Arthur Blank still hasn’t recovered from Falcons’ playoff exit
Falcons owner Arthur Blank, here with general manager Thomas Dimitroff after the playoff loss, will return from Dallas before the Super Bowl. (Curtis Compton/ccompton@AJC.com)
A few nights after the Falcons were drop-kicked out of the playoffs, Arthur Blank and his two football lieutenants went out to dinner. There in a Midtown restaurant sat the team’s owner, the general manager (Thomas Dimitroff) and the coach (Mike Smith), emotionally facedown in their soup.
“It was just the three of us together, reflecting back,” Blank said. “It’s sort of like going to see a therapist. You go there to work through any issues you have and then you try to get ready for the future. You’re just trying to get some of the hurting out of the way so you can move on.”
For the record, that hasn’t happened yet with Blank.
He is as emotionally invested as any owner in professional sports. He admits he’s still psychologically hung over from the Falcons’ 48-21 loss in the Georgia Dome two weeks ago. He is going to Dallas for Super Bowl week – only he’s not really going to the Super Bowl.
“I leave Thursday, we have meetings and then the hosting owner [Jerry Jones] always has a party Thursday night,” Blank said. “Then Friday morning the commissioner has a press conference, and I’ll go to that. Friday afternoon I’ll go to radio row for interviews. Friday night is the commissioner’s party. Saturday we were going to have a league meeting but that’s been canceled, so I guess I’ve got some free time.”
And Sunday?
“I’m coming home Sunday morning — mostly because I’m still pissed about our game,” he said.
He allowed himself to think the Falcons could get to Dallas. He knew the 13-3 record, the bye week and two potential home playoff games didn’t come with guarantees. But what happened in the Georgia Dome blindsided him, as it did most.
“You don’t look ahead,” Blank said, “but we certainly believed we would get deeper than we did.”
He said no major reassessment of the franchise is needed. He still believes the Falcons are trending upward and have become one of the “national” and “relevant” franchises in the NFL, based on three consecutive winning seasons and two playoff berths in the Dimitroff-Smith-Matt Ryan era. He said he doesn’t think the loss will hurt the team’s marketing efforts in the offseason, although that’s probably more the salesman in him talking than the realist.
Blank said he doesn't blame the fans who couldn't bear to watch the Falcons any more and left in the third quarter. (AP photo)
Finally, there’s this: Blank says he has changed from the newbie sports owner who bought the franchise from the Smith family in 2002. He says he’s more “controlled.”
Comment: “My emotional thermometer is different than when I first became an owner.”
Maybe so. But not by much. The man still wears his emotions on his sleeve.
Late in the third quarter against Green Bay, he watched from his private box as the Packers scored their scored fifth consecutive touchdown to take a 42-14 lead. Fans began to stream out of the Georgia Dome.
“People said to me, ‘You must be upset about that,’” Blank said. “I said no. I wasn’t upset that they were leaving, I was upset about the way we were playing. The fans were incredibly supportive all year. After that third quarter, it would’ve taken a miracle just to come back and make the game competitive. It was like the fans were getting hit on the head with a hammer, and it wouldn’t stop. The only way they could make it stop was by leaving. So they left.”
Blank’s head was still throbbing the following week when NFL meetings were held in Atlanta. During a lunch break, he sat with New England owner Robert Kraft, whose team was stunned in its first playoff game by the New York Jets (the day after the Falcons’ loss).
“There we were, the owners of the two No. 1 seeds, having lunch,” Blank said, managing a chuckle. “Nobody else sat at our table. We were two sorry sacks. You never get used to it.”
Final story: Blank was inducted into the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame on Friday. It was there he came in contact with Kathleen Bertrand, a gospel singer who sang the national anthem at the event. Bertrand told Blank that she performed the anthem at the Falcons’ last playoff win in 2004. She had hoped to sing it at another game during the season but had trouble getting in contact with the right person.
“I said if I knew that, I would’ve made sure she sang it again [at the playoff game],” Blank said. “But it probably wouldn’t have made a difference.”
Not unless she could play cornerback.
By Jeff Schultz
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369 comments Add your comment
Ron Choke Mexico
January 30th, 2011
11:58 am
The reason our payroll is so low is this is a young team, however we have a lot of free agents this year, so the payroll will go up, and I believe we will at least try to get CB and DE help this year either through draft or free agency. DE from the giants, maybe draft a corner, that kid from texas perhaps. If TG was retiring, I would go after Zach Miller, but since he is staying, maybe draft a TE in the second round.
stinger
January 30th, 2011
12:22 pm
I hope Mr. Blank realizes that Matty Melt is not what he thought…They are paying a lot of money for an average QB. Also we got to get younger and quicker on offense and defense.
