Falcons reach end of line

MOBILE, Ala. — Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan apparently won’t get the Atlanta Falcons head coaching job, but he got to the heart of what needs to happen for the franchise to succeed.
‘‘You have to work as a unit and as a team,’’ he told me while watching a Senior Bowl workout Tuesday morning. ‘‘They're not going to be successful just because of (a new head coach). You get your people to work together, from the scouting department to the training staff to everybody. If you pull that rope in the same direction I know it works and it's much easier than if you think you have all the answers.’’
Give this team enough hope, however, and who knows what will happen?
The player who once represented hope for a Super Bowl, quarterback Michael Vick, is doing time in Leavenworth. The coach last hired to make them a cohesive unit, Bobby Petrino, fled before his rookie season even ended. The general manager who had them perched on the edge of an NFC championship not so long ago, Rich McKay, has been pushed to the margins.
They have been turned down by Bill Parcells for the GM job, blown off by Bill Cowher and Pete Carroll. They helped several head coaching candidates get sweeter deals with other teams because of the interest shown during a two-month search process.
They have entrusted their future to a 41-year-old rookie general manager in Thomas Dimitroff, who appears to have enthusiasm and competence on his side if not experience.
Just when it seemed as if the team's head coaching search would extend into February, Dimitroff pulled this surprise.
He offered the job to Jacksonville defensive coordinator Mike Smith, who joined Ryan as one of the two candidates to receive multiple interviews.
Here's what matters about Ryan: His Jacksonville defenses have been consistently good, he favors a 4-3 defense, he’s the brother-in-law of former Ravens coach Brian Billick and he was an assistant when Baltimore won the Super Bowl.
The Falcons needed a coach capable of toughening them up and instilling a sense of unity.
Assuming Smith accepts their offer, the Falcons can set about the potentially difficult process of pulling their rope in the same direction. Then the question will simply be a matter of how long it will take to see evidence of upward mobility.