The Julio Jones and Matt Ryan era seems to be coming to an end in ATL. During the Dirty Birds’ end of year press conference, Falcons’ owner Arthur Blank all but confirmed a new direction concerning Julio Jones and Matt Ryan.
When asked if he would like Julio Jones and Matt Ryan included in the new staffs plan for the future Blank was somewhat vague in his response. However, what was clear is his desire for the new staff to be competitive both now and several years in to the future.
“Yes they need to be included in the plan but what they do with them is not going to be my decision. The General Manager and the Head Coach are going to have to look at people like Matt and people like Julio and young stars like Calvin Ridley. They need to look at the whole roster, how it’s built for today and how it’s built for tomorrow. Are we getting ready for tomorrow? How do we have a successful transition in to the next chapter and chapters of the Atlanta Falcons? You cannot hire the very best people you can hire whether it be General Managers and Head Coaches and then tie their hands and tell them this person is off limits and that person is off limits. What you’re asking them for which needs to be probed very deeply is, do they have a championship plan? Do they have a plan of turning around the franchise sooner rather than later so we’re winning in 2021? Do we have a plan that’s sustainable over a long period of time so we can make sure this team is competitive not just for the next year or two but over a longer period of time. So whatever that plan looks like and we’re all part of the discussion, we all anoint and approve it. How that affects certain players is how it affects certain players.”
He continued:
“At some point for the best interest of the franchise which is the suit that we have, the holy grail that we have is that we have to make certain transitions and we will do it.”
When referencing former wide receiver Roddy White’s transition he added:
“We were fortunate because of the trade we made a the time we were able to pick up someone like Julio Jones and in anticipation of Julio getting you know, I’m not saying Julio is a great example but we selected someone like Calvin Ridley which apparently has the potential to be a superstar for us and be around for a number of years. That’s the healthy transitions that fans should expect us to go through and be prepared for. Doesn’t mean that we love these players any less, we love them all just as much, whether they’re with us or move on to something else in their lives.”
The Falcons have been in steady decline since their devastating Super Bowl LI loss to the New England Patriots.
You can find the entire interview in its entirety below, fast forward to the 34:00 mark to Blank’s full answer on Jones and Ryan.