Money Talks
January 30th, 2011
12:29 pm
Blank’s a billionaire and can buy whatever players he needs to win. He’ll not be outbid by any NFL owner—just open the checkbook and get the talent needed to win big. He can raise ticket prices $10-$20 and parking/concessions to pay for everything—no big deal. Just win baby!
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
January 30th, 2011
12:30 pm
Poor Arthur is having “Post Vick Blues”
I told you losers that CHOKE is a JOKE and Blank is just now realizing it.
What’s up Mr. Charlie?
Matthew Neesley
January 30th, 2011
12:33 pm
Behold! The POWER of Cheese!…..goes really nice with a nice, thick, warm BEAR PELT. Go Pack!
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
January 30th, 2011
12:40 pm
Old regime:
- Division title 1st season
- Playoff win 1st game 1st season
- Championship Game 1st season
- Set franchise record for biggest blowout (47-17)
- QB Pro Bowl 1st & 2nd season
Present regime:
- Wild card 1st season
- 1 and done 1st and 3rd season
- No playoff wins
- No Championship Game appearances
- Set franchise record for biggest blowout in loss
- Set NFL record 1st number 1 seed to lose to number 6 seed.
Yet you losers claim this regime is the greatest
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
January 30th, 2011
12:44 pm
Escaped from Email Purgatory
January 30th, 2011
9:26 am
How about trading Matty Nice to the Bengals for Carson Palmer and their #1 pick in the upcoming draft (fourth overall)?
___________________________________________
Stay off the meths – CHOKE the JOKE is not even worth a bag of balls
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
January 30th, 2011
12:52 pm
How can a qb go from 3 years off to starter in Pro Bowl?
Oh we are talking about Vick – My bad
take it from me.
January 30th, 2011
1:24 pm
this franchise is going through tough times right now,after loseing to the packers, when expectation were so hight,We don’t need a loser like Vick to make things worse.
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
January 30th, 2011
1:35 pm
The Falcants have no hope.
It has been 7 years since they have won a playoff game.
With CHOKE the JOKE they will never win a playoff game
JDM
January 30th, 2011
1:36 pm
Glad to have Mr. Blank as owner vs the Smiths. As a native of Atlanta I have had my share of disappointments surrounding sports in this city. In my humble opinion I believe winning starts at the top. I never hear any owners, coaches, managers etc say the word CHAMPIONSHIP. I would love to hear Blank, Smith or some player at least SAY the words we want to win the SUPERBOWL. Tired of the word process, back to back win season or whatever. Saying it vs doing it are two diffrent things. Its a seemingly small thing but if you say it then eventually you believe it, then you achieve it. So I am saying it “WE WILL WIN A SUPERBOWL” and I believe it!!
Blitz Money
January 30th, 2011
1:36 pm
I don’t think the team needs a major overhaul. I think the younger Falcons need to get a little older in the form of live snaps on the field in key situations. For people to want to get rid of this person and that person because we lost one playoff game is too impulsive. How quick did people forget that these same players and coaches were responsible for the 13-3 record and division title, and now some of you want them run out of town because of one bad loss? When we beat NO in their house I’m willing to bet that no one had any complaints about the team. Every week there’s a new ‘greatest catch ever’, ‘biggest upset in history’ or ‘best quarterback in the league’. Folks, the last girl that walks by isn’t the prettiest ever, to paraphrase Colin Cowherd. There will be better days for our Falcons and either crowning someone (Green Bay RB James Starks) or running certain people out of town (Chris Owens, Sam Baker, Lawrence Sidbury, Dunta Robinson) because of one game just isn’t logical. Build through the draft, get a free agent piece here and there and let them grow.
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
January 30th, 2011
1:37 pm
Just in………….
The Eagles have just announced they will Franchise Vick.
The one year salary is estimated to be in the 16-18 million dollar range.
Look for Kolb to be dealt.
