FLOWERY BRANCH — Falcons owner Arthur Blank, a native of New York, grew up rooting for New York Giants players such as Sam Huff, Andy Robustelli and the great Y.A. Tittle.
He later crossed over to the darkside and rooted for the Jets after Joe Namath won him over.
But when the Falcons face the New York Giants at 1 p.m. Sunday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., Blank, understandably, will not support the team he cheered for in his youth.
Recently Blank spoke with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution about his team’s recent success, stadium issues and Braves ownership.
Q: Are you pleased with your third trip to the playoffs over the last four seasons?
A: Well, I'm excited about the last four winning seasons, back-to-back-to-back-to-back for the first time in our history. First time in our history, three out of four seasons in the playoffs. What I'm not excited about is that we have not won a playoff game since 2004. I think that the staff, starting with [general manager] Thomas [Dimitroff], [coach Mike Smith] and the players, they all understand this is the second part of the season. Smith might say the third part after the preseason, regular season and now the playoffs. Before we move to that next level of being called an elite team we have to be successful at this level. That's goes for the entire organization. I'm excited about the opportunity. We'll go and compete.
Q: What was your favorite play or favorite part of the regular season?
A: Matt [Ryan] has had a very fine season, and that was reflected in the most passing yards [in a season] in our history. It was great to see Michael Turner set the record for most touchdowns scored. It was great to see the team achieve at the levels already described and the quality of preparation. I was excited to see our young players, starting with Julio [Jones], continue to step up, mature and contribute to the team. There was a lot to be excited about. ...
Q: Are you pleased with the early returns on the Julio Jones trade?
A: Yes, I certainly am. I think he's going to be an important player for us for a lot of years. I think he's really stepped up as a rookie. He got hurt during the year, but his productivity was high. He has the ability to create those explosive plays that we've been talking about for several years now. They were in evidence over the last several games, and the fact that he just got that recognition as the rookie of the month is important as well. That is a reflection of what he's capable of doing. He's a very young man.
Q: (After last season’s playoff defeat, Blank said quarterbacks are judged by their play in the fourth quarter and the postseason.) Given that comment, is there any extra pressure on Matt Ryan to win this playoff game?
A: I wasn't trying to put extra pressure on Matt. I think it's true whether if you are an owner or the head coach or general manager or the quarterback for the whole team. The teams in the NFL, all of the time, teams like the Packers, teams like the Steelers and teams like the Colts, despite this one year, and even the Saints, in our own division, are really remembered now because of the [Super Bowl] rings they have. To get to that next level, that's where we need to be. I think the team is on the verge of doing that. But it's easy to say it, we've got to do it, now. Any of our players would say the same thing.
Q: Did you grow up a Giants fan?
A: Yes. I have great respect for their organization. The Mara family has provided incredible ownership in the league. John Mara's dad, Wellington Mara, was great to me when he was with us. The Tisch family has been a wonderful addition to the league as well. They are a very well-run team, and they have a great coach in [Tom] Coughlin. They have an awful lot of talent, led by a quarterback [Eli Manning] that knows how to win in the fourth quarter. It will be a very competitive game.
Q: Where does the stadium issue stand?
A: We continue to work closely with the Georgia World Congress Center. We've got a great relationship with them. This is a long process that we are going through. We want a solution that will work well for all of our stake holders, starting with our fans, the community, the stadium itself, our sponsors and all of the people involved. We want to position the franchise to be competitive for the next 35 to 40 years.
Q: Do you have a concern that the open-air concept will harm Atlanta’s ability to attract events to the Georgia Dome?
A: No, I think that the new stadium would work well [in conjunction with the Georgia Dome] for certain events, most obviously basketball, which needs to be played inside. There are a number of other events that need to be played inside. I think having both stadiums will work well together.
Q: When will you buy the Braves from Liberty Media?
A: I don't have any plans to buy the Braves at this time. I don't think the Braves are for sale at this time. I wish whoever does buy the Braves continues to support the team at the level that they have in the past and bring us the same successful baseball teams that we've had in the past.
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