Falcons presser: Blank was ‘angry’ with season
Falcons owner Arthur Blank let the public know that he was 'angry' with how last season turned out. Curtis Compton, ccompton@ajc.com
Falcons owner Arthur Blank admitted that he was “angry” after the team’s early exit from the playoffs in a press conference on Wednesday.
Blank, head coach Mike Smith and general manager Thomas Dimitroff spoke to the local media in the aftermath of a season that saw their Super Bowl hopes come crashing down in the wild-card round of the playoffs.
Before the presser, the team had already lost defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder to a “family decision” to return to the college ranks and around the same time, offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey was being introduced as the new head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Here are some of the other highlights from the press conference that lasted a little over an hour.
– The team stated that it wanted to support transparency, but that it would conduct its search for new coordinators in private.
– The team has 17 free agents and consider eight of them to be core players. However, all of them may not return because of financial considerations.
– Blank stated that the team is playing for “rings” and “championships.” He said, “We’re not about being in the playoffs. . . this organization is about greatness.”
– The team wants to add some tough, mean and physical players.
– Smith said that his offensive MVP was quarterback Matt Ryan. His defensive MVP was linebacker Sean Weatherspoon. He also had kind words for punter Matt Bosher and return man/coverage guy Eric Weems.
– He stated that Weatherspoon received some attention during the league-wide Pro Bowl voting.
– Running back Michael Turner’s touches will likely be cut down moving forward.
– Blank spoke about the “intellectual honesty” of Smith and Dimitroff. “They’ll be honest in their evaluations,” Blank said.
– Blank promised that the analysis of the team will be thorough. “We need to be careful that we don’t throw the baby out with the bath water,” Blank said.
–D. Orlando Ledbetter, The Atlanta Falcons beat blog
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515 comments Add your comment
state the obvious
January 11th, 2012
2:31 pm
Dubu, very true!
Ted M
January 11th, 2012
2:31 pm
The Falcons have only had 2 owners.
Gregory Moundine
January 11th, 2012
2:32 pm
I agree Tombo…we need great D. Backs. Ryan needs to work on quick releases, meaning WR must get open quick. Watch Brees, Rodgers, and Brady..but it starts with the line.
oldguy
January 11th, 2012
2:32 pm
Its amazing that after the giants game neither Smith or RYan looked or sounded the least bit upset.I would expect some fire or some passion after being embarrassed.Instead all we get is we are going to learn fromthe game and work harder.Give us all a break.
Techster
January 11th, 2012
2:32 pm
Can’t believe that Bosher actually pulled it together after his pathetic start to the season. But he did ! He was not the problem late in the season and the playoff game – there are too many of those that have already been identified.
extremus
January 11th, 2012
2:33 pm
I agree that Arthur Blank would better serve his team’s interests if he were less visible on the sidelines. Initially it was great to see a human owner out there being passionate about the team (and I’d have him in the dugout with the Braves in a cold minute as opposed to faceless and dispassionate Liberty Media), but by now I’ve begun to wonder if perhaps it’s creating additional pressure on or even distraction for our players; either certainly isn’t needed. At first I found Michael Koenen’s comments about how much “less pressure” there was in the Tampa Bay locker room offensive to come from a former Falcon, but there just may be something to this that Blank needs to consider.
Blank can still be visible to the public and still be passionate while staying off the sidelines. He just might find that he likes the view a bit more when he’s up in the luxury box and his team can feel loose enough to just PLAY.
JT from No Cal
January 11th, 2012
2:34 pm
Thank you, thank you, thank you for NOT introducing Del Rio as DC and Bratkowski as OC at the presser. WHEW!! We have many of the parts to compete for a championship (including Ryan, despite those who dismiss him and long for the past). MM and BVG were huge issues to not fulfilling our potential. TD needs to go ‘out of the box’ to get some innovative thinkers, and that will light the passion. I hope AB/TD light a fire under MS.
Falcons fan
January 11th, 2012
2:36 pm
What exactly do fans want Blank to do? Turn into Al Davis and micromanage the team into mediocrity? Have we forgotten what happened with Peerless Price?
Let Blank run his team like he ran Home Depot. He gives his subordinates the ability to succeed or fail based on their own abilities. If he doesn’t like the result he fires them and hires their replacement.