Who knows, maybe Art will make Kolb the starter in Atlanta
CHOKE is a JOKE
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
January 30th, 2011
1:43 pm
“THE POST VICK TIMELINE”:
2007
- No playoffs
2008
- No playoff wins
2009
- No playoffs
2010
- No playoff wins
I can see why Arthur is pissed
Blitz Money
January 30th, 2011
1:48 pm
And to the person listing himself as “Matt ‘Choke’ Ryan”, you’re entitled to your opinion. However, when Vick was here he didn’t have three consecutive winning seasons like Ryan. He won a grand total of two playoff games in his six years in Atlanta and after he decided that dogfighting was more important than winning a Super Bowl, he went to prison and was unceremoniously removed from the team. Now he’s $20 million in debt and just playing to climb that mountain, instead of being 30, possibly retiring on top like Jim Brown, healthy and enjoying his earnings. Another thing: starting in the Pro Bowl isn’t something to really throw in someone’s face, especially when the team that Vick plays for was eliminated by the same team that beat the Falcons. Vick threw an interception on first down to lose the game for his team. That is choking under pressure if you ask me. Ryan was a helpless bystander as the Falcons defense couldn’t get off the field and allowed 41 of the 48 points.
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
January 30th, 2011
1:48 pm
The biggest difference between the Eagles vs Falcons franchise and management is even in a rebuilding season, the Eagles still won the division.
Just wait for the upcoming season when they go after top free agents to build on the secondary corner alongside Asante Samuel and a defensive end with Trent Cole.
The amazing thing about what Vick accomplished this season was he didn’t even receive the starter reps in training camp and the offensive line was one of the worst in the league and the Eagles were the 2nd youngest teams in the NFL.
2011 is going to be very brutal on their opponents and their annual assault on the Falcants will be even more of a blowout next season
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
January 30th, 2011
1:56 pm
Blitz Money
January 30th, 2011
1:48 pm
And to the person listing himself as “Matt ‘Choke’ Ryan”, you’re entitled to your opinion. However, when Vick was here he didn’t have three consecutive winning seasons like Ryan. He won a grand total of two playoff games in his six years in Atlanta
_________________________________________________________-
2002
- 1st team to beat Green Bay in playoff history.
2003
- Missed nearly the full season due to injury.
2004
- Led team to division title and championship game.
2005
- Represented team in 3rd Pro Bowl
2006
- Set NFL records in qb rushing yards.
- Set NFL record w/2400 yards passing and 1,000 yard rushing.
So that’s technically 4 seasons not 6 that he played as a starter not the misleading and biased 6 years that you threw out there.
Regardless, he is the last Falcant qb to win a playoff game
CHOKE is a JOKE and will never win a playoff game
Saints Win in 2011-12
January 30th, 2011
2:05 pm
This season was a fluke for atl. Next year, the Saints will be back in full force and win the NFC over Green Bay. Atl will be lucky to make the playoffs next year as a wildcard—too many gaps, aging players and underachievers. Saints beat New England for the Super Bowl title—bank on it.
Greg Moundine
January 30th, 2011
2:05 pm
Go get P. Burress or T.O. Tough moves must occur. Go get T.O. or Burress. Someone from organization needs to be visiting Burress now. Get on his visitation log. Atlanta can’t win with just good characters, we need strength, heart, and toughness! Go Falcons!
count_schemula
January 30th, 2011
2:22 pm
Agree with JSS, TO is not not that TO anymore. Plax is 33 I think and that move just feels like Joe Horn. WR can be fixed in the draft unless some Brandon Marshall type malcontent becomes available.
Lee Sunset
January 30th, 2011
2:39 pm
All that talk about lack of respect from the national media. SMH, guess that lack of respect was completely justified. The Falcons are a nice little boring team, they’re beige…..taupe even. When it came time to prove to a national audience that they were indeed the unquestioned best of the NFC…they wet themselves. They played like a scared child who forgot their Easter Sunday speech. So now Blank has to figure out how in the world to try and market this team. He’s pissed because before the game, he saw a sliver of hope that perhaps he could get back to making a profit – and that hope got stomped to bits.
FACTS
January 30th, 2011
2:44 pm
Blank is in denial as is the rest of the Falcon nation the NO lost on Monday night football exposed everything wrong with this team. There are no real difference makers on either side of the ball, just solid starters.If VanGorder doesn’t chuck that ” bend but don’t break” defense he won’t have a job in 2012 & if Smitty loses his next playoff game he is on thin ice. If the defense does not improve & they don’t get Ryan a deep threat, Blank will be eating dinner in the same spot next year!
Freddie's Falcon
January 30th, 2011
2:48 pm
BLANK looks like his dog just died.
