Quest. To A. Blank: "would Mularkey Or Bvg Have Been Fired Had They Not Taken Other Jobs?" Ans: "no We Were Planning On Them Being Here".

[g-dawg]

did any of you guys here this snippet this morning from an interview with Arthur Blank? I think it was on 790thezone but it might have been 680.

I nearly spewed my coffee when I heard the answer to that question. I'm hoping Arthur just was telling a "white lie" since the guys are already gone. Did anyone else hear this on the radio?

Can you imagine if - after that game - that no changes were made to the coaching staff? talk about loss of hope........

Thank God they(BVG/Mularkey) are both gone.

KEEP HOPE ALIVE, BABY!!!

[I Even Bleed Red]

Blank is classy. He would never admit to that.

[Peyton]

He was just doing Mularkey and the Jags a solid.

BVG would have been a closer call.

[Trouble]

Nope they are gone and he would never throw them under a bus not matter what happened.

[UnrealfalcoN]

There is no way we can make progress without change. Blank is just a good man.

[g-dawg]

Blank is classy. He would never admit to that.

yeah, but I don't see why AB could not have just found a polite way to not answer the question if he did not want to say "yeah we would have canned them".....in other words, AB could have left the question open-ended rather than an outright denial.

To me its disturbing that things could have stayed the same. I think both would have been fired.

[fansince78]

I heard the interview the other day. Mr. Blank went on to say that there would have been an evaluation that included the coaching staff and it was not known what decision would have been made once that evaluation was complete. He laughed and talked about how he was afraid that the Jags would not hire MM after that playoff egg he layed.

Blank is a class act...you have to give him that!

[g-dawg]

I heard the interview the other day. Mr. Blank went on to say that there would have been an evaluation that included the coaching staff and it was not known what decision would have been made once that evaluation was complete. He laughed and talked about how he was afraid that the Jags would not hire MM after that playoff egg he layed.

Blank is a class act...you have to give him that!

that makes me feel better - the snippet played this morning make it sound like neither would have been fired.

[Guest Gritz]

It's real easy to draw at least one conclusion from that:

If Blank was being honest then the way he acted at the press conference a couple of days ago was an act....For practical reasons I don't think it was honest. Let me explain:

If Mularkey and Van Gorder both weren't told weeks ago that their services would no longer be required with the Falcons, what are the odds that both of them would get job offers at virtually the same time and determine, separately or together that they didn't want to be coaches for the Falcons any longer?

Ain't smelling what you're cooking Arthur. Sorry.

[kiwifalcon]

yeah, but I don't see why AB could not have just found a polite way to not answer the question if he did not want to say "yeah we would have canned them".....in other words, AB could have left the question open-ended rather than an outright denial.

To me its disturbing that things could have stayed the same. I think both would have been fired.

Nah G-Dawg thats just who AB is remember the whole Vick thing he doesn't air his dirty laundry in public I think he's just a class act personally he really impresses me as an owner.

[I Even Bleed Red]

I heard the interview the other day. Mr. Blank went on to say that there would have been an evaluation that included the coaching staff and it was not known what decision would have been made once that evaluation was complete. He laughed and talked about how he was afraid that the Jags would not hire MM after that playoff egg he layed.

Blank is a class act...you have to give him that!

Agreed. I love him as our owner. That's why as classy as he is, I was surprised that he threw our O-Line guys under the bus at the press conference. Even though he was, well, right. I think he was just getting a message out to TD to not twist stats to hide our weaknesses. How fired up he was gave me hope for this franchise.

Edited January 13, 2012 by I Even Bleed Red

[falken]

MM deserves a lot more credit than some of you guys are willing to give him for his tenure here in Atlanta. One of the most talented minds to ever wear a headset in a Falcons' Polo has just left. One of the reasons your expectations of these Falcons is so high is no longer a part of 'The Process'. Unless new players are brought in to play offensive line we could have just taken a step back on offense by the MM departure.

...but hey......for some of you it may just be easier to just call me an apologist and think whoever we bring in will have MORE success because there has been a lot of money spent and we have some talent at the skill positions. At least.....that seems to be the logic of many on these boards.

[paulitik]

Yeah, I think Arthur was a lot classier than Mualrkey was. Mularkey threw our talent under the bus when asked about the playoff loss.

No way in hades Mularkey wouldve been back.

