Falcons owner Arthur Blank plans to root for former Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan and his San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV.
“Yes, I am,” Blank told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution when asked if he was rooting for Shanahan on Wednesday.
The Falcons lost Super Bowl LI 34-28 in overtime after holding a 28-3 lead late in the third quarter. Shanahan's play-calling and clock management played a role in the historic collapse.
» Hummer: More to Super Bowl than rooting against Shanahan
Blank also is fond of the Hunt family, which owns the Chiefs.
“But mostly I’m rooting for a great game and Kansas City as well,” Blank said. “Lamar Hunt, when I first came into the league, was a great friend to me. He named it the Super Bowl.
“His wife has been to every game from the start. Coach (Andy) Reid is an outstanding coach with a great personal story as well. A very special human being as well. For America and both sets of fans, I want to see a real competitive game with some scoring unlike last year.”
Here’s what Blank had to say about three other areas of interest:
Blank on the collective bargaining agreement:
“There has been real progress, man. Talks have been really productive. I can’t tell you that it will get done this week, but I can tell you that real progress is being made. There are reasons on both sides to try to get this thing finished and have it become a win-win for both the players as well the NFL and the owners.”
Blank on the Super Bowl returning to Atlanta:
“We definitely want to be in the mix again. We have a thing called the World Cup that will complicate it a little bit. That will be 2026, and we are on the bid list for those games, but that’s a factor.
Blank on the London game in 2020:
“Every team that has gone to London has had a great experience. I think the first year or two, there were some logistical things that had to be worked through, and they’ve gotten better. It will exciting for us to compete in London. I’m not sure who we’ll play. There is speculation that it’s the Broncos, but I don’t know that. We’ll see.”
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