DANA POINT, Calif. — I had to look twice at the silver-haired gentleman walking past me in one of the corridors at the league meetings hotel.

“Is that? … Yes, it is … it’s Mike Smith,” I said to myself about the Falcons’ coach.

The reason I had a little trouble recognizing him at first is because the guy has dropped nearly 45 pounds since the end of last season, his first as an NFL head coach. Smith has been following a “Grape Fruit Diet,” which besides the consumption of grape fruit, also includes eating a lot of protein. And it’s working for him.

“In the odd time that he does get to get out there and swing a golf club, he’s swinging a lot better this year,” Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff said. “I think it’s good for him. He looks great. He’s excited about going into training camp and showing off his new (physique).”

–Vic Carucci