Edward M. Pio Roda/Getty Images Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith (left) stands with defensive coordinator Dean Pees during training camp on July 30, 2021.
On Sunday Sept. 26, the Atlanta Falcons produced the first positive result of the Arthur Smith era, the outcome determined by a walk-off field goal from placekicker Younghoe Koo. In the wake of the game, the same word/phrase came up over and over again in media reports.
Sports Illustrated wrote: “New York Giants Fall to Falcons 17-14 in Mistake-Filled, Ugly Game.”
The Falcoholic said: “An ugly win is still a win.”
Meanwhile, the Locked on Falcons podcast asked: “What Does Ugly Win Say About Falcons?”
Finally, Blogging Dirty managed to diminish the victory and Atlanta’s opposition at the same time: “Atlanta Falcons Win Ugly Against the Hapless New York Giants.”
The same “winning ugly” narratives could be heard this week on Atlanta’s sports talk radio, and Falcons defensive coordinator Dean Pees found one unnamed radio host’s characterization of the win more than a little upsetting.
“I’m at the age in my life where I could really give a rat’s you-know-what about what somebody says,” Pees intoned in the middle of his 22-minute press conference on Thursday. Nevertheless, the 72-year-old coordinator—who per Pro Football Reference, has been coaching defense in college and the NFL for more than four decades—sounded hacked off about some of what he heard.
After prefacing his comments by saying that he respects the media and the job they do, he said: “I really have a hard time with respect when the first comment I hear on Monday morning is from a guy that says, ‘Well, finally the Atlanta Falcons won a game after 10 months….’ Why the sensationalism? Why not just say, ‘Hey, finally after three weeks we won a game’? Why would you say that?” he wondered.
Dean Pees: ‘I Don’t Know What Was Ugly’
Pees then offered another criticism, saying, “the next comment out of his mouth was, ‘It was an ugly win.’
“I don’t really know what was ugly…. It’s a win. Everybody’s ugly. Every game is not going to be perfect, so I don’t understand that kind of feedback,” said Pees, attempting to highlight how even the best NFL teams have their share of unsightly moments each week.
“I don’t understand people who say they support the Falcons and say that type of stuff in public. That bothers me,” added Pees, who is in his first season as defensive coordinator for the Falcons after serving in the same role for the Tennessee Titans in 2018-19. “I’m being honest with you guys. I’m telling you what’s in my heart. I probably shouldn’t. It’ll probably come back to haunt me. Somebody will print something and somebody else will take offense to it, and I’ll hear about it.”
Even knowing that, Pees continued to elaborate.
“I get frustrated (with) outside sources really not stopping and thinking before they say something. It’s not fair to the players or the staff that is trying like hell to build a hell of a program that everybody is proud of,” he said.
Pees: ‘We Are Trying to Get Better’
Being a coach in the NFL since 2004, Pees recognizes that professional football is a bottom-line business, but he asked for a little patience for Atlanta’s new brain trust and coaching staff.
“The expectation is to win. We all have that expectation, but there is also a reality sometimes that people have to learn how to do something before they really become proficient at it and that’s what we’re trying to do. We are trying to get better every week. We got better the second week and the third week, and I hope we get better the fourth week. That’s what we’re striving to do. Sometimes I get a little frustrated with people thinking all of this stuff is just going to magically (snaps fingers). It never does,” he concluded.
The Atlanta Falcons (1-2) will have their next opportunity to show they are getting better on Sunday Oct. 3 when they host Washington (1-2) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium at 1 p.m. ET.
In the meantime, you can take in all of what Pees had to say in his press conference immediately below:
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Dean Pees Sounds off on Media Coverage of Falcons’ First Win