NEW YORK — Mike Smith won't let his Atlanta Falcons forget all the great things they achieved this season.

Even after their first-round playoff loss to Arizona, Smith urged the Falcons to concentrate on the positive — which, of course, included his earning The Associated Press NFL Coach of the Year award.

"This is all part of the process," Smith said of the 30-24 defeat against the Cardinals. "It's just another step in the process. We're going to remember how we feel as a football team because we plan on being back in this situation and we want to remember how this feels."

While it felt awful to lose so soon in the postseason, the rest of Smith's rookie year was very special. He edged another first-year head coach, Miami's Tony Sparano, by one vote Sunday for the award.

Both coaches oversaw sensational turnarounds, leading their teams from last-place finishes in 2007 to playoff berths this year. Their achievements were reflected by the closeness of the balloting, with Smith getting 23Z\x votes and Sparano 22½ from a nationwide panel of 50 sports writers and broadcasters who cover the NFL.

Atlanta improved from 4-12 to 11-5, making the NFC playoffs as a wild card.

"I'm honored individually, but more so for our coaching staff and our players," Smith said. "I think we have tried to establish that we'd be very systematic in how we did things, that we were going to have a plan."

Smith helped guide quarterback Matt Ryan to the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year award. Smith also had a first-time starter at running back, Michael Turner, who rushed for 1,699 yards and 17 touchdowns.

That certainly helped as Smith had to deal with a makeover of the Falcons organization and its image following the incarceration of quarterback Michael Vick for dogfighting and the resignation after 13 games last season by coach Bobby Petrino. He left Jacksonville, where he was the defensive coordinator, to take on one of the biggest rebuilding challenges in sports.

"We went through every bit of pain last year that an NFL owner or a franchise or a community of fans could imagine," said Falcons owner Arthur Blank.