Ron Choke Mexico
January 30th, 2011
3:09 pm
Yeah I’m the greatest, did you see me go one and done this year, throw that losing int, instead of spiking the ball calling the play in the huddle. I is the greatest dog killer ever, why does my penis itch so much?
JSS
January 30th, 2011
3:10 pm
“instead of being 30, possibly retiring on top like Jim Brown, healthy and enjoying his earnings.”
Brown did retired on top; but he was far from healthy nor capable of enjoying his earnings. He was grossly underpaid during his career. That in conjunction as well with the pounding he was taking once Blanton Collier took over the Browns in the running game. He averaged 290 carries a year during a 14 game season for 3 straight years…
Once a Hollywood opportunity was assured. Then he was happy to walk away…
Ron Choke Mexico
January 30th, 2011
3:11 pm
Matt choke ryan likes to smell my jock, he pays me money to mail them to him. I use the money to pay my creditors and buy my brother his crack.
Bob
January 30th, 2011
3:17 pm
HOW BOUT THEM PACKERS!!!!!!!!!
JSS
January 30th, 2011
3:17 pm
Oh yeah… Speaking of interceptions…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8U_YhU0HgdI
Is there ointment or pill for getting juked out of your jock?
Just saying…
JSS
January 30th, 2011
3:26 pm
Or my personal favorite… Somebody got baited!
http://www.nfl.com/videos/pittsburgh-steelers/09000d5d81a76a54
Paul (You doesn't have to call me Johnson).
January 30th, 2011
3:53 pm
Arthur needs to bring Vick back to push him around in a wheelchair on the sidelines
Ron Choke Mexico
January 30th, 2011
4:06 pm
Hey Matt Choke Ryan,
you left off, I was voted most likely to repeat in the prison league! I plan on going back just as soon as the Eagles give me a big contract and trade Kolb, then me and marcus are going to crap all over them. Hey it’s just us keep it real.
Ron Choke Mexico
January 30th, 2011
4:08 pm
you can take the boy out of the hood, but yo’can’t take the hood out of the boy.
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
January 30th, 2011
4:20 pm
“UPDATE”
It has been confirmed by Mike Lombardi of NFL Network, that Vick’s one year salary will be in the neighborhood of 24 million dollars.
If that’s broke – I welcome being broke
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
January 30th, 2011
4:23 pm
Freddie’s Falcon
January 30th, 2011
2:48 pm
BLANK looks like his dog just died.
_____________________________________________
That’s funny as Hell …………. ROFL…..
I thought I felt a bump in the road last night
JSS
January 30th, 2011
4:24 pm
Blitz Money
January 30th, 2011
1:36 pm
“Folks, the last girl that walks by isn’t the prettiest ever, to paraphrase Colin Cowherd.”
There are three people who should never be referenced when talking about sports or life knowledge: Colin Cowherd, John Kincade, and George Will…
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
January 30th, 2011
4:26 pm
“This just in”
CHOKE will be holding Vick’s clip board………..ROFT…HA HA HA
He finally met his fate
JOKE will forever be a JOKE
carla56
January 30th, 2011
4:27 pm
Enter your comments here
carla56
January 30th, 2011
4:34 pm
yep saints do rule.dont forget we are still the super bowl champs.it’s not over until it’t over.but even then no one can take 2010 from ever super bowl champs forever who dat?sanits dat.
Thomas
January 30th, 2011
4:36 pm
Mr. Blank been pissed is good but he is wrong to say a review is not necessary. A complete review of the team is required and if Dimitroff and Smitty is telling him otherwise they are wrong and he should ask that this be done. I do not believe a complete overhaul of the team is required but review all aspects of the team. Is the offensive line as good as believed? Is the offensive line too porous to allow Matt Ryan the time to go deep, or is it the inability of the receivers? Can the Oline run block but weak at pass blocking and how can the passblocking be improved, are the personnel in place to achieve this? Are the defensive breakdowns the problem of the defensive line or the defensive backs. The O line and D line must be improved if the team is to be stabilized and be contenders for many years to come.
carla56
January 30th, 2011
4:42 pm
the seahawks are just a fluke got lucky because of ir
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
January 30th, 2011
4:52 pm
Sun Jan 16 03:08am EST
Matt Ryan: Newest member of the ‘Can’t Win the Big Game’ club?
By MJD
It’s a label that’s unfair and way too easy to apply, but it’s probably going to be stuck to Matt Ryan(notes) anyway: playoff choke artist.