Die Hard Falcon
January 11th, 2012
2:36 pm
I would love to see Mike Nolan & Brian Billick. Problem is Miami is trying to keep Nolan and I doubt Billick comes out of the booth to be a coordinator.
I definitely agree w/ the MVP’s, although Lofton could easily be 1B
Derek
January 11th, 2012
2:37 pm
@extremus Good for Michael that there was “less pressure.” I’m sure that made him a happy guy. However, the Bucs went 4-12. Sounds like they needed more pressure to me. Somebody to light a fire under their butt. I like Blank on the sidelines. Everybody knows they need to step up. If they can’t handle the pressure of having Arthur on the sidelines, there is no way they can handle the pressure of the playoffs(quite obviously). We need more tough guys who aren’t afraid of the big moments.
good old joe
January 11th, 2012
2:42 pm
BOTH OFF-LINE AN DEF LINE NEED RE-TOOLING YOU WINN FOOTBALL GAMES IN THE TRENCHES !!!!!!
Ed
January 11th, 2012
2:43 pm
While Thomas Dimitroff has made some key picks that have panned out very well for the Falcons I greatly dislike the way he goes about picking offensive linemen and defensive backs. I also think that he could do a better job in the later rounds of the draft by finding the diamonds in the rough.
Falkor
January 11th, 2012
2:44 pm
Anyone who, like me, grew up in Atlanta and has watched the Falcons their entire life should NOT be calling to turn over the entire organization including the owner??
We have won 43 games in 4 seasons, all with winning records, and made the playoffs 3 of 4 years under Mike Smith, TD, Matt Ryan and obviously Arthur Blank. That is better than some previous decades for this Falcons organization! 3 playoff losses, especially 2 very ugly playoff losses in back to back season hurts like hell; no one in their right mind would state otherwise
I got news for you: only 1 team wins the Superbowl each season. To state that the Falcons should just blow it all up and start over is a Losing proposition, please tell me where that puts us? Square one maybe? The Browns are at Square one, think they would trade their situation for ours??
If you want some comfort for your wounds, I offer this:
Peyton Manning started 0-3 in the playoffs in his first 4 seasons, so is Matt Ryan…
In PM’s 3rd playoff loss he was ShutOut and lost 41-0 to the Jets, sounds familiar…
Peyton now has a Superbowl ring and another Superbowl appearance, several league MVP awards, and many argue is the best QB in league history.
I DO NOT think Matt Ryan will ever be as good as Peyton, but still, the 0-3 start in playoff games can easily be overcome!!
life goes on
January 11th, 2012
2:44 pm
It’s just football……..
All I'm Saying Is....
January 11th, 2012
2:45 pm
I’m glad Arthur says he’s angry (and his pending divorce is not going to cheer him up anytime soon). That’s what you want in an owner (and what the Braves lack). He’s going to have to chew on that ugly loss for a long time which is great cause that will keep him motivated.
Why is everyone seemingly in love with Brian Billick as a OC? Were you not paying attention when he was the HC at Baltimore? The only reason they made it to the Super Bowl and won was due to their defense. After Billick left Minnesota, his ‘offensive genius’ skills vaporized.
As someone else posted, we don’t need re-tread coaches for OC and DC like Billick or Martz or Singletary (for DC). Look at the top teams offensively and defensively in the NFL during the regular season and go raid them for your next OC and DC. Did anyone notice where Indy got their latest GM? They went to Philly and got their director of player personnel and whether you like their decisions, Philly was bold in its actions and assembled a team via the draft and free agency with a boatload of talent (while some have a thimble load of brains but that’s another story).
My point is go get us an OC from the staff of one of the top offensive teams in the NFL such as Packers, Saints, Patriots, etc. And do the same on the defensive side of the ball.
LET’S GO FALCONS!
