DALLAS — As he walked through the Super Bowl media center Thursday, Falcons head coach Mike Smith shook hands and accepted congratulations from well-wishers on his contract extension, but he didn't pat himself on the back.
His modest reaction to the new deal wasn't a surprise for those who know the coach's selfless style.
"(An extension) has never been something that I've ever concerned myself with," Smith told PFW. "I've always believed that your work is your DNA and what you put out there on the football field is how you're judged.
"I'm just very fortunate and humbled that I have the opportunity to coach the Atlanta Falcons."
The team announced Thursday that Smith, who has led Atlanta to a 33-15 record and two playoff appearances in his three seasons at the helm, had signed a three-year extension, keeping him under contract through 2014.
It's expected that an extension for GM Thomas Dimitroff, who was also making the rounds in the media center Thursday, will follow soon behind Smith's.
While the Falcons have put together three consecutive winning seasons — a first in franchise history — under Smith and Dimitroff, they are 0-2 in the postseason since both men were hired before the '08 season. The No. 1 seed in the NFC in this year's playoffs, Atlanta was pummeled 48-21 by Green Bay in the divisional round.
That game was played almost three weeks ago, but Dimitroff said the devastation of the lopsided defeat still lingers.
"It's still very raw," he told PFW. "We obviously didn't expect the season to end the way it did after a solid regular season. To me, it was just another stage of maturity in the growth of this relatively young football team. In the end, it's going to help our growth and our confidence level, and it's going to help the element of realistic thinking for this team to know that we're going to have to work every second of every game into the playoffs to have a chance to win playoff games in this league."
Tamala Jones Yamila Diaz Alicia Keys Tyra Banks Vanessa Hudgens
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