Atlanta Falcons Fans Should Group-Hug Owner Arthur Blank

Atlanta Falcons fans have long awaited an opportunity to overcome one of the most implausible records in sports-never having back-to-back winning seasons.  Let me assure the city that this inglorious record will come to an end at the finish of the 2009/10 NFL campaign.  And the man to thank is owner Arthur Blank.

In 2002, Mr. Blank purchased the team for a modest 500 million from the Smith family.  The Smiths had tried for years to get the team on the winning track, but only had five winning seasons to show for it.  Each season that followed was a huge disappointment, which gave fans the feeling that the winning seasons were simply aberrations.

Before the Smiths sold the team, they had made the decision to draft the amazing Michael Vick.  Mr. Blank decided to build the team around the superstar, but to no avail.  He hired Jim Mora to coach Vick, but Vick never could overcome the team's deficiencies, and after the 2006 campaign he admitted to dog-fighting and was eventually released from the team.  Mora was fired 2 seasons after leading the Falcons to the NFC Championship in 2004, mainly due to late season collapses and a sense of immaturity in his coaching style.

The Vick debacle caused Mr Blank to hit the "reset" button and start over.  He looked to the Patriots organisation and hired Thomas Dimitroff as GM.  He then hired Mike Smith, a mainstay in the NFL with the Jaguars, but a little-known coach outside the NFL.  The fans yawned.

In the critical draft that followed, the Falcons elected to draft Matt Ryan as their future QB.  They acquired Michael Turner from the Chargers to run the football.  With a piecemeal defense and solid offensive line play, the Falcons finished an improbable 11-5, losing to Arizona in the first round of the playoffs.  The fans began to take notice.

Mr Blank learned from his mistakes and hired people smarter than him to make the football decisions.  This in turn lead to the concept of building a winning team, rather than building a team around a superstar.  While this year's schedule looks daunting, one could argue that every season's schedule is daunting due to parity in the NFL.  

The fans will be rewarded for their patience because of Arthur Blank's decisions.  They will have a winning season this year due to the ability Mr Blank had to re asses his goals and make the right hiring decisions.  After this winning season, giving them back-to-back winning seasons, the fans in Atlanta will be lining up to hug Mr Blank and thank him for his masterful decisions.