PANIC FAN
January 11th, 2012
2:46 pm
I have watched all end of year forums and my take is that we have major advantage with 2 quality (arthur said great not just good)cordinators.We have talent on this team just think know one has any idea what the 2012 atlanta team wil look like. BLANK IS PISSED HE WANTS A CHAMPION.glad to see the top man step up state no player is safe,no part of said process will remain with out a fresh set of eyes on both sides of the ball with diffrent opinions about scheme and player talent.All will be done internally so we as fans can hope the correct choice is made yes time for major revamp at the branch
440 6-pack
January 11th, 2012
2:46 pm
You mean tough ,,mean guys ,,like oh ,,,Harvey Dahl ,,who you idiots let go of ,,, guys like that? I lstened and watched the presser and really saw as much defending of decisions in connection to job performance as anything from Smith and Dimitroff ,,which you would fully expect. They said a whole lot of nothing, because what can they say really…other than it was not acceptable and not where they want to be. Handed out kudos again to Ryan for his great numbers this season ,, but you know behind closed doors ,,TD MS and AB are having to admit that Ryan is not all they thought he was ,,and that they need to now focus on building the offense around his strengths and limitations b/c he will never be a downfield QB. I think there is just as much chance Ryan can be “salvaged” thru the right changes to coaching personnel and a sports shrink who can get all of the overcerebral sh!t out of his head and clean him out. He needs to be Control Alt Deleted or take a paperclip and find his reset button. They are starting over as far as I am concerned and that needs to happen after what we all witnessed.
Boston transplant
January 11th, 2012
2:46 pm
The Julio Jones trade was disastrous for two reasons. First, you should never draft a receiver in the first round. Never! Ever! If you doubt that check the Patriots, Steelers, Ravens’ drafts to see what they do and more importantly do not do. The second problem is that you have a GM that is not only willing to draft a receiver in the first round – a cardinal mistake – but they traded up to do it. That is doubly bad. I think you need to get rid of your GM if you want to achieve your goals with the Falcons.
I overheard a conservation between Arthur Blank and Smith and TD
January 11th, 2012
2:47 pm
I’m surprised Arthur Blank has kept his cool as long as he has. He’s used to running a corporation and getting results. No excuses. And if you don’t give that kind of man results…you’re history.
Wonder what he has said to Smith and TD when no one else was around? I’d venture to say it wasn’t pretty. (OK, so I wasn’t really there.)
And the Julio Jones thing…he may end up being really great but I think he’s set us back two years in the short run because of the draft picks he cost us.
Falconidiot
January 11th, 2012
2:48 pm
Nows a good time to ask coach Smth if he wants the DC position, he should be glad to have. The Falcons will be no better next year with him as coach or bringing any of his old buddies in. Sorry but everything that’s wrong with the Falcons is coach ( softy ) Smith. He never had the knowledge to be a head coach, since when did we start hiring managers instead of coaches. Fischer or Gruden are the best possible moves we can make and the OC of the Saints/Packers is the second. Keeping Smith is the worst.
juice sourcer
January 11th, 2012
2:48 pm
He can start with himself…he approved the Julio Jones deal….you never mortgage the future for a wide receiver…never…and that’s what they did…this team has peaked and will go back wards…mark my words. Carolina and New Orleans will finish ahead of them next year and the Falcons will not make the playoffs….bet the farm.
Tim
January 11th, 2012
2:48 pm
Talk is cheap. My season tickets are not.
Ex-Season Ticket Holder
January 11th, 2012
2:50 pm
If Matt Ryan was the MVP of the Offense, then the falcons offense is in fu@king trouble. Matt has no heart. Playing not to lose is not playing to WIN!
Sterling
January 11th, 2012
2:51 pm
U guys area bunch of idiots
MG
January 11th, 2012
2:52 pm
Comment: I agree with the previous poster…D Rob, Baker, and Big Play Ray Edwards are looking like busts ! If Tommy D thought that Ol would hold up this year he was nuts.
Prediction: Baring major injuries…If the Falcons do not make the playoffs and win at least a game or two next season…MIKE SMITH IS GONE !
Mediocre in Monroe
January 11th, 2012
2:52 pm
I loved the Braves when they won 14 straight divisional titles and I love my Falcons now.
Playoff wins are ok, but it takes a lot of luck and to get to a championship game.
I like knowing I can go down to the Dome and watch a good show on any given Sunday (assuming we aren’t playing a team with a marquis QB).
I like a good solid win over a second-class division “rival” on a perfect October afternoon under the flourescent lights of the Dome.
