Smith announces coaching change

He held the Atlanta Falcons together in the wake of Bobby Petrino quitting as head coach after only 13 games in 2007, but on Tuesday Emmitt Thomas was notified that his contract would not be renewed by the team.

"Everyone here in the Falcons organization has the utmost respect for Emmitt, and we deeply appreciate his contributions to our team over the years," Falcons coach Mike Smith told the local media Tuesday night. "We wish Emmitt the best in his future endeavors."

Thomas had served as an assistant under the past four Falcons head coaches and had occupied to role of assistant head coach and the secondary for the past two seasons under Smith.

He served as the interim head coach when Petrino left 13 games into the 2007 season.

Last season, the defense finished 28th in the league against the pass with teams completing 62.6% of their passes.