In the middle of the night, the Falcons announced they’d be moving on from Arthur Smith. In the same press announcement, the club added that Arthur Blank and Rich McKay will be leading the search with input from Terry Fontenot and others within the organization.
I don’t know if I have to spell it out, but this is a terrible sign for Falcons fans. McKay failed as a general manager and somehow ended up on the arm of the king’s throne. He’s effectively a king whisperer and I can’t get this idea of Grim Wormtongue out of my head.
He and Blank leading the search for a new head coach is pretty unsettling, and I have no confidence the pair will get it right, but a factor in all of this that cannot be overlooked is the Falcons owner’s shortsightedness.
Blank is 81 years old and desperately wants to win, which will force him into desperation mode. With the desire to win immediately, it seems likely the Falcons hire a proven head coach rather than a first-timer.
This is a terrible process because it immediately limits your options; options that could be better in the long term. Someone like Ben Johnson or Bobby Slowik seems prime to be the next great offensive head coach, but they may not even be considered options in Atlanta because they’re unproven?
Yeah, that’s a flawed way of hiring a head coach. Arthur Blank’s desire to win immediately is going to bite the Falcons in the butt.
—
Photographer: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
You must log in to post a comment.