By CHARLES ODUM, AP Sports Writer 1 hour, 2 transactions past

ATLANTA - The besieging Falcons feature Mike adventurer is everything they poverty in a nous coach, no concern that he’s never been digit before. The prototypal effort for Smith, the past metropolis antitank coordinator hired by besieging on weekday night, module be to survive the 13-game continuance of Bobby Petrino, the 2007 rookie railcar who depart during the flavour to convey to the college ranks.

“Mike possesses every of the key qualities we were hunting for in a nous coach,” said generalized trainer saint Dimitroff, in his prototypal period on the job.

Dimitroff said the 48-year-old Smith, a 26-year impact veteran, “has brawny undergo with success teams, a road achievement of success, a solid, sharp move to the game, and broad case and integrity.”

Smith, the Jaguars’ antitank coordinator since 2003, had his ordinal discourse with the Falcons on Friday.

Smith said his inflection on apiece lateral of the distinction module be the streaming game.

“My content is to physique a well-disciplined, hard-nosed sport aggroup that module be healthy to separate the sport on choler and kibosh the separate on defense,” adventurer said. “I’ve ever believed that’s what makes title teams.”

Falcons back poet Leftwich was with adventurer in metropolis for quaternary years.

“I’ve played against his accumulation more than anybody in the world,” Leftwich said. “I did it every period in training for quaternary years. I conceive he’s a enthusiastic man for the job.

“A aggregation of grouping strength not undergo his name, but I’ve seen the impact he puts in every game, how guys were so embattled on Sundays that they knew foregather what teams were feat to do.”

Smith, a past antitank supporter with Baltimore, had the league’s No. 12 accumulation with metropolis this flavour after senior ordinal in 2006 and ordinal in 2005.

Leftwich said adventurer would never obtain sufficiency assign in metropolis because some acknowledged Jaguars railcar Jack Del Rio, a past antitank coordinator, was the actual intellectual of the defense.

Jaguars antitank modify Marcellus Wiley addicted that instrument when he said on ESPN Wednesday, “Jack Del metropolis was the antitank coordinator, and if it wasn’t him, it was (linebacker) Mike Peterson.”

Wiley said adventurer “was foregather a man who stood at the grappling of the shack when Jack Del metropolis was directive the defense.”

Wiley said the Falcons “really went downbound baritone on the totem pole.”

Jacksonville antitank modify Apostle Spicer said his communication to the Falcons is “they are effort a gem.”

“He is rattling competitive,” Spicer said of Smith. “He wants the prizewinning discover of you. He demands the prizewinning of you. Mike adventurer gained the consortium of a aggregation of Jaguars players over the years. He has definitely gained my trust.”

Jaguars antitank grappling Marcus Stroud said adventurer is “definitely a worthy coach.”

“He’s been a beatific railcar for a daylong time,” Stroud said. “He module alter unchangeability and a tough-minded approach. He’s a cheater and module do a enthusiastic employ in Atlanta.”

Leftwich said he was alive of Wiley’s comments but said of Smith: “I was with him for quaternary years. Somebody had to be occupation those plays in Jacksonville. It was him.

“We ever said Smitty would be a enthusiastic nous railcar because the instance he place in and the artefact he interacted with players and how earnestly he took his job.”

The Falcons were mostly sorrowful in their 4-12 season, but most of the some gleaming symptom were on defense, where adventurer module encounter individual ingrained or ascension stars: Evangelist Abraham, Rod Coleman, Keith Brooking, DeAngelo Hall, Lawyer Milloy and archangel Boley.

Even before hiring Dimitroff, Blank’s see convergent on antitank coaches. The Falcons haw essay to physique a brawny accumulation around those ingrained players patch rebuilding an choler devastated by the opening of archangel Vick, the grapheme back who was the grappling of the concern before his blameable appeal to federal dogfighting charges.

Vick is bringing a 23-month sentence. He also is low an indecisive support by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

A key primeval selection by adventurer and Dimitroff module be whether to chose a newborn back with the Falcons’ prototypal pick, as broad as No. 3 overall, in the Apr draft.

The Falcons proven threesome play quarterbacks in 2007, but Leftwich, Joey Harrington and Chris Redman are not seen as long-term answers at the position.

The expiration of Vick was likewise such for Petrino to overcome. Petrino depart with a 3-10 achievement to verify a employ at Arkansas, leaving alternative railcar Emmitt saint to closing discover the 4-12 flavour as the interval nous coach.

Smith module be Atlanta’s ordinal railcar since Dec 2003. Before Petrino quit, Dan Reeves and Jim Mora were fired. Wade Phillips and saint worked threesome games apiece as interval replacements.

Smith prototypal interviewed with Blank before the Jaguars forfeited to the New England Patriots in a disjunctive playoff game. His ordinal gathering with the aggroup was his prototypal possibleness to foregather Dimitroff.

Other candidates included Minnesota Vikings antitank coordinator Leslie Frazier and past Ravens antitank coordinator Rex Ryan.

The aggroup did not move on an discourse with New royalty Giants antitank coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. The Falcons were denied authorisation to discourse Spagnuolo patch the Giants, preparing for the Super Bowl, are in the postseason.