The Best Atlanta Falcons Coaches of All Time

Ranker NFL
1.9K votes 276 voters
Over 200 Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of The Best Atlanta Falcons Coaches of All Time
There have been many Atlanta Falcons coaches since the team got its start, but who is truly the best Atlanta Falcons coach of all time? Help us answer that question by upvoting your personal favorite Atlanta Falcons coaches, and downvoting any that you believe brought the team down. The Falcons have unfortunately never won a Super Bowl, but they've had some great head coaches nonetheless.
 
Mike Smith coached the team for 6 seasons from 2008-2014, seeing mild success with 5 playoff appearances.  He was named AP NFL Coach of the Year his first year with the team. Dan Reeves brought the Falcons to their first Super Bowl appearance in 1998, ultimately losing to the Denver Broncos 34-19. However Atlanta was a dominant force that year finishing the regular season with a 14-2 record. Which of these two would you put over the other?
 
Who is the greatest Atlanta Falcons coach of all time? Let us know by upvoting for your favorite head coaches below that you believe really made an impact on the franchise.
Ranked by
  • Dan Reeves
    1

    Dan Reeves

    Rome, Georgia
    111 votes
    Daniel Edward Reeves (January 19, 1944 – January 1, 2022) was an American football running back and coach in the National Football League (NFL). During his 38 years in the NFL, Reeves participated in nine Super Bowls, the third most for an individual. He served as a head coach for 23 seasons from 1981 to 2003, primarily with the Denver Broncos and the Atlanta Falcons. As a player, he spent the entirety of his eight-season career with the Dallas Cowboys, who signed him as an undrafted free agent in 1965. He was inducted to the Broncos Ring of Fame in 2014. Reeves made his first two Super Bowl appearances during his playing career, winning one in Super Bowl VI. He began his coaching career as an assistant coach for Cowboys, where he made three more championship appearances and was part of the team that won Super Bowl XII.
  • Norm Van Brocklin
    2

    Norm Van Brocklin

    Parade, South Dakota
    62 votes
    Norman Mack Van Brocklin (March 15, 1926 – May 2, 1983), nicknamed "The Dutchman" was an American football quarterback, punter, and coach in the National Football League. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1971.
  • Mike Smith
    3

    Mike Smith

    Chicago, Illinois
    105 votes
    Mike Smith (born June 13, 1959) is a former American football coach. He is the former head coach of the NFL's Atlanta Falcons, a position he held from 2008 to 2014. He previously served as the defensive coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars between 2003 and 2007. During his tenure as the head coach of the Falcons, Smith became the franchise's winningest head coach by number of wins in addition to being the recipient of the 2008 NFL Coach of the Year Award by the Associated Press and was also voted NFL Coach of the Year Award by the Sporting News in 2008, 2010 and 2012.
  • Arthur Smith
    4

    Arthur Smith

    Memphis, Tennessee
    39 votes
    Arthur William Smith (born May 27, 1982) is an American football coach who is the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). Smith previously served as an assistant coach for the Tennessee Titans, and most recently as an offensive coordinator, prior to becoming head coach of the Falcons in 2021. Smith is the son of FedEx founder Frederick W. Smith.
  • Wade Phillips
    5

    Wade Phillips

    Orange, Texas
    62 votes
    Wade Phillips (born June 21, 1947) is an American football coach who is the defensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He also served two stints as defensive coordinator of the Denver Broncos, where his team was Super Bowl finalists in his first stint and champions in his second stint. He has served as head coach of the NFL's Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills, and Dallas Cowboys. He was also an interim head coach for the New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons, and the Houston Texans. His career winning percentage as a head coach is .546. Phillips is considered to be among the best defensive coordinators in the NFL.
  • Dan Quinn
    6

    Dan Quinn

    Grand Rapids, Michigan
    112 votes
    Daniel Patrick Quinn (born September 11, 1970) is an American football coach who is the defensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He came to prominence as the defensive coordinator of the Seattle Seahawks from 2013 to 2014 where he was the playcaller for the team's Legion of Boom secondary. Under Quinn, Seattle led the league in defense and made two consecutive Super Bowl appearances, winning the franchise's first in Super Bowl XLVIII. This success led to Quinn being named head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, where he served for six seasons.