[g-dawg]

It's real easy to draw at least one conclusion from that:

If Blank was being honest then the way he acted at the press conference a couple of days ago was an act....For practical reasons I don't think it was honest. Let me explain:

If Mularkey and Van Gorder both weren't told weeks ago that their services would no longer be required with the Falcons, what are the odds that both of them would get job offers at virtually the same time and determine, separately or together that they didn't want to be coaches for the Falcons any longer?

Ain't smelling what you're cooking Arthur. Sorry.

agreed. I think both guys could "read the writing on the wall" that there was at least a 50/50 chance they were not going to be retained. I think the BVG move to Auburn was the most telling because it had been in the works for awhile and it was a lateral move - at best - while some would say a demotion.

[falconidae]

They didn't play the second part of that statment, which was, "... of course, we always have our end of the year evaluations".

In other words, those plans would have changed, espcially after the playoff debacle.

[aerosmith67]

This is a prime example of why Blank is a Billionaire and most on this message board are working with 5 to 6 digit figures in their bank accounts. It's also why people want to work for him. (coaches, players, office staff, etc.)

[Peyton]

agreed. I think both guys could "read the writing on the wall" that there was at least a 50/50 chance they were not going to be retained. I think the BVG move to Auburn was the most telling because it had been in the works for awhile and it was a lateral move - at best - while some would say a demotion.

At most schools maybe. I bet BVG is making at least as much at Auburn as he was making with the Falcons.

[aerosmith67]

Agreed. I love him as our owner. That's why as classy as he is, I was surprised that he threw our O-Line guys under the bus at the press conference. Even though he was, well, right. I think he was just getting a message out to TD to not twist stats to hide our weaknesses. How fired up he was gave me hope for this franchise.

You can't throw someone or a group under the bus when you're stating the obvious. A good businessman will admit where his weaknesses are but then demand the effort to fix those problem areas. Blank is hands down one of the Top 5 owners in the NFL and probably in the Top 10-15 in all of American Pro Sports when it comes to knowing his team and the results they're producing.

[g-dawg]

MM deserves a lot more credit than some of you guys are willing to give him for his tenure here in Atlanta. One of the most talented minds to ever wear a headset in a Falcons' Polo has just left. One of the reasons your expectations of these Falcons is so high is no longer a part of 'The Process'. Unless new players are brought in to play offensive line we could have just taken a step back on offense by the MM departure.

...but hey......for some of you it may just be easier to just call me an apologist and think whoever we bring in will have MORE success because there has been a lot of money spent and we have some talent at the skill positions. At least.....that seems to be the logic of many on these boards.

MM deserves credit for leading Falcons to respectability and what he did in his tenure bringing stability.

But it has been clear over the last 18 games (including two playoff games) that the Falcons were not going to progress as an offense without Mularkey being asked to leave.

Will the Falcons be better without Mularkey? Maybe / Maybe Not.

Were Falcons going to advance in playoffs under Mularkey in future? very, very doubtful.

I just think Falcons are at that crossroads where change had to happen - and hopefully it will be good change.

[aerosmith67]

At most schools maybe. I bet BVG is making at least as much at Auburn as he was making with the Falcons.

Sometimes is not how much you make but also the lifestyle you're able to lead outside of work. The NFL isn't a family friendly environment 12 months out of the year, it's different in college. There's a reason BVG has bounced between the NFL and the College ranks and it's not solely based on job performance.

[g-dawg]

At most schools maybe. I bet BVG is making at least as much at Auburn as he was making with the Falcons.

agreed.

[Big_D]

MM and BVG knew they were on the chopping block before the Giant game implosion ever happened. Their resumes were flying out the door to anyone that would hire them weeks ago.

Footnote : Arthur Blank is the best thing that has happened to the Falcons. He has a plan up his sleeve to bring us out of this temporary slump!

[fansince78]

MM deserves a lot more credit than some of you guys are willing to give him for his tenure here in Atlanta.

I can actually agree with you on that. He was instrumental in taking this team from the toilet into the mid average NFL team. That was quite an accomplishment considering the state of the team back then. I am glad he is gone, but you can't fail to appreciate what he did here.

[freebird310]

At most schools maybe. I bet BVG is making at least as much at Auburn as he was making with the Falcons.

If not more ..........

[g-dawg]

I can actually agree with you on that. He was instrumental in taking this team from the toilet into the mid average NFL team. That was quite an accomplishment considering the state of the team back then. I am glad he is gone, but you can't fail to appreciate what he did here.

similiar to what I stated and true......having said that, Roddy was coming into his own in 2007 the season before and you added a mature young QB and franchise RB - so its not like Mularkey brought Falcons up from ashes without significant new pieces his first year. that should be pointed out.