AJC > Sports > Columnists > Archives > 2008 > January > 04
Friday, January 4, 2008
Mathis eager to be Falcons’ next GM
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Terence Moore
Long before the Falcons culminated one of the worst seasons on and off the field for a professional franchise, Terance Mathis wanted to become the team’s general manager. He was obsessed with the job, and nothing has changed.
It’s a challenging job, even for those involved with franchises used to prospering instead of reeling. And, no, Mathis hasn’t any experience at that job, and, yes, his most striking qualification for the job is that he excelled as an NFL wide receiver for most of his 13 seasons.
Still, the Redan High School standout who was a significant player and leader on the Falcons’ only Super Bowl team had an interesting thought on Friday. “If Barack Obama can win Iowa, why can’t I be the general manager of the Falcons?” said Mathis, 40, which makes you sort of wonder why not, indeed?
Let’s start with this: Mathis is excited about the job, which puts him in a group that nearly could squeeze inside a Gatorade bucket. The franchise quarterback is in prison on dogfighting charges. The rest of the roster is a mess. There is no head coach, because the previous one preferred to leave with three games left in his first season and call hogs at Arkansas. The owner is omnipresent, and the Georgia Dome is becoming omni-empty.
So Bill Cowher turned down the Falcons, and then Bill Parcells said yes or something before taking over as guru of the Miami Dolphins. Now the Falcons’ search committee of owner Arthur Blank, whatever you want to call Rich McKay and consultant Ernie Accorsi is interviewing candidates for the general manager and coaching jobs from around the nation.
Mathis said that search committee needn’t go farther than driving distance of Flowery Branch. “With me as your GM, you’re hiring a DeKalb County product, who had eight strong seasons with the Falcons, and who still lives here and is active in the community,” said Mathis, who boldly told Blank in early 2002, soon after he purchased the franchise during Mathis’ last months as a Falcons player: “I’m going to be your next general manager of this team.”
The incoming general manager back then was McKay, who has recently been demoted by Blank to work mostly on stadium projects, and Mathis said he is ready to fulfill his self-proclaimed prophecy. He spent the summer as a coaching and scouting intern with the Baltimore Ravens under respected general manager Ozzie Newsome. He spent the season analyzing the Falcons’ issues at length. He spent the time afterward developing something called “The Gameplan,” which he hopes to show Blank during an interview that he has requested but has yet to receive.
What’s first in “The Gameplan?”
“I would sit down with everybody in the personnel department, both pro and college, and I would ask them about their philosophy in regard to going out and acquiring players,” Mathis said. “Then I would see if their philosophy fits my philosophy, which is getting the best player for the positions that we need.”
Then what? Mathis said, “I would meet with the team to tell them the direction that we’re going and what we’re thinking. At that time, if there wasn’t a head coach, I would tell them that I was going to find a guy that I knew who would be loyal and dedicated to the organization for the long term.
“I want a young, upstart guy who could relate to today’s players and who could motivate and put together a staff that can communicate with these guys.”
What else? “One of my first initiatives would be to go to different community events, just to assure folks where we’re going as an organization and how we’re trying to build our reputation,” Mathis said. “Actually, I’d be out trying to sell season tickets to get the fans back. That would include getting players to do public-service announcements and not just personal endorsements. Your ticket holders want to know that you care about them.”
They mostly want you to win, which also is in “The Gameplan.” Mathis said, “The next two to three years, we want to win the division, go deep in the playoffs and eventually win the Super Bowl.”
The tough part for the Falcons is doing all of those things. The tough part for Mathis is getting an interview with Blank, then getting the job, and then getting all of those things done.
Permalink | Comments (27) | Categories: Falcons / NFL, Terence Moore
.JPG)
-1.JPG)
Services »
