The Falcons interviewed Rick Smith and Anthony Robinson for their vacant general manager job, the team announced Friday night.
The interviews of Robinson, the Falcons’ director of college scouting, and Smith, a former Houston Texans general manager, were conducted virtually, as no in-person interviews may be held with any candidate until the conclusion of the regular season.
Robinson was in his 14th season with the Falcons personnel department and his second as the team’s director of college scouting. He began his career in Atlanta as a scouting assistant for three seasons before being elevated to Southeast Area scout and then the team’s eastern regional scout covering half the country in 2016.
Prior to working with the Falcons Robinson worked with BLESTO scouting as a scouting assistant intern from (2007-08), an undergraduate assistant coach (wide receivers) at Florida State University (2005-07) and in the Baltimore Ravens player personnel department as an intern in 2006.
Robinson is a native of Tallahassee, where he lettered four years in football and track at Godby High School. Robinson played running back at Morgan State University before transferring to Florida State University and earning his bachelor’s degree in Sports Management in 2006.
It’s noteworthy that Falcons owner Arthur Blank is on the NFL’s workplace-diversity committee, which passed the original Rooney Rule in 2002. Falcons president and CEO Rich McKay is the chairman of the powerful competition committee. Both Robinson and Smith are minority candidates.
Some of the other minority candidates for general manager include Miami executives Reggie McKenzie and Marvin Allen; Las Vegas director of pro personnel Dwayne Joseph; Buffalo director of pro personnel Malik Boyd; Kansas City director of pro personnel Tim Terry; Chicago assistant director of player personnel Champ Kelly; and San Francisco vice president of player personnel Martin Mayhew, but they are with teams and under contracts.
Former New York Giants general manager Jerry Reese, who was part of two Super Bowl-winning teams, is unemployed.
“Because of the nuances of the pandemic this year, how we’re dealing with that, how it affects the league year, how it affects college, a variety of other things, we may be doing things a little bit out of the normal sequence,” Blank said. “We’ll look for the most talented people as soon as they’re available.”
The hottest Black coaching candidates with extensive NFL experience are Kansas City offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy and Tampa Bay offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich, the latter a former Falcons quarterback.
Other non-minority candidates include New England’s Josh McDaniels, Buffalo’s Brian Daboll, Colts’ Matt Eberflus, Tennessee’s Arthur Smith, Saints defensive coordinator Dennis Allen and Baltimore’s Greg Roman.
Last season, Ron Rivera, who went to Washington, was the only minority coach hired. Two teams, Carolina and the New York Giants, took wild flyers. Carolina went with Matt Rhule, who was a college head coach at Baylor and Temple. The Giants hired Joe Judge, a special-teams coach, whose team lost its first five games and now is 5-8.
Falcons’ final three games
Buccaneers at Falcons at 1 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 20
Falcons at Chiefs at 1 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 27
Falcons at Buccaneers at 1 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 3
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