Good article:Atlanta Falcons safety Dwight Lowery was in New York when the New York Jets fired then-head coach Eric Mangini. He was in Jacksonville when the Jacksonville Jaguars fired both Jack Del Rio and Mike Mularkey.But there was something remarkably different for Lowery when Mike Smith addressed the team Monday after being released from his contract with the [Falcons].The players gave Smith a rousing ovation before he exited."It was real," Lowery said. "I don't think there was a man in there that didn't feel what was going on or understand the situation. I was thinking about it when I was traveling home. As a player, I felt bad. I felt like, 'What more could I have done? What more could we have done as a team?' Coach Smith has that kind of effect on you, that you enjoy playing for him. It's just unfortunate this is how the game goes."Read the whole article here: http://espn.go.com/blog/atlanta-falcons/post/_/id/11212/players-express-real-emotions-about-mike-smiths-firing Clearly the guy is a strong leader to create this sort of inspiration in his players.
