| It was only a matter of time before Arthur
Blank, the dapper new owner of the Atlanta Falcons, started making his presence felt on
the NFL landscape. It didn’t take long at all for Blank, who made a fortune as the
co-founder of Home Depot, to prove he was willing to open his checkbook to shore up a team
that has been hopelessly mediocre for most of its existence.
Not long before Redskins owner Daniel Synder broke the bank for Marvin Lewis, Blank had
made Wade Phillips the highest-paid assistant coach in the league as the Falcons’ new
defensive coordinator. Phillips, who goes way back with Falcons head coach Dan Reeves,
replaced Don Blackmon, who was in way over his head last season.
Blank also earnestly looked into the availability of some of the NFL’s most
respected personnel people in an effort to fill the new GM post he feels is a necessary
building block if the Falcons are to become a solid contender.
Blank was turned down by numerous top-quality candidates, most notably Tampa Bay GM
Rich McKay, who took himself out of the running after patching up his feud with the
Bucs’ ownership that developed during the team’s search for a head coach to
replace Tony Dungy.
At this writing, though, it looks like the Falcons might be getting the next-best thing
to McKay in Tim Ruskell, the Bucs’ equally well-regarded director of player
personnel. The 45-year-old Ruskell, considered "one of the best-kept secrets in
football" by Bears GM Jerry Angelo, has been interviewed twice for the GM post.
Ruskell is the only one of five actual interviewees to be granted a second interview.
Meanwhile, the Falcons officially entered the free-agent fray Wednesday morning when
they signed Todd Weiner, a versatile, 6-4, 300-pound, four-year veteran offensive tackle
from the Seahawks.
In the process of dumping, among others, QB Cris Chandler, WR Terance Mathis and FS
Ronnie Bradford and persuading RB Jamal Anderson to play for a $2 million salary instead
of $5 million, Blank said he expected the Falcons to be an "active player" in
the free-agent market once they got under the salary cap.
The signing of Weiner to a five-year deal — reportedly worth $17.5 million, with a
$5.5 million signing bonus — provides an indication that Blank is a man of his word.
After performing particularly well last season and actually proving to be a lot more
valuable the past few seasons than Seahawks OT Chris McIntosh, a former first-round pick
of the Seahawks, Weiner had been attracting a lot of interest in the early stages of free
agency.
The offensive line and wide receiver were considered key areas of need for the Falcons
a year ago at this time. Finally, after failing to do anything to significantly shore up
these areas last season, they have stepped up to the plate to provide Michael Vick with
more badly needed protection.
Now if they can pick up some more offensive firepower through the free-agent market,
they could really be on to something. A receiver capable of doing some damage downfield
such as the Rams’ Az-Zahir Hakim — or possibly Qadry Ismail (Ravens), Michael
Westbrook (Redskins) or Germane Crowell (Lions) — could be just what the doctor
ordered.
A running back such as the 49ers’ Garrison Hearst, a former University of Georgia
standout who could be a tantalizing box-office draw, could be even better, provided he
passes all the necessary tests and is willing to come down a bit from his supposed asking
price of $3 million per year.
Hearst is said to be more than a little interested in the Falcons.
So are a lot of people in the football world — now that Blank is showing that he
means business. |
