The NFL is a copycat league. The best coaches in football will tell you just that, with play callers stealing designs from each other all the time.

Sean McVay has said countless times that he watches film of other teams and takes their plays, or at least tweaks them in one form or another to make it his own. On the latest episode of the “Flying Coach” podcast, McVay and Peter Schrager had first-year Falcons head coach Arthur Smith on.

And right out of the gate, McVay said he’s been stealing plays from Smith for years.

“I tell you what, you talk about best offensive minds – one of the best,” McVay said. “What he did in Tennessee these last couple years, he has been lighting it up. Been seeing their stuff. I’ve been copying his [expletive] for the last couple years,” McVay said. “Man, it’s been awesome watching him do his thing.”

Smith was with the Titans from 2011 to 2020 before being hired as the Falcons’ head coach this offseason. Most recently, he was Tennessee’s offensive coordinator for the last two years, which is when he really burst onto the scene as a brilliant offensive coach.

The Titans ranked second in yards and fourth in points last season after finishing 12th and 10th in 2019, respectively. He had a ton of success in Nashville, and clearly McVay has been watching him for the last two years as Tennessee’s OC.

Smith will face a new test this season as a first-time head coach, but with Matt Ryan, Kyle Pitts and Calvin Ridley as the team’s core offensive players, he shouldn’t have much trouble leading Atlanta to a top-10 finish in points and yards on that side of the ball.