It’s a fact that Ryan didn’t play well Saturday. He made mistakes that buried the Falcons in a hole they couldn’t begin to climb out of. He was intercepted twice in the last 150 seconds of the first half, lost one fumble, and only scratched out 186 passing yards.
It’s also a fact that Ryan didn’t play well two years ago in the playoffs against the Cardinals. In that game, he also threw two interceptions, lost one fumble and came up short of 200 passing yards.
Those are his only two playoff appearances, and both can be fairly classified as failures. In those games, Ryan has thrown three touchdown passes against six turnovers. The same label has been slapped on quarterbacks for less than that.
“AMERICA HAS SPOKEN”
Ron Choke Mexico
January 30th, 2011
4:54 pm
wow 24 million! how much “lean” can I buy with that? Luv me some purple drank!
Ron Choke Mexico
January 30th, 2011
4:56 pm
I can buy my momma a new house, I could buy my daddy a new house, if I knew who he was? oh well back to the purple drank.
Ron Choke Mexico
January 30th, 2011
4:57 pm
carla honey, that was no fluke, yo’saints got spank like a’ho in church.
Ron Choke Mexico
January 30th, 2011
4:58 pm
any body seen my purple drank?
Thomas
January 30th, 2011
4:58 pm
When Dan Reeves arrived as Falcons coach he had a great opportunity to build something very good, the same as others before and after him, but he did not and the early success of 1998 Superbowl created a false sense of belonging among the elite teams. The poor play of the Oline almost had Chandler killed at times and the teams performance was never consistent even later with Vick scrambling to avoid frequent pressure. Thomas Dimitroff and Smitty have that opportunity now, and they must continue to build on what they have to date. A more reliable Oline and Dline must be paramount for the long term success of the franchise. We cannot be sure how good Matt Ryan can become or if the receivers can get deep if the line is not doing its job on a more consistent basis, neither can the blame be on the OC as was the case this past season. The DB’s need to be upgraded but they also need more help from the Dline especially the pass rush.
Lee Sunset
January 30th, 2011
5:22 pm
Choke, America spoke long before that article. That’s why Vick is the starter for the NFC today and that’s why he got the big suite as a surprise from the league. LOL
KAPOLEI, Hawaii – The NFL surprised Michael Vick with the ultimate perk on Tuesday: the 4,200-square-foot presidential suite at the official hotel of the Pro Bowl. It was a reflection of just how far the player who used to be a pariah has come.
There are 86 players at the coastline resort on the west side of Oahu, the elitist of the NFL’s elite, save for the six Green Bay Packers and four Pittsburgh Steelers who were invited but will be playing in the Super Bowl. As evidenced by his posh digs, Vick is hands down the headliner.
http://articles.philly.com/2011-01-27/sports/27051592_1_michael-vick-franchise-tag-mike-vick#ixzz1CFIHhi8b
DawgDad
January 30th, 2011
5:44 pm
This team was not ready for the NFC Championship and Super Bowl. Period. Get over it, get back to business, and stay focused on developing and improving the team. Fans need to get real; if you expect to win the Super Bowl every year you are setting yourself up for a lot of disappointment. Enjoy, appreciate, and support what we have – a darn good and still promising football team.
Falcons ended the season losing to the NFC Super Bowl team two out of the past three seasons. They earned the number one seed this year. Which was worse, Falcons losing to the Packers in round 2 or the media darling defending champ Saints losing to the Seahawks in round 1? Listening to ESPN you’d think the Dallas Cowboys had a better season than the Falcons (they are “more relevant”, or some such nonsense). Stick a fork in it already. Season’s over for everybody except the Pack and Steelers.
gatorman770
January 30th, 2011
6:26 pm
Many of us that have been unemployed for >2 years are really concerned that the poor multi-millionaire is hurting so bad!
Lee Sunset
January 30th, 2011
6:40 pm
Dawgdad, you wrote “Which was worse, Falcons losing to the Packers in round 2 or the media darling defending champ Saints losing to the Seahawks in round 1?”
Are you serious? The Saints weren’t at home. The Saints didn’t have a bye. The Saints lost 2 starters on offense the week before and still made it a game.
The Falcons were the #1 seed, (which in hindsight, was as fradulent as a $3 bill), at home, had a bye week and by the time the 3rd quarter started, the game was OVER. The Falcons didn’t even make it interesting. That was the only blowout of the whole playoffs! A 27 point loss AT HOME for the team that had the vaunted 13-3 record. But you think the Saints loss was worse?