Falcons owner Arthur Blank discussed coach Arthur Smith’s status and the plight of quarterback Desmond Ridder in an interview with Georgia Public Broadcasting on Tuesday.
He was on the program to discuss legendary Georgians on behalf of his foundation and veteran journalist Jeff Hullinger, a former team announcer, slipped in a few football questions.
Blank was non-committal about Smith’s status for next season.
“We’re committed to coach Smith,” said Blank when asked if Smith would be the coach in 2024. “We’re going to play these last three games. We’ll play them to win them. We’ll let the season play out and go from there.”
The Falcons are currently 6-8 and are coming off a horrible 9-7 loss to the Panthers, who were 1-12 before the contest. The Falcons are in second place in the NFC South, one game behind the Bucs and Saints with three games to play.
The Falcons’ playoff probability is at 7%, according to the New York Times playoff simulation. They will play their regular-season home finale Sunday against the Colts (8-6) with road games against the Bears (5-9) and Saints (7-7) to end the season.
The Falcons only have one win over a team with a winning record (Houston). Blank said that making the playoffs was not a requirement for Smith to retain his job.
“That was never really a requirement,” Blank said. “The requirement was that we have a more competitive team this year. A winning team this year. I think that through this part of the season it’s been mixed quite honestly…We’ll see how the season plays out and go from there.”
Here’s the football portion of the interview:
Hullinger: In 2024 is Arthur Smith going to be the head coach of your football team?
Blank: “We’re committed to Coach Smith. We’re going to play these last three games. We’ll play them to win them. We’ll let the season play out and go from there. Obviously, this has not been the kind of year that we expected. You’ll hear that first from Coach Smith. You’d hear it from our Fans. You’d hear it from our players. We understand that. We understand the challenges. At the end of the year, we’ll assess where we are and go from there.”
Hullinger: Does he have to get to the playoffs to come back?
Blank: “No. That was never really a requirement. The requirement was that we have a more competitive team this year. A winning team this year. I think that through this part of the season it’s been mixed quite honestly. I think that’s what the coach would say. Arthur is a very honest, very…….he looks at himself very critically. He comes from a beautiful family. Great values and he reflects those values in his leadership as best he can. We’ll see how the season plays out and go from there.”
Hullinger: The quarterback situation has been tough this year.
Blank: “It has been tough. We certainly had high hopes for Desmond Ridder. He’s done a lot of good things for us this year. He’d be the first to tell you that it he hasn’t been the kind of consistent performer that we’d like him to be. In this business, the NFL business or even if it was college ball, when you have turnovers it’s a very tough thing to overcome.”
Hullinger: “It’s a public business. You’ve got to please the fans.”
Blank: “Well, you’ve got to please the fans. It is about pleasing the fans, but it is about really putting a product on the field that you know represents the best, the best of our roster and the best of what we can put together and in my case it’s having the best people that we can making the critical decisions. I don’t want to be in a position every year of having to pick players. I’ve never done that. I wouldn’t know how to do it. I’m like a fan in that regard. I have opinions, but so does….everybody else in Atlanta. But I think it’s really making sure we have the right people. Making sure they are fully empowered. Make sure they have all of the resources. Then making the decisions that they should make to put a winning product on the field. That’s their job.”
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