Atlanta Falcons Owner Arthur Blank 'Certainly More Optimistic' About Playoff Hopes

Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank outlined his expectations for the 2024 season after firing Arthur Smith following a disappointing 2023 campaign.

Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank has playoff aspirations for his team this fall. / Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- At 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, Arthur Blank scanned the Jimmy Cribb Press Room, donning a red button-down shirt lined with faint black lines, black jeans and a red-and-black belt. He sat behind a rectangular white table draped with a black Atlanta Falcons cover.

For the next half-hour, Atlanta's 81-year-old owner, discussed quarterbacks, locker room changes and, perhaps most important, expectations -- of which he has many.

The biggest? Blank anticipates the Falcons will be playing games into the later part of January.

"My hope is that we'll be in the playoffs," Blank said. "And I have a reason to think we're going to be very competitive this year. But we've got to play the schedule, play the teams and make it happen."

Blank acknowledged there are 31 other owners who feel the same excitement he holds, and Atlanta's schedule is competitive. Blank said he went through it once more Monday night, noting the looming Week 1 reunion with recently fired head coach Arthur Smith and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Among the biggest notes on Atlanta's schedule is the return of prime-time games, with the Falcons set to play four -- Monday Night Football against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 2, Sunday Night Football against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 3, Thursday Night Football against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 5 and Monday Night Football against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 15.

The Falcons' last prime-time game came Nov. 10, 2022, against the Carolina Panthers. Atlanta suffered a 25-15 loss on Thursday Night Football and, in 2023, was relegated to a standalone Sunday morning time slot in London against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 4.

Blank understands why the Falcons haven't received the spotlight. After all, they went 7-10 in each of Smith's three years. Between record, competitiveness and the right type of matchup, Blank said it's the NFL's responsibility to provide a product fans want to see.

And this year, Atlanta fits the bill -- and has the prime-time slots to show for it.

"I think the fact we have four national games compared to none the past two years is a tribute to (the NFL's) feeling that we do have a much more competitive team this year," Blank said. "So, I'm excited about that."

Blank is entering his 23rd year as the Falcons' owner. The team is 178-176-1 under his guidance with eight playoff appearances to show.

But over the past six years, the story has taken a downward turn.

Atlanta has won seven games in five of those six, the lone exception coming in a four-win season in 2020. The Falcons haven't made the playoffs in that span and haven't been above .500 in the regular season since 2017.

Blank feels the stretch, while disappointing, is merely a bump in the road to his time at the helm as opposed to a representation of where the organization is headed.

"We've had, for many years, a very, very competitive team and had, year after year, winning records," Blank said. "We had six years where our record has not been what we wanted it to be. There's been reason for it.

"But the reasons are the reasons, and we have to deal with those reasons and make sure we eliminate that."

Perhaps the most prominent reason is quarterback, a position Blank called "deficient" Jan. 8, the afternoon after firing Smith. The Falcons have since revamped the room, signing four-time Pro Bowler Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract and drafting Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8 overall.

Blank said he and the organization saw the side effects of not having a succession plan in place after moving on from Matt Ryan in the spring of 2022, and doubling down was a plausible pathway to building a competitive team in both the short- and long-term.

When searching for Smith's replacement in January, Blank emphasized finding a coach with a plan at quarterback. Morris provided one, and Blank is pleased with how the position looks entering the fall.

Blank is similarly excited about the staff Morris has built, citing the trio of coordinators in Zac Robinson (offensive), Jimmy Lake (defensive) and Marquice Williams (special teams) and the depth assembled beneath them.

But the roster is Blank's biggest pride point. He listed improvements made in free agency, the quality of draft picks and the quality of the aging of past draft picks and free agents to bolster the defensive line, offensive skill positions, quarterback room and young nucleus of defensive talent as particular standouts.

"I'm excited, for all the right reasons, about where we are," Blank said. "I'm reasonably very excited. I have reason to be enthusiastic, excited."

Blank said he has a strong relationship with Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot, who keep him aware are like-minded, which is another part of why the Falcons hired Morris on Jan. 25.

Since moving Rich McKay, CEO of Arthur M. Blank Sports & Entertainment, out of day-to-day football operations, Blank receives updates directly from Morris and Fontenot. They will talk every day in-season, but over the summer, it's less frequent, as Blank wanted to provide space to connect with friends and family.

Blank noted there's a lot that can slip between the cup and the lip, and while the Falcons plan on tasting playoff success, plenty of work remains. Blank, who said the organization is "pumped and ready to go," reflects back on the past-22 years with mixed emotions -- and a sense 2024 could mark a return to the expectations he holds.

"I feel good about where we are," Blank said. "I look back and there have been periods in 23 years that I'm incredibly proud of the amount of winning we've done in that time. The last six years have not been up to my standards and up to the standards of the building and our fans."

As he often does, Blank expressed gratitude to the fans, who played a central role in Mercedes-Benz Stadium being voted as the best experience to watch games.

But Blank, who considers himself a representative of the fans, said the Falcons need to earn their support. Hungry for a Super Bowl, Blank hopes the year ahead will be one to remember -- and he's feeling emotions he hasn't since the Falcons were last competitive.

"Am I optimistic? I'm definitely optimistic, certainly more optimistic than I've been in several years," Blank said. "And I have reason to feel that. But every game is a battle. It's going to be an interesting season in all ways."