defensive co-ordinator in 2003.

Mike Smith grew up in Daytona Beach, Fla., as the oldest of eight kids.

When he and Julie and their daughter moved to Atlanta in January 2008, Smith had taken his career to the highest level, but added responsibilities didn’t affect the traditional holiday weekend.

Julie Smith said the family was expecting 14 guests at their home in Suwanee on Thursday night.

“I’ve always been used to having what seems like a huge crowd at Thanksgiving,” Mike Smith said. “That’s why I feel at home here with all these people. It’s a blessing to give back. For me, this is a great time to give thanks and help those let fortunate than you are.”

By Sunday, when Atlanta (6-4) faces Minnesota (2-8) at the Georgia Dome, Falcons linebacker Curtis Lofton knows Smith will have on his game face. The holiday distractions will be a distant memory.

The only thing that will matter is beating the Vikings.

“If he says something he means it,” Lofton said. “It’s not a guessing game. You don’t wonder where he stands, so as players, we know Smitty’s got our back and we got his back. Whatever we go through, we’re going to go through as a team.”

Though Smith won’t say much about himself or his accomplishments, he does acknowledge feeling his players’ affection.

“I always want to be a consistent person,” he said. “That’s something we try to do each and every day. Some days we are not able to do that, but for the most part we want to be consistent and you want to treat people the way you want to be treated. That’s how I’ve approached coaching and how I’ve approached interacting with other folks.”

Smith was about to leave with Julie and drive home. He was still wearing the community service nametag he filled out with a pen a couple of hours earlier.

It was simple and to the point: Coach Mike.

“It’s great to get out and have an opportunity to see our fans,” he said. “To me, that’s part of one of your duties as a head coach.”

Read More: John Abraham (DE – ATL), Todd McClure (C – ATL), Roddy White (WR – ATL), Atlanta Falcons, Tennessee Titans

Sometimes you’ve got to let old men just be old men and let them have their way. For the Atlanta Falcons, seeing John Abraham, Todd McClure and Tony Gonzalez on the injury report has become customary for the organization. There’s nothing to question about seeing them on the list, because you know when the ball is snapped you’ll see all three line up in their respective positions.

They are secondary foundation of the team, outside of superstars Matt Ryan and Roddy White, they are the integral pieces of the squad. So let them have their day of rest, you’ll see them on the field Sunday versus the Tennessee Titans.

Here is the breakout of the Wednesday injury report for the Atlanta Falcons:

Legend

LP: Limited participation in practice
FP: Full participation
DNP: Did not practice

For more insights about the Titans, check out the SB Nation blog Music City Miracles. For more insights about the Falcons, check out the SB Nation blog The Falcoholic. For more news on the NFL, check out the SB Nation NFL hub page.

Read More: John Abraham (DE – ATL), Brent Grimes (CB – ATL), Todd McClure (C – ATL), Dunta Robinson (CB – ATL), Ray Edwards (DE – ATL), Sam Baker (OT – ATL), William Moore (S – ATL), Corey Peters (DT – ATL), Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints

The Atlanta Falcons had a whopping eight players on their injury report today, not including defensive end John Abraham and center Todd McClure, who were both on the report for non-injury related reasons and both practice in full today.

In some bad news for the Falcons however, they will be without left tackle Sam Baker, who missed practice all week long dealing with a back injury. Safety William Moore is also listed as doubtful for Sunday’s match up with the New Orleans Saints. The Falcons also had six other players on the injury report, all listed as probable.

CB Dunta Robinson (thigh), DT Corey Peters (knee), DT Corey Peters (knee), CB Brent Grimes (knee), TE Tony Gonzalez (back), and DE Ray Edwards (knee)

For more on Sunday’s game, check out The Falcoholic, SB Nation’s Atlanta Falcons blog, and Canal Street Chronicles, SB Nation’s New Orleans Saints blog. Stay tuned to SB Nation Atlanta, too, for the latest. 

Read More: Brent Grimes (CB – ATL), Ray Edwards (DE – ATL), Sam Baker (OT – ATL), William Moore (S – ATL), Corey Peters (DT – ATL), Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints

Atlanta Falcons safety William Moore and tackle Sam Baker missed their second straight day of practice as the team prepares to take on the New Orleans Saints in a key divisional matchup. Moore is out with an injured quad while Baker is battling a back injury. However, several Falcons including Ray Edwards (knee) and Tony Gonzalez (back) returned to the practice field in limited capacity. 

In addition to Edwards and Gonzalez, those players that were limited in practice include Brent Grimes (knee), Julio Jones (hamstring) and Corey Peters (knee)

Here is a look at the Atlanta Falcons full injury report for November 10: 

For more on the Falcons head over to The Falcoholic. To read more on the Saints head over to Canal Street Chronicles. 

