Q&A: Falcons owner Arthur Blank

Q: How do you feel about the team going into the season?

A: I like the direction of the Falcons. We are well-positioned to have another good year. But there is nobody in this league that is going to give you anything. We’ve got to go out and play. The teams we are competing against are very powerful.

Q: What was the toughest part of the lockout for you?

A: Just in going through the process, it was very difficult because we have a great relationship with our players. But the players, the league and owners were able to get a deal done that’s a sustainable winning deal for everybody. From a personal standpoint, the most difficult thing was feeling the angst of our fans.

Q: What would be a successful season for the Falcons in 2011?

A: I’m not into predicting our record, but obviously I would like to see us get to the playoffs again. That would make it three out of four years. That would be great. Obviously, then I’d like to see us go deep into the playoffs. ... Those are our goals. Be in the playoffs. ... We are a significant team in terms of both our power rankings that all of the pundits are putting together. I think when we get to the playoffs we ought to be viewed that way as well.

Q: How has Matt Ryan done in leading the franchise thus far?

A: Well, I think he’s been great. I really liked the kind of leadership that he’s showed this spring when we didn’t have our normal minicamps and our OTAs. Matt was able to provide the leadership with the camp that he put together with Curtis Lofton and others, to get the young men that we had coming to the workouts on a voluntary basis. He was both the player as well as the coach. I feel great about him on the field as well as off the field.

Q: Your thoughts on the home opener being against Philadelphia and your former quarterback, Michael Vick?

A: Well, our first home game is going to be like any other game. It’s a very good team we are playing. It’s one of the better teams in the NFC and one of the better teams we’ll face. The fact that their quarterback is Michael Vick, in terms of our coaches and players, is really not going to make any difference. ... We look forward to competing. Obviously, I wish Michael well, except when he plays against us. I’ve been a big fan of Michael’s return to the NFL. I’m happy that he’s had on-field success and now I’m happy that he’s had some financial success as well.

Q: How important was it to sign coach Mike Smith and general manager Thomas Dimitroff to contract extensions this offseason?

A: It was very important. These guys are the leaders of our football business. They represent two very fine parts of our organization on the coaching side and the personnel side. I’m thrilled to have them provide that leadership and the consistency of that leadership, which is very important in terms of success in the National Football League.

If you look at the best teams in the league over time, they maintain their leadership: their general manager, their coach and all of their coordinators and coaches. Many of their key personnel, the sound evaluators, the salary-cap people, and we’ve been able to do that. ... I feel very fortunate to have them provide that leadership for a number of years going forward.

Q: What’s been done to improve the fan experience this year?

A: We continue to work on a variety of projects, including providing better Falcons stats during the game to our fans. We are going to provide the highlights from around the league. We are going to provide the depth charts, so that they can follow the progress of our first team on the video boards. ... We’ve focused on getting more parking and getting our fans in and out of the parking lots after the games.