Getty Caleb Huntley #42 of the Atlanta Falcons.
The Atlanta Falcons’ run game is alive and well––which is something that has not been said in years.
But now it’s catching the national media’s attention.
On Tuesday, Oct. 4, NFL Films tweeted a video clip of what Arthur Smith was saying on the sidelines during the Falcons’ Week 4 23-20 win over the Cleveland Browns.
At the beginning of the clip, Smith said, “Alright guys. Here’s what we’re doing. We’re gunna run the p*ss outta this football.”
He then walked over to right guard Caleb Lindstrom and center Drew Dalman sitting on the bench to tell them the plan: ” We’re getting ready to run the piss outta the football. Time to get something going.”
The Falcons ended up running it with Avery Williams breaking to the left side and then Tyler Allgeier breaking right and then back-to-back using Caleb Huntley, who ultimately got a hometown touchdown.
Coach Smith then asked Huntley if he kept his TD ball.
“I don’t give a *bleep* about the ball,” Huntley replied.
Smith laughed at Huntley’s response and said, “That may be the best thing you ever said, Caleb.”
Arthur Smith’s 2nd half game plan was simple:
Run the damn ball. @AtlantaFalcons
Huntley’s Reaction to the Viral Video
The video received over 2.5K likes and hundreds of replies.
Huntley even ended up replying to Falcons Wire’s Scott Carasik comment.
Carasik tweeted: “Best part of this was @1DukeHuntley. ‘I don’t give a f*ck about the ball.’ My kind of dude. He got the score. Why does he need the ball?”
Huntley replied: “Just wanted a Dubb.”
The team signed Huntley to the 53-man roster after sending Cordarrelle Patterson to injured reserve following a minor procedure on his knee.
He has appeared in two games for the Falcons as a standard practice squad elevation against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 2 and Cleveland Browns in Week 4. He rushed for 56 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries (5.6 avg.) against Cleveland.
Smith Brought Successful Run Game From Tennesse to ATL
In 2020, Smith replaced former Falcons head coach Dan Quinn, who was fired after starting the season 0-5.
Prior to coming to Atlanta, Smith had been with the Titans since 2011, where he began his NFL career as a defensive quality control coach under then-head coach Mike Munchak. The then-new Falcons coach had made his way up the ladder over the decade, serving as Tennessee’s offensive quality control coach, offensive line assistant and tight ends coach before Mike Vrabel handed him the keys to the offense in 2019.
Under Smith, the Titans ranked fourth in the NFL in scoring during the 2020 regular season, averaging 30.7 points per game. The team also finished the regular season averaging 396.4 total yards per game, putting them at third in the league. Tennessee had an elite rushing attack posting 168.1 yards per game, which ranked them second below the Baltimore Ravens (191.9 yards).
He’s also credited for Derrick Henry‘s success of 2,027 rushing yards, which were the fifth-most in NFL history as he became only the eighth player to surpass the 2,000-yard mark in a single season. Also, Titans second-year wideout A.J. Brown topped his impressive rookie totals, finishing the season with 70 receptions, 1,075 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns, while teammate Corey Davis ended the year just 16 yards short of his first career 1,000-yard season.
As for the Falcons’ current offensive state, they are averaging 131 rushing yards a game heading into Week 5.
It may have taken Smith a year to warm up, but as you can see, the Falcons are on track to being another Arthur Smith success story.