INDIANAPOLIS (AP)—The Colts’ collapse keeps getting worse.

Rookie receiver Julio Jones(notes) touched the ball five times Sunday and scored
twice against Indianapolis’ porous pass defense, leading the Atlanta Falcons to
a 31-7 victory over the NFL’s only winless team.

Before fleeing Lucas Oil Stadium in the second half, fans serenaded Colts
players with boos after watching Indianapolis go nearly 30 minutes between first
downs. By the end of the game, at least 80 percent of the stadium was empty.

“We really feel the last two games we hurt ourselves,” quarterback Curtis
Painter(notes) said after throwing for only 98 yards. “I think we need to clean things
up, play a little bit better, starting with myself.”

Right now, the Colts (0-9) don’t even look competitive.

They’ve been outscored 75-14 in the first half of the last three games and
120-24 overall.

Indy has lost five straight home games for the first time since 2001 and is
on the cusp of falling to 0-10 for the first time since 1997. This was the
Colts’ worst defeat at home since a 31-3 loss to Seattle on Sept. 14, 1997, the
year before quarterback Peyton Manning(notes) arrived.

And things aren’t improving.

Manning still hasn’t practiced since having neck surgery Sept. 8, and now
the Colts could be without their top two tight ends. Dallas Clark(notes) (lower leg)
and Brody Eldridge(notes) (hand) both left the game early. Coach Jim Caldwell provided
no updates after the game.

Rookie running back Delone Carter(notes) was yanked after fumbling on the second
play of the game and didn’t return until the second half. Painter was pulled in
the fourth quarter after completing 13 of 27 passes with one interception.

Defensively, the Colts were abysmal, too.

Atlanta needed only five plays to cash in on Carter’s fumble, with a 1-yard
touchdown run from Michael Turner(notes). Jones, who was coming back from an injured
left hamstring, burned the Indy secondary on TD catches of 50 and 80 yards.

“It gives us another good player, another good option to have the football
in his hands,” Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan(notes) said. “He’s a good player, and
we’re certainly better when we have him.”

Jones finished with three catches for a season-high 131 yards and had two
carries for 33 yards, one of which set up a late field goal.

Atlanta (5-3) won its third straight to keep pace with NFC South-leading New
Orleans, and it looked easy.

Ryan was 14 of 24 for 275 yards with three TDs and one interception. Roddy
White(notes) caught four passes for 76 yards, and Turner ran 19 times for 71 yards.
Tony Gonzalez(notes) also got into the act, catching a 1-yard TD pass late in the third
quarter to make it 28-7.

Jones was terrific.

He beat triple coverage for the 50-yarder, making a great adjustment on the
ball at the goal line. Initially, the pass was ruled incomplete, but coach Mike
Smith won a replay challenge, giving the Falcons a 14-0 lead.

“I knew I had caught it,” Jones said. “I knew my hands were up under the
ball. I didn’t bobble it or nothing.”

On Atlanta’s next possession, Jones ran across the field, catching a 10-yard
pass near the left hash mark, then outran the Indy defense for an 80-yard score
to make it 21-0 less than three minutes into the second quarter.

“The first one, we kind of lost it,” Colts cornerback Jerraud Powers(notes) said.
“The second one was just us breaking down on defense and it’s things like that
that we’ve got to stop giving up to put us in position to win.”

Powers came back with a juggling interception at the Falcons 6, returning it
6 yards for Indy’s only score. That cut Atlanta’s lead to 21-7.

But Indy’s stagnant offense never got close to scoring again.

“I haven’t had nightmares like that in a long time,” Caldwell said when
asked if he ever dreamed the Colts could go 0-9. “It’s not something that you
anticipate is going to happen.

“We just aren’t performing well right now,” he added.

Notes: Atlanta is 2-13 against the Colts and earned its first road win in
the series, which began in 1966. … The Colts had a video tribute for Falcons
cornerback Kelvin Hayden(notes) between the first and second quarters. Hayden scored a
TD on the game-sealing interception in the Colts’ Super Bowl win over Chicago.
Hayden was cut before training camp opened and picked off Painter in the first
quarter. … Falcons cornerback William Moore(notes) left briefly in the first half
with a thigh injury. … Donald Brown(notes) ran 16 times for 70 yards for Indy. …
Powers’ interception was Indy’s first forced turnover in six games.

Before fleeing Lucas Oil Stadium in the second half, fans serenaded Colts players with boos after watching Indianapolis go nearly 30 minutes between first downs. By the end of the game, at least 80 percent of the stadium was empty.

