Mike Smith

Mike Smith is a former American football coach. He most recently served as the defensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL) from 2016 to 2018.

He is the former head coach of the NFL's Atlanta Falcons, a position he held from 2008 to 2014. During his tenure as the head coach of the Falcons, Smith became the franchise's winningest 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 three different times 2008, 2010 and 2012.

In 2010, he led the Falcons to a NFC-best season record of 13-3, earning the team's second NFC South title and fourth divisional championship overall before being beaten at home by the eventual Super Bowl XLV champions, the Green Bay Packers, 48-21 in the NFC Divisional Round. The 2011 season ended with another winning record (10-6) and Smith's third playoff appearance (a first-round loss, by another eventual Super Bowl champion, the New York Giants).

In 2012, Smith led the Falcons to a league best 13-3 record and recorded his first win in the postseason as Falcons head coach, edging the Seattle Seahawks 30-28 in the 2012 NFC Divisional Playoffs. With the win, Atlanta also made their 3rd all-time appearance in the NFC Championship Game, and hosted the game for the first time in their history against the San Francisco 49ers. The Falcons were beaten 28-24 after taking the lead 10-0 in the 1st Quarter. Also in the 2012 season, Smith earned his 50th win by defeating the Philadelphia Eagles on October 28, passing Dan Reeves as the best-performing coach in Falcons history by number of wins. Smith reached 50 wins in 71 games, which is good for 3rd best all-time since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970

He previously served as the defensive coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars between 2003 and 2007.