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Former Atlanta Falcons coach Mike Smith has come to the defense of Lovie Smith, who was recently fired by the Houston Texans. To a casual observer, Lovie Smith was a victim of his own failures. He led the Texans to a 3-13-1 season and finished bottom of the AFC South, where two other teams also had losing records.
However, anyone who has followed the NFL closely will know that Lovie Smith had an impossible job. The Texans finished with the same number of losses as they did last year, and this marks the third consecutive season they have fired their head coach.
Speaking on Sportskeeda's "The BallFather Podcast," Mike Smith said:
"It's impossible (rebuilding a franchise in one season). I know everybody wants instant gratification in the NFL. And I know we're going to get a little bit more in-depth into that here later on talking about the coaches, but it just blows my mind that there's been two one-and-dones in the same organization. You know, that just speaks volumes of what's happening at the very top of the organization. There's no doubt about it. I mean, you can't say anything else about why it's going on."
He laid the blame for the firing of Lovie Smith squarely on the Houston Texans' organizational shoulders for showing a lack of patience and foresight to build for the future. Instead, Mike Smith lambasted them, saying:
"It's something is, is not right, in the Houston Texans organization to do what they've done the last two years. Unbelievable... The hell is going on there? And in regards to how they're hiring, how they're hiring their coaches and not giving them an opportunity to build a program."
He added:
"It's happened two years in a row with coach David Kelly and this year with Lovie Smith. I just don't understand. That's showing that you have no loyalty, no patience, and no reasonable chance to change the trajectory of an organization as a head football coach. This is going to be an organization Houston Texans, they're in a freefall right now."
Lovie Smith proved Mike Smith right in his last play with the Houston Texans
The Houston Texans had nothing to play for in the final week. However, that did not stop Lovie from showing his capabilities as a coach right up until the last play of the season.
He called a Hail Mary followed by a last-minute two-point conversion in their last game against the Indianapolis Colts, which helped Houston win 31-32 but also cost them the first pick in next year's NFL Draft.
It only burnished his credentials and Mike Smith's criticism of the Texans.