“We really feel the last two games we hurt ourselves,” quarterback Curtis Painter said after throwing for only 98 yards. “I think we need to clean things up, play a little bit better, starting with myself.”

Right now, the Colts (0-9) don’t even look competitive.

They’ve been outscored 75-14 in the first half of the last three games and 120-24 overall.

Indy has lost five straight home games for the first time since 2001 and is on the cusp of falling to 0-10 for the first time since 1997. This was the Colts’ worst defeat at home since a 31-3 loss to Seattle on Sept. 14, 1997, the year before quarterback Peyton Manning arrived.

And things aren’t improving.

Manning still hasn’t practiced since having neck surgery Sept. 8, and now the Colts could be without their top two tight ends. Dallas Clark (lower leg) and Brody Eldridge (hand) both left the game early. Coach Jim Caldwell provided no updates after the game.

Rookie running back Delone Carter was yanked after fumbling on the second play of the game and didn’t return until the second half. Painter was pulled in the fourth quarter after completing 13 of 27 passes with one interception.

Defensively, the Colts were abysmal, too.

Atlanta needed only five plays to cash in on Carter’s fumble, with a 1-yard touchdown run from Michael Turner. Jones, who was coming back from an injured left hamstring, burned the Indy secondary on TD catches of 50 and 80 yards.

“It gives us another good player, another good option to have the football in his hands,” Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan said. “He’s a good player, and we’re certainly better when we have him.”

Jones finished with three catches for a season-high 131 yards and had two carries for 33 yards, one of which set up a late field goal.

Atlanta (5-3) won its third straight to keep pace with NFC South-leading New Orleans, and it looked easy.

Ryan was 14 of 24 for 275 yards with three TDs and one interception. Roddy White caught four passes for 76 yards, and Turner ran 19 times for 71 yards. Tony Gonzalez also got into the act, catching a 1-yard TD pass late in the third quarter to make it 28-7.

Jones was terrific.

He beat triple coverage for the 50-yarder, making a great adjustment on the ball at the goal line. Initially, the pass was ruled incomplete, but coach Mike Smith won a replay challenge, giving the Falcons a 14-0 lead.

“I knew I had caught it,” Jones said. “I knew my hands were up under the ball. I didn’t bobble it or nothing.”

On Atlanta’s next possession, Jones ran across the field, catching a 10-yard pass near the left hash mark, then outran the Indy defense for an 80-yard score to make it 21-0 less than three minutes into the second quarter.

“The first one, we kind of lost it,” Colts cornerback Jerraud Powers said. “The second one was just us breaking down on defense and it’s things like that that we’ve got to stop giving up to put us in position to win.”

Powers came back with a juggling interception at the Falcons 6, returning it 6 yards for Indy’s only score. That cut Atlanta’s lead to 21-7.

But Indy’s stagnant offense never got close to scoring again.

“I haven’t had nightmares like that in a long time,” Caldwell said when asked if he ever dreamed the Colts could go 0-9. “It’s not something that you anticipate is going to happen.

“We just aren’t performing well right now,” he added.

Notes: Atlanta is 2-13 against the Colts and earned its first road win in the series, which began in 1966. … The Colts had a video tribute for Falcons cornerback Kelvin Hayden between the first and second quarters. Hayden scored a TD on the game-sealing interception in the Colts’ Super Bowl win over Chicago. Hayden was cut before training camp opened and picked off Painter in the first quarter. … Falcons cornerback William Moore left briefly in the first half with a thigh injury. … Donald Brown ran 16 times for 70 yards for Indy. … Powers’ interception was Indy’s first forced turnover in six games.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Read More: James Sanders (S – ATL), Kelvin Hayden (CB – ATL), Thomas DeCoud (S – ATL), William Moore (S – ATL), Atlanta Falcons, Indianapolis Colts

Starting Atlanta Falcons strong safety William Moore had to leave Lucas Oil Stadium’s field during the first quarter against the Indianapolis Colts. He has a thigh injury and is questionable to return for the rest of Sunday’s game.

Moore has 31 tackles and a pick this season, part of a 105-tackle, six-interception three-year career. He missed 14 games during his rookie season due to injury, but has been mostly healthy since then, playing all 16 games in 2010 and all seven so far this year.

In his absence, James Sanders takes over. Sanders has been handy as a utility safety, having filled in for Thomas DeCoud earlier in the year. It could be a big day for late additions to the Falcons secondary. Kelvin Hayden, who joined around the same time as Sanders did just days before the season began, picked off his former team earlier in this game.

For more on the Falcons, head to The Falcoholic; for more on the Colts, visit Stampede Blue.