If I was Arthur Blank…….

Arthur Blank was the co-founder and owner of Home Depot which made him a billionaire. He sold the franchise to some jerk who proceeded to downgrade a successful proven product and allow Lowe’s to make serious inroads into their market. By this time Arthur had moved on and decided to plough his hard earned billions into buying the Atlanta Falcons.

During his tenure he fired incumbent head coach Dan Reeves and hired three successive head coaches: Jim Mora, Bobby Petrino and Mike Smith. Mora was the king of BS and was out the door after two seasons. Petrino proved to be a weasel and fled the team following an unsuccessful tenure comprising 13 games, and returned to the College ranks in Arkansas (hog heaven which seemed appropriate.) Smith was a surprise hire since his previous coaching experience was confined to defensive co-coordinator at the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Thomas Dimitroff was also hired as general manager and he brought with him excellent credentials as head of recruiting for the New England Patriots. They drafted Matt Ryan as their franchise quarter back, and together they compiled four successive winning seasons with an appearance in the playoffs in three of the last four seasons. But here comes the rub; they have yet to win a playoff game and today proved to be no exception. The New York Giants won in a canter by 24-2, and they are a very mediocre team. Their 9-7 record in the regular season proves my point.

Apart from a defensive effort in the first half, the Falcons were hapless, and made the Giants look like Super Bowl contenders which they are not! Michael Turner was a non-entity, Ryan dithered and dallied, Gonzalez and White were non-factors and the Dirt Bags (the offensive line) played like choir boys and were unceremoniously crushed.

The players were not helped by some inane coaching by Mike Smith who elected twice in the game to go for 4th down on inches using quarter back Ryan as a battering ram; only to fail miserably on both occasions. On the second attempt we were only trailing 10-2 and a field goal would have given us a great chance to come back and win. Instead, the Giants regained the momentum and quickly scored a touchdown winning the game without breaking stride.

In a pre-game newspaper interview, Arthur Blank admitted he was pleased with four successive winning seasons, but was well aware the franchise needed to take the next step and win a game in the playoffs. Well I’m sure he is very disappointed. So what does he need to do drag this team to the next level which is currently occupied by the Patriots, Steelers, Packers and Saints?

Personally, I don’t believe Coach Smith and Matt Ryan are capable of taking this franchise to a Super Bowl which has got to be the ultimate goal. Two failed attempts at the “quarterback sneak” revealed the ineptitude of Coach Smith for calling the play and Ryan for failing to execute. My knee jerk reaction would be to fire Smith and his coaching staff and trade Matt Ryan.

Unfortunately neither action is realistic since the drafting of Julio Jones for four future picks has nullified any quality acquisitions from that quarter. Neither does the salary cap  give us much latitude in signing free agents, so my recommended changes must be practical:

  • The offensive and defensive coordinators must be shown the door. The process has already begun with DC Brian VanGorder leaving to take a similar position with Auburn. It is imperative that OC Murlarkey is terminated because he is old school, unimaginative and negative.
  • The offensive line is a shambles. Center McClure is 35 years old and needs replacing. Left tackle Sam Baker (a former No1 draft pick) is a huge failure and has to go.  Clabo and Blaylock should be the only ones retained.
  • Expensive acquisitions Dunta Robinson (CB) and Ray Edwards (DE) signed in free agency have not performed commensurate with their over inflated salaries and need to be released.
  • The shelf life of a running back in the NFL is approximately 3-4 seasons. Michael Turner has played 3 seasons with the Falcons and is clearly on the decline. He needs to be replaced with fresh blood and new ideas.
  • A number of starters are free agents; most of whom should not be re-signed. Safety Thomas DeCould can’t tackle and hopefully will not return. Middle line backer Curtis Lofton is a good player but not a game changer and should be allowed to seek employment elsewhere. Defensive end John Abraham will be too expensive and it’s time for him to seek new pastures. Brent Grimes (CB) is a great athlete but too small to cover big tight ends and receivers. At 5′ 9” he can’t cover a Jimmy Graham at 6′ 6”.
  • Number 1 receiver Roddy White drops too many passes to be considered a franchise player and should be traded for a left tackle.
  • Tony Gonzalez is a great player but at 35 years old he is in the twilight of  his career, and it was a mistake to award him another contract for 1 year at $7 million.

The nuances of the salary cap are difficult to comprehend and I’m not sure if releasing Robinson, Edwards and Turner would free up their salaries to sign new players. Nevertheless the team needs fixing big time. Are you listening Mr. Blank?

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