So what if we get humiliated in January? Do we not get drunk and have a generally ok time at all the other home games? I think we do.
As for me, I’m looking forward to seeing a lot of carries for Burner (2.8 yds/carry) Turner next year and a whole lot of six-yard out routes by Roddy White next year.
Bring out the Kool-Aid and let’s get this fiesta started!
My View
January 11th, 2012
2:52 pm
I think that Blank views the team with the same “eye” as us fans. When something’s not working with pro and college sports teams, it seems like the fan sentiment is usually saying the same things, but coaches usually see a diffrent picture. Blank has the fans perspective and feels that change was needed. JMO.
Lick Skillet
January 11th, 2012
2:53 pm
Thanks to all of the positive & constructive comments on here… All the rest of you FALCON HATERS Delta is ready when you are!!! Hugh Jackson for OC and Jack Del Rio for DC and that may solve the problem!!!
SealT2
January 11th, 2012
2:56 pm
The Falcons are Mr. Blanks’ team. If he wants to go down to the field at any time, he has that right. The majority of you bloggers are a bunch of “Cry Babies”. You want toughness, yet you bitch and moan when our players play tough football, stating they should be put out of the game i.e., Robinson. Common sense would suggest that if you send the “choir boys” that you want on the team into battle, they are going to be dominated by men. I’d rather have the intelligent, mean, and nasty to go into battle than somebody who is afraid to fight. Some of you want everbody from the front office down to the groundskeeper fired. How realistic is that – can you say CONTRACTS? Support the idea that changes are being made to attempt to make the Falcons better. We’ve wanted both coordinators gone, and we’ve gotten what we asked for. Now shut your negative faces up.
MG
January 11th, 2012
2:56 pm
Oh…add Peria Jerry to the list of busts as well. A first round draft pick and has that guy seen the field for two or more straight games since we drafted him ??
Old Timer
January 11th, 2012
2:56 pm
Get rid of these clowns and bring back somebody who knows how to be extreme.
I want to see Rankin Smith III in that owner’s box watching other NFL games during the game and I want to see Jerry Glanville down on the field asking players if they have any Vicodin.
Forget this 49-21 hogwash! Let’s do it right. Whadayasay, losers?!
bath-weather
January 11th, 2012
2:57 pm
Throw the baby out, not me!
Boston transplant
January 11th, 2012
2:57 pm
440 6 pack – not only Harvey Dahl but Michael Boley too
Rod Coleman
January 11th, 2012
2:57 pm
Am I a bust?
DeAngelo Hall
January 11th, 2012
2:58 pm
Miss me yet?
JJ
January 11th, 2012
2:59 pm
Better for team unity that coordinators were not fired. Much better for the team that
both of them are gone.
Falkor
January 11th, 2012
3:00 pm
What hurts more?
1. losing 3 playoff games in 4 seasons
2. losing 3 of the first 4 playoff games in franchise history, with the 4th appearance coming in our 26th season
I think I’ll take Arthur Blank over Rankin Smith, and the present Falcons regime over any that came before…
S2C
January 11th, 2012
3:00 pm
We NEED a NEW COACH, and a NEW QUARTERBACK!!!!!
Marco
January 11th, 2012
3:01 pm
I think the entire coaching staff should have been fired. Mike smith is a good regular season coach, but not on any other level. Seems like the plays were being called for Falcons to loose! Since when is Matt Ryan a running back? And to say Matt Ryan is the MVP is certainly incorrect. He could not get the ball to the #1 Tight end of all times. They stopped hitting Harry Douglas across the middle(which is always wide open) and the misuse of Rodgers is astounding. Now they are talking about Mike Turner carries being lessened(hint its because they know they will have to pay him). This team is the only NFL team that cannot catch a break even on their own home field when it comes to penalties. I call the Atlanta teams the scapegoat stepping stones for other teams to look good in the playoffs. If you pay for mediocre you will get mediocre results. There is not much wrong with the talent except for the defense side(secondary) Fire Daunta can’t tackle, Decoudnever tackle and horse shoe Owens. Falcons were the better team in the game, just did not have the better coach. Also do not forget the ESPN article which spoke of why the Giants should win. Its all about the politics and money market. And to the NFL Atlanta does not have that big fan base. Just look at how they cover Atlanta teams in the sports media. This whole sports entertainment is all about money and the entertainment comes second. Even the players are money driven. But no one player can control his money flow when he works for someone, who can manipulate his reward by knowing the contract details. That’s why the players will make millions but the owners will make billions. Players will sacrifice their whole life and body to make millions only for others like doctors, lawyers and other sharks to stiff the majority percentage. That’s why they will always be broke. Millions earned, nothing learned for players. Billions earned and not even a sweat burned for owners! Just another version of the wall street mentality! Now you know why Authur is upset, his money is being messed with and that is not a good thing for his business.
Lostboy
January 11th, 2012
3:02 pm
Giving Michael Turner fewer if ANY touches is a good thing. We don’t need a runner who stops at the line of scrimage to see if there is a big enough hole. We need a runner who pops through the line and can get around the end when needed.
Trade MOre Picks!
January 11th, 2012
3:02 pm
can blank get dimitroff to trade another bunch of picks (if they have any left for the next few years) for another receiver or DB??? That will elevate the ATL to the super bowl!!!
Chris
January 11th, 2012
3:04 pm
Blank is the one who needs to go, he has mismanaged the Falcons for how many years?
Kreskin predicts..
January 11th, 2012
3:04 pm
..that Blank will wait to find out that Smith is not the one and is in over his head ,, 1-2 more years (but very likely Smith will be gone after next seasons dismal performance) ,,Dimitroff will be retained and continue to blunder drafts and free agent picks for 1-2 additional years past that,,and eventually ,,after another failed season in 2013,,,,Blank will finally fire Dimitroff. The future is not bright with the Falcons — Blank said in the presser that anytime you let allegiance or loyalty not run in parallel to performance ,,you are lurking into the land of stupidity ,,well Arthur guess what ,, you have already arrived in that place. Dimitroff’s track record speaks for itself.
FalconFreak
January 11th, 2012
3:05 pm
– The team wants to add some tough, mean and physical players.>>>
Now we’re getting somewhere…LOL. Let’s get rid of the pussies and put some men out there. We want men so fearsome that the other teams’ players cry like girls when they see them…LOL At least we have something to look forward to with new coordinators and a hunt for some real men. Go get em Blank!
STI
January 11th, 2012
3:05 pm
Blank sounds like Jerry Jones.
Elmo
January 11th, 2012
3:05 pm
Elite QBs can overcome team deficiencies. Ryan can’t seem to do that. Maybe he’ll make a huge leap forward with a new OC, but I have my doubts. I think Ryan is more of a “keep us in the game” QB rather than a “take over the game” QB…good but never great. You can win some with that kind of QB, but you better have a stud defense to go with it if you expect to beat teams like Green Bay, New Orleans, New England with powerhouse offenses.
Oh wait, I just figured out why those teams are successful!!! They all have TWO first names unlike Atlanta so they’re twice as good. We just need to change the name to the South Atlanta Falcons to be successful!!!
Peter Griffin
January 11th, 2012
3:06 pm
The Falcons need me! Did you see me when Tom Brady asked me to play for the Patriots on their line? I was awesome!
PMC
January 11th, 2012
3:06 pm
“Don’t tell me about the pain, show me the BABY! Otherwise you may have to make a family decision.” – Arthur Blank
Army Strong
January 11th, 2012
3:08 pm
Put me on the coaching staff. I’ll show Matt Ryan how to properly throw a deep ball.
Queensbridge
January 11th, 2012
3:09 pm
@bath-weather…funny!
@Derek…Matty Freeze up is part of the problem whether you like it or not and you don’t have may supporters in yoru corner. Am I saying he is the only problem, no, but running out of the pocket unnecessarily because you saw a shadow doesn’t help his receivers. Everyone knows that once you hit Matty Freeze a couple of times he gets the proverbial happy feet. I don’t care how many TD’s he throws during the season, how many is he throwing in the playoffs. He needs to man-up. He has regressed from his rookie season, which I believe was his best season. Wait, he just threw another ball out of bounds cause he saw a DEs shadow. It hit the ball boy, and he caught it. You here that Roddy?!