FLOWERY BRANCH — A dejected Falcons owner Arthur Blank left the locker room not in a good mood at Soldier Field in Chicago on Sunday.
“He’s not going to talk,” a team spokesman told the media.
Blank customarily sits in on the postgame press conferences and meets with the head coach on Mondays. Unlike Jets owner Woody Johnson, who’s come out in support of his general manager Joe Douglas and coach Robert Saleh, Blank has not been available to the media who regularly cover the team.
However, after the loss to the Panthers on Dec. 17, he did address the football team in an interview with Jeff Hullinger of Georgia Public Broadcasting. Blank said he wanted to wait until after the season.
“We’ll let the season play out and go from there,” Blank said of Smith’s status.
At the time, the Falcons were 6-8 with a chance to post a winning record at 9-8. Now, after a loss to the Bears, the best the Falcons can do is 8-9.
Falcons coach Arthur Smith is on the verge of completing his third consecutive losing season, in three seasons as the team’s coach. Theoretically, the Falcons could make the playoffs and get over the .500 mark if they could reach the NFC Championship game.
“We talk a lot, all the time,” Smith said Monday when asked if he met with Blank. “You’re talking about old narratives. We talk all the time. There are things we used to do. We talk after every game, and nothing has changed in that regard.”
Smith was asked if he was told that he’d be retained after the season, like Johnson has publicly said of the Jets’ executives.
“We always talk about a lot of things,” Smith said. “Nobody has the state of the union every Monday. I appreciate the questions, this is the situation you’re in. It’s the natural cycle of the NFL, but all of our focus is on the New Orleans.”
Smith, who succeeded Dan Quinn as the franchise head coach, is fine with addressing his status. He believes it goes with the territory.
“Everything that we’ve done since I’ve been here is the same routine the whole time,” Smith said. “I’ve commented many times, you work in pro football, you know the market that you’re in. You know the industry that you’re in.”
The Falcons went 7-10 in Smith’s first two seasons. It appears the new regime botched the transition from franchise quarterback Matt Ryan.
“If you don’t like it or you’re looking for comfort, go do something else,” Smith said. “I’m very confident and grateful. This is what I love to do. You’re not looking for comfort when you take these jobs. If you are, you’re delusional.”
The Bow Tie Chronicles
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