Falcons Coach Arthur Smith Told Peter Skoronski He Was "Super Boring" In A Reported "Purposely Abrasive" Combine Interview
Michael Hickey. Getty Images."At the combine, Skoronski was interviewed by most of the teams in the league, including 14 formally — the Cardinals, Chargers, Commanders, Giants, Falcons, Jaguars, Jets, Lions, Packers, Raiders, Seahawks, Steelers, Texans and Titans. […] The conversation was a little less comfortable with the Falcons — undoubtedly by design. Skoronski had been told that some interviewers are purposely abrasive in an attempt to see how prospects react. He was prepared.
"'The head coach was on me the second I got in there,' Skoronski says of Arthur Smith. 'I was giving them generic answers to their questions, and he said, 'You're really boring me right now. Your answers are so boring.' The whole meeting, he kept looking at his computer. I was kind of laughing to myself and said, 'Sorry, I don't know what you want me to do. I'm answering you honestly.'"
Watch any press conference featuring Atlanta Flacons head coach Arthur Smith. Sure, he hasn't had much to be happy about since he took over the gig in 2021 considering his paltry 14-20 record. Even still, the dude comes across one of the saltiest, standoffish personalities I can recall. There's the occasional sardonic humor sprinkled into an otherwise bland, kind of dickish demeanor.
I guess I get it to some degree. You'd like to give people the benefit of the doubt where you can. Smith eats, breathes and sleeps football. He's had a chip on his shoulder as he's ascended up the coaching ranks. This is his once-in-a-lifetime shot. It's not going super well so far.
Paying too much mind to media obligations is not the style of some coaches. If you build a winning football operation, so be it. But be prepared for shit like this to come out when you're an ass and you lose.
Northwestern offensive lineman Peter Skoronski didn't wind up going to play for Smith in Atlanta. Perhaps the Falcons already had their minds made up months ago that they were taking Texas tailback Bijan Robinson with the eighth overall pick. Thus, Skoronski's meeting was one Smith felt like he could get weird with and more or less blow off. You never know what these competitive sickos who run the NFL show will do to experiment any which way to gain a competitive edge.
The picture being painted of this strange encounter reads like an Office Space role reversal. The authority figure is actually Smith and he's Peter Gibbons playing Tetris, drinking soda and eating cheese puffs on his computer while Skoronski — the, ahem, adult in the room — is Bill Lumbergh trying to be a basic professional.
It seems Arthur didn't have time for Pete's Northwestern nerdy bullshit and might as well have been droning on about those damn TPS reports.
Or maybe Smith is a low-key film buff, recognized Anne Hathaway's Andy Sachs character from The Devil Wears Prada was also a Northwestern alum, wanted to channel his inner Meryl Streep Miranda Priestly energy just for kicks and the joke went completely over Skoronski's head.
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Poor Skoronski, though. He was just trying to go about his day, present himself the best he can, not appear too rehearsed and show off his football knowledge. Instead it sounds like the Falcons turned it into a circus of mental gymnastics and psychological warfare. Or at least that's the implication of this report by veteran reporter Dan Pompei.
Widely viewed as one of the safest, cleanest, highest-floor prospects in the 2023 NFL Draft, Skoronski had no trouble when he spoke with Titans head coach Mike Vrabel, per Pompei:
"There wasn’t a whole lot of concern with [Skoronski]. The reason you have to interview some of these players is you have to figure out if they are a fit. It was easy to see he’d be an easy fit. It was an easy conversation."
To continue the Office Space analogy for you non-lames out there who've seen the movie, Vrabel and Titans GM Ran Carthon must've been like the Bobs when they spoke to Skoronski. Maybe it was after that weirdo chat with Smith that Skoronski embraced his inner zero-fucks-given Peter Gibbons alter ego. Polite Peter out. Gibbons Peter in.
Funny that Smith wanted to fuck around during Skoronski's interview, only to see the former head coach he used to work under in Vrabel and the team who helped him get his big break draft the Northwestern standout three picks later at 11th overall.
The Falcons have a stout offensive line that fits their run-heavy scheme very well, whereas Tennessee finished last in pass blocking last season by PFF's metrics and 26th in pass block win rate, per ESPN. Carthon views Skoronski as someone who can play anywhere in the trenches, so wherever he winds up, it'll help improve the Tennessee's embattled unit.
Vrabel's teams have a hard-nosed mentality led by a gritty defense and a punishing rushing attack spearheaded by Derrick Henry. Only fitting that the Titans would invest in the o-line in that context, especially with a franchise quarterback hopeful waiting in the wings behind Ryan Tannehill in Skoronski's draft classmate Will Levis.
I'm sure Tennessee was more than happy to scoop up Skoronski once he fell to 11. Bijan bolsters an already exceptional Atlanta running game. Both sides came away happy. This glimpse into the goings-on at the Combine is nevertheless quite a funny anecdote and doesn't really enhance my already lukewarm opinion about Smith. Surely he doesn't give a fuck. I respect it.
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Go HAM, Arthur Smith. Gaslight younger players and motivate them to be their best if it works! SOMEONE from that trash-ass NFC South division needs to emerge as a respectable football team in 2023. Why not Smith's Falcons?
Have fun in Atlanta, Bijan! Arthur seems like a HOOT to work for!
Cue Falcons fans in the comments overreacting to my mostly-satirical overreaction to this news.
Twitter @MattFitz_gerald/TikTok