Falcons: Mora reminds everyone of his arrogance by taking subtle shot at Smith

[RFlagg]

Original Article

Quote:Jim Mora has always been a massive fan of himself. The way he addressed the media while head coach of the Falcons always came off as smug and arrogant, and the Washington radio fiasco showcased how much professionalism the man had.

So I guess it comes as no surprise that Mora would take a subtle shot at Mike Smith while speaking to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution recently. His comments below are in reference to him using his coaching background with the Falcons to recruit prospects in the Atlanta area to come to UCLA, where he is now the head coach.

Quote:“The bottom line is this: The last time the Falcons won a playoff game, I was the head coach,” Mora told the AJC. “Kids remember that game, the 47-17 victory over the St. Louis Rams. A lot of kids around Atlanta, the state of Georgia and the Southeast follow the Falcons. They know that was the last time that the Falcons have won a playoff game.

“So kids are interested with that connection to the Falcons, and the parents are interested in that, too. They all wonder why the Falcons haven’t won a playoff game since, and I can’t answer that question. For all the success that the Falcons have had since we left, they still haven’t won a playoff game — and that resonates with people”

“When we recruit kids around there, people remember me as the coach that led the Falcons to the NFC championship game, and the coach who coached Mike Vick. So I think things like that are very helpful when recruiting in that area.”

If you want to give Mora the benefit of the doubt and/or call me overly sensitive, that’s fine. His comments truly aren’t a big deal and don’t need to be overblown. Besides, he may not have meant any harm and was simply pointing out a fact. After all, he was the head coach of the Falcons the last time the team won a playoff game.

But what sticks in my craw is how arrogant Mora can be despite the fact that the Falcons greatly underachieved in 2005 and 2006 under his watch. For three years Mora had the most athletically gifted quarterback in the game and what is his claim to fame? That he beat a severely overmatched Rams team in the playoffs? Bravo, Jim.

Mora fancies himself as a defensive coach but the Falcons’ defense got worse every year he was their head coach. He was horrendous at making in-game adjustments and improvising when Vick was bottled up. There was even a game in Baltimore during the 2006 season when he didn’t wear a headset. How can a head coach possibly know what’s going on during the game if he isn’t communicating with his coordinators? The entire situation proved that if you took Mora out of the equation on Sundays, it really didn’t matter. Either Vick ran around and did Michael Vick-like things and the Falcons won, or he couldn’t break free and the Falcons lost. At no point during Mora’s three-year stint in Atlanta did I ever think ‘Man, what a game plan Mora put together.’ In fact, I spent most of the week worried about whether or not the Falcons would be prepared because you just never knew with him and his staff.

He may turn out to be a fantastic college coach and it’s not like I’ll root against him. Some of my most exciting memories as a Falcons fan came when he was their head coach.

But at the end of the day, Mora was more interested in being friends with players like Vick and DeAngelo Hall than he was with running a football team. He was overmatched as a NFL head coach and rarely got the best out of his players. With the amount of athletic talent that his teams had in 2004 through 2006, the Falcons should have won more than one playoff game during Mora’s tenure. And if you think I’m just being a bitter Falcons fan, then ask the Seattle Seahawks’ faithful: They’ll tell you the same things.

Like others, I have my gripes when it comes to Mike Smith. But Jim Mora is no Mike Smith, certainly not when it comes to class or professionalism.