The Falcons are clearly rebuilding, but they might be the best rebuilding team of all time. Jokes aside, Atlanta has exceeded most people’s expectations this season. During the offseason, media pundits and analysts alike predicted the Falcons to be a bottom-three team in the NFL; some even projected the Dirty Birds to hold the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft (USA Today).
The Falcons currently sit one game under .500 after a thrashing from the Bengals. It was the first time all season the team looked completely outmatched and remained uncompetitive throughout the contest. Despite the Week 7 beatdown, the Falcons remain atop the NFC South, which has quickly become the worst division in the league.
Atlanta has punched above its weight class with a victory over a hobbled Niners team, despite having one of the least talented rosters in the league. The Falcons are currently operating with the least amount of cap space allocated to active rostered players, and it’s not particularly close. Fielding a competitive team with nearly $80 million in dead money is a feat. And Falcons owner, Arthur Blank, is thrilled with the progress and optimistic about the future of the franchise.
On with @steakshapiro this morning, Arthur Blank said of the Falcons: "We still have players to add and work to do, but I'm very optimistic about the direction of the team… I love our leadership. I love our players. We're still building this team."
— Mike Conti (@MikeConti929) October 24, 2022
Blank is a polarizing character among the Falcons faithful. Many believe he’s the root of all evil and the reason the team has been stuck in mediocrity for so long. Others look through rose colored glasses and think Blank is the second coming of Christ. In reality, there are much worse owners — i.e., Dan Snyder, Mike Brown, Stephen Ross, etc. — and much better owners — Robert Kraft, Art Rooney, the Hunt Family, etc.
Still, Blank is closer to the best owner in football than the worst. Outside of a couple of boneheaded decisions (Julio Jones extension, Deshaun Watson pursuit, etc.), Blank has represented the team, city and fan base with class. And to put a cherry on it, the man dresses like an absolute gangster.
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