Arthur Blank: ‘Kirk Cousins is our franchise quarterback, is our starting quarterback’

Opening statement: “Welcome to an early Christmas. We’ve gotten cranked up. Good to see you all. When I see all these smiley faces, I know it’s the start of another season. So, happy to be here, happy to see you, and I hope everybody had a good summer, you got a chance to get a little bit of rest, spend time with your family and loved ones, and you’re all good.

“Well, I’m happy to visit with you. We’ve got a limited amount of time, but I’ll share any responses to any questions you have. It really is great to be here and great to be at the early part of camp. First day with pads on, which is always good to see. Players are transitioning into the more physical time of the year. Gone through OTAs and beginning training camp and had our first high school practice Friday night – Saturday night, I should say. This coming Friday night, we’ll be at the stadium. But players are in great shape and (the) coaching staff is in great shape. We’re ready to go. We have a very competitive schedule and playing a lot of great teams. We’ll certainly have to be at our best to be able to achieve the records that we hope to achieve this coming year. So, with that, I’ll just open it up and you guys, gals, can ask any questions you’d like.”

How do you see the news this morning about season-ticket sales being completely gone?

“Well, it’s great. I mean obviously, it’s a tribute to our fans. I’ve been blessed really having a great – Atlanta has been blessed having a great fan base since I acquired the team in 2001, 2002 being our first season. To see us come back to that position that we were in for many years of being sold out is a wonderful – it’s a tribute to our fans, a tribute to the franchise, to the stadium itself. We put a lot of effort into making sure the stadium, which is now on its seventh year, is kept in pristine shape, current in all ways. Made changes to seating, suite areas, lounge areas, loge areas, a variety of things. We want to make sure that we have a competitive product on the field for our fans to enjoy. I think we will. It’s great. It’s great news.”

Also, we haven’t talked to you since the tampering case was settled or the drafting of Michael Penix Jr. after Kirk Cousins was signed. How have those things squared up?

“Well obviously, they’re not connected. So, the tampering situation, we were advised by the NFL that we didn’t dot every ‘I’ and cross every ‘T,’ despite our attempt to do that. There were a couple of procedural mistakes, I think, that were made by the organization. We fully cooperated with the NFL, as we always do in any sort of investigation. They found there were certain things were deficient in the way we handled things with Kirk (Cousins), (Darnell Mooney and Charlie Woerner). We’ve addressed those things internally. Find something that’s a problem, you fix it and make sure it doesn’t happen again. That’s our attitude about it. The NFL is certainly doing their job and doing it well.”

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com

The league was kind of caught off guard when you (drafted) Penix Jr. You had just signed Cousins and paid him a pretty good salary. And then (you pick another QB) when the so-called ‘draft people’ thought you might go defensive line?

”Right, yeah. So, you know, thank heavens we don’t always listen to the league. And thank heavens we don’t always listen to the media. And thank heavens we don’t always do what everybody else thinks we should be doing. We’re actually very independent thinkers. And the decision about Penix, in this case, at number eight – I’ll go back a little bit and say that we’ve made it clear to Kirk and others that we probably were going to draft a quarterback during this draft. As it turned out, Michael Penix, for our coaching staff and our personnel department, graded extraordinarily high. They viewed him as a tremendous player. And that, you know, we’ve been through a situation, post-Matt Ryan, when we’re seeing that movie when we didn’t have a franchise quarterback. We didn’t want to repeat that again. I mean, I certainly didn’t. I’m super sensitive to all forms of succession planning. After 60-odd years of business, in any business, that’s critical. At the key position, the quarterback position in the NFL, that’s very important. So, just listening to our coaching staff and our personnel department, they really made the decision. Michael was going to be available at number eight. They saw an extraordinary talent. Kirk Cousins is our franchise quarterback, is our starting quarterback and he seems to be doing great from a medical standpoint. His attitude, his leadership, culturally, personally, with our players, with the coaching staff, has been nothing short of outstanding. So, we couldn’t be happier with that situation. But, you know, I know age does kind of creep up. I can speak myself personally on that a little bit. I know what that means. Kirk will be 36 at the start of the season. We hope and pray he’s got three to four great years in front of him, maybe beyond that. Who knows? But we also know that at some point, there will be a point that we’ll need a transition. We want to make sure we do that smoothly. We didn’t necessarily use the Green Bay (Packers) model, although what Green Bay did, it was very interesting. When they signed Jordan Love, whatever year it was, I can’t remember off hand now, but it was a lot of the same discussion. Aaron (Rodgers) was their quarterback and obviously a Hall of Fame player. They made a decision at that time to think about the future and plan for their future, not knowing what was going to happen with Aaron, you know, longer term and he was getting a little bit older as well. Today, you couldn’t find a phone number in the zip code of Green Bay where they aren’t going to click their heels and jump for joy that they have Jordan Love. So, they just signed him to one of the biggest contracts for a quarterback in the history of the NFL and currently the NFL. So, we’re doing our advance planning and doing our advance thinking. That’s what fans expect of us to do. Maybe not right at the moment. At the moment, they may have liked a different player. But at some point, down the road, they’ll want to know that we can have a smooth transition at that very critical position for the Atlanta Falcons in the National Football League.”

At what point was Cousins informed you were probably going to take a quarterback in the draft? Our understanding was that he was not informed until, you know, five minutes before the pick. Are you saying that conversation happened earlier?

”Yes, I know that Raheem (Morris), at a minimum, I think Terry (Fontenot) as well, during the contract discussions – I wasn’t there, but they advised him that we obviously would potentially pick a quarterback to groom and develop along the way. And so, I think he was surprised, as many people were. And frankly, we were, in the sense that our plan was not to pick a quarterback at number eight. But with the grades that our personnel department and coaching staff had on Penix Jr. and him being available at number eight, it turned out that that’s what happened. So, I do know this, that during, as we approached number eight, they made every effort to reach out directly to Kirk and speak to him, etc. They weren’t successful at the moment; they were later that evening. Obviously, there’s been a number of conversations since then. So, again, I think the important thing is that Kirk, I think, understands that now. Michael understands it. They share a suite. They’ve been great suitemates. They’ve been great on the field together. Michael is learning a lot from Kirk, and he will for a long period of time. Most importantly, Kirk is healthy and providing us with the kind of leadership and the kind of play that we can see so far that we invested in him.”

In general, on those draft conversations like that, when do you want to be involved? How closely do you follow it?

“I follow it very closely. I’m involved in the sharing of the strategy behind our draft approach. We go through a number of scenarios. I’m in a number of pre-draft meetings where they’re screening potentially who we might pick and what position and why. There’s a bunch of options. Obviously, we’re one of 32 teams picking, so anything can happen. During that night, it did fall our way in terms of Michael. It’s a decision made by the coaching staff and by the personnel department. That’s the way it should be. But, I’m aware of everything.”

Do they clear it by you?

”They don’t have to clear it. I’m aware. I’m being real clear on my words now. They make me fully aware. They don’t have to clear it with me. They just have to make me aware of what’s going on. I don’t like surprises. They know that, but it’s not up to me to make those decisions. It’s up to them to make those decisions and me to understand the logic behind it. I’m very sensitive on behalf of our fan base, everybody connected to the franchise, on not having the period of time post-Kirk Cousins, however long that may be – God willing, a long period of time – to having a gap again between having that kind of franchise quarterback and being in a spin cycle of a washing machine, and not being able to get out, not having that player.”

You talked earlier about the fans being excited about the season coming up. Can you talk about how excited you are about this upcoming season?

”If you talk to 31 other owners, they’re all excited. One of the beauties of the NFL is that during these months of training camp and when we get into (the exhibition) season, fans across the United States – now actually throughout the world, but certainly the United States minimally – are very excited about their teams. Objectively, if you look at our team, our roster, the improvements we made in free agency, the quality of the draft picks, the quality of the aging of our draft picks and free agents over the last several years. I think, when I look at our defensive line, when I look at our skill positions on offense; I look at our quarterback room now; I look at our young defensive players. So, I’m excited about all the right reasons about where we are. We have a very competitive schedule. Going through it just last night again, and the way we’re starting out and throughout the year, we have to compete in our own division. We’ve got to win our own division. We’ve got to be able to compete with other teams in the NFC, and hopefully move on and play in the playoffs and do that successfully. But, there’s a lot that can slip between the cup and the lip. Our guys are pumped and ready to go. And coaches, Raheem’s done a great job. Jimmy Lake’s done a great job, Zac Robinson, Marquice (Williams). We’ve got great coordinators. We’ve got great coaching staff behind that. Raheem’s built an outstanding coaching staff that has some depth to it. So, I have reason to be excited beyond just being the owner for the fans. That’s how I consider myself – I represent the fans. Every decision I always make, it’s always in the context of the lens of what’s the best thing for our fans – today, tomorrow, but also beyond tomorrow. It’s one thing as an owner, you’ve got to think not just about today and tomorrow, but really beyond tomorrow. So, you end up thinking about, well, what happens so you don’t end up with a gap in your quarterback play in the future.”

If you listen to the fans, they expect the Falcons to be in the playoffs. Do you?

”Our fans fully do. My hope is that we’ll be in the playoffs. I have every reason to think that we’re going to be very competitive this year. But, we’ve got to play the schedule. We’ve got to play the teams. We’ve got to make it happen. So, am I optimistic? I’m definitely optimistic, certainly more optimistic than I’ve been in several years. (I) have reason to feel that way. But, again, every game is a battle. The other teams have a lot of great talent, good coaching. We’ve got lots of reasons to compete against. First game out of the box, we’re playing against our old coach (Arthur Smith), with a creative mind and some creative talent. So, it’s going to be an interesting season in all ways.”

Grady Jarrett is going into year 10 with this organization. Could you summarize what he’s meant over a decade to this franchise?

”Well it’s interesting, when we drafted Grady, I’m trying to think it was fifth or sixth round? Fifth round, he was captain of the team at Clemson. So, I would say that the attributes that he had at Clemson, being a great player there and a great leader there, both of those have carried over here. I would say even have multiplied. There’s no question he’s an outstanding athlete. He’s an outstanding leader. There’s probably nobody on the team that works harder than him. There’s probably nobody on the team that’s a better role model in every aspect that we ask our Falcons to be, not just on the field, but off the field. His community work is incredible. He just told me a few months ago he’s getting married next year, so I’m excited for that. But he’s just one of these folks you spend time with during your life and you never forget him. So, we’re blessed to have Grady and provide the kind of leadership that he will bring to us and does bring to us.

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

Earlier this morning during coach Morris’s news conference, he sang your praises. He was saying thank you, thank you for all the tools you put in place to allow them to do what they do on the field. What are your thoughts on the new weight room, the Jumbotrons outside, and all the things you’ve been doing?

”Yeah, well, thank you. Well, it’s a tribute to two things. One, it’s a recognition of one of our key values: it’s either the best or nothing. So we are committed to doing that in every way and committed to listening to our players, understanding our players, respecting our players and responding to our players. So, the additions that you see in the building this year, in the weight room, and I had a chance to tour it, in the cafeteria area, in the equipment areas, etc., are incredible. I mean, it’s a tribute to our staff here to have pulled it off in such a short period of time. I do apologize to the fans we didn’t have training camp back here this year. I told our staff already, for next year they can expect us to double up on open camps for our fans. But in any event, that’s who we’re about, is that we want to understand what our players need. What necessitates putting them in the best position so they can train properly and perform properly. We’ve been happy to be able to do it in a first-class way. If you all haven’t had a chance to tour some of this stuff, you ought to get one of our staff to take you around. It’s very impressive.” (The Falcons have planned media tours for when they return from Miami).

When Morris was introduced as coach, you also announced an administrative change in terms of the coach and GM reporting directly to you. How has that gone, and what has it been like for you to have those communications with Raheem and see him as upbeat and effusive with you as we see on a daily basis?

”I’ve got a great relationship with Terry (Fontenot) and Raheem both. I’ve had a great relationship with Terry and Arthur (Smith) in the past. We’ve always had that direct communication. That will continue, much like I answered the question earlier about Michael (Penix Jr.) and the decision to draft him in the A slot this year, they keep me aware. We think about strategy development, think about what we’re doing long-term, etc. We’re of a like mind. It’s the reason we selected Raheem as our coach. I can think about winning this year, but think about what key decisions I have to make to make sure we have a competitive roster and a great coaching staff for years to come. So, my respect for them, my communication with them is outstanding, is excellent. As it is with Jimmy (Lake), as it is with Zac Robinson and Marquice (Williams).”

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com

Are those daily communications that you have?

”Yes, I would say during the season, much more so than obviously during the summer. They were away, I was away. So, I try to give them a little time and space to connect with their families and friends and loved ones. They come back with the energy they need for a long season.”

You’re going into year 23 with the Falcons, as I know fans are hungering for a world championship, a Super Bowl title. For you, what are your thoughts and feelings about not having been able to clear that hurdle yet?

”Well, I think we’ve had, for many years, we’ve had a very, very competitive team and year after year winning records. ... So, we’ve had six years where our record has not been what we wanted it to be, as you know. There has been reason for it, but the reasons are the reasons. We have to deal with those reasons and make sure we eliminate them. I think we’ve done some of that. Essentially, doubling down on the quarterback position because we realized how penal that was post-Matt (Ryan), what happened to our ability to win on a consistent basis. So, I feel good about where we are. I look back at the periods of the 23 years that I’m incredibly proud of the amount of winning we’ve done over that period of time. The last six years have not been up to my standards and up to the standards of the building and our fans. Yet, inside the stadium, it’s been a great experience. It’s a blessing to our fans that we’ve been voted by their actions and our support. It’s the number one place in the NFL to watch and experience a game. That’s not our vote. That’s their vote. So, we’ve still made a great experience for them, but we’ve got to perform better on the field and earn that commitment that they’re giving us. They’re showing us now.”

Did you think in your experience among the owners that the quarterback’s salary should be kind of a side percentage of a cap as opposed to including them overall?

”Yeah, there’s been some discussion of that. What I do know is this, and I don’t know how that’ll shake out, that has been discussed in kind of loose terms. But the partnership between the players, the owners, franchises and our fans is a beautiful partnership. Essentially, our players, they earn 50% of the total revenue for the National Football League. They fully deserve it. They earn it. It’s distributed based on market today. Obviously, you’ve got now eight quarterbacks that are being paid on average over $50 million a year. The last couple of signings, the last few days, including Jordan Love, who I mentioned earlier. At that position, everybody sees the importance of it in this game at this level. So, whether or not that’ll be separated out in the future, that discussion about that, I’m not sure. I’ve heard discussion about it. It’s never really come up in a serious way, studied by the league, but we’ll see.”

What does it mean to you knowing that the league has so much faith that people want to watch this team that you have multiple prime-time games?

”I think that’s a great question. Our partners are the players. The media partners are our partners as well. They obviously, just like everybody in this room, really is in a partnership with us. Without you giving us your time today and the opportunity to speak to you on a daily basis, whether it be Raheem or Terry or whoever, we don’t have a voice directly to the fan base. I always say at the end of the year, so I’ll say at the beginning of the year, we appreciate the job you all do for us and for our fan base. I think it’s important to recognize that our media partners, they’ve invested a lot in the NFL. A little over half of the revenue for the NFL comes from our media partners. That distribution is, you’re a relatively young man, everyone in this room is a young man compared to me, but it’s changing. The forms of distribution are changing pretty dramatically and at very rapid rates. We have to continue to find ways to make sure we put product, the NFL makes sure we put product out there, that our fans really want to see. They want to see competitive teams. They want to see the personalities. They want to see the right kinds of matchups. The fact that this year, we’ve gone from a number of years because our record has not been, as Ken (Sugiura) described a minute ago, not been what we wanted it to be, has not been the case. I think the fact that we have four national games this year, compared to none in the last two years at least, maybe three years, is a tribute to their feeling that we do have a much more competitive team this year. I’m excited about that. I know they work hard at trying to put together the most competitive schedule they can, so I appreciate the opportunity to show our team off on a national basis.”

Would the team play a game in Germany to expand their international market impact?

”That’s a market that we have one of the rights to, along with other teams. We’ve got a pretty significant fan base in Germany. We made some efforts last year, both in the community relations commitment we made, as well as locally. We played in London a couple of years ago to bring those fans to us. So we’re definitely open to having a game in Germany in the future. This year, as you know, internationally the league can have up to eight games internationally. There will be five. There will be three played in London, one in Germany, and one in Brazil. So, we’re excited about that. Results internationally, the National Football League has been incredible. So, we continue to look at that as being fertile grounds to grow our game. The response has been incredible, how quickly those tickets have sold, and the media following we’ve had as well.”

There was a survey by the NFLPA that 90% of players prefer grass over turf. Have you considered putting grass in Mercedes-Benz Stadium as you have for soccer games?

”First of all, I read the same study. So the NFLPA, the union and the NFL work collaboratively on coming up with the best fields for the players to play on. As all of our fans can appreciate is that artificial surfaces are not all the same. They’re different, different materials, different manufacturers, different forms of maintenance. But that’s also true