EXCLUSIVE: Ex-NFL HC Mike Smith underlines of the perils of first-year HCs who've made it to the playoffs

Only a few head coaches can bring the pedigree of former Atlanta Falcons head coach Mike Smith to the table. He is the winningest coach in Falcons history and a former NFL coach of the year. When he speaks up on coaching issues in the league, one can be sure that he has his hand on the pulse.

Mike Smith recently joined Sportskeeda's "The BallFather Podcast" to congratulate the teams that have made it back to the playoffs after a hiatus. He picked the Jacksonville Jaguars, who won the AFC South, the New York Giants, and the Miami Dolphins, who made it as NFC and AFC Wild Cards, respectively.

"There's three teams that are back in the playoffs for the first time in five years with Jacksonville coming back in. What a story that's been this year. Giants. What a story that's been, you know, in Miami."

Speaking about their coaching situation, Mike Smith was even more effusive. All three coaches are in their first years with their organizations: Brian Daboll for the Giants, Doug Pederson for the Jaguars, and Mike McDaniel for the Dolphins. However, he also threw in a word of caution that getting to the playoffs once was not good enough. Given the hire-and-fire nature of NFL coaching, he reckoned, it would be better to win some playoff games the first time round and not settle to make it into the postseason.

"I mean, look at it and and see, you know, two first-year coaches, actually three first-year coaches, so you know that, yes, I'm sorry, all three of them. They are first-year coaches and have an opportunity to play in the playoffs and you know, in this new age NFL, you better get it done in year one, or you might be out. You know what I'm saying?"

Kliff Kingsbury's firing proves Mike Smith's point

Kliff Kingsbury was released by the Arizona Cardinals one season after making it into the playoffs. He finished with a 11-6 record last season and took them to the playoffs for the first time in his tenure. However, he lost against the eventual Super Bowl winners, the Los Angeles Rams.

They failed to qualify for the postseason this season and had to contend with disruptions in their squad due to injuries, including starting quarterback Kyler Murray and tight end Zach Ertz. Despite such mitigating factors, he was dismissed, with expectations already high from the previous season. His firing serves as a reminder to all other coaches in the NFL and reinforces Mike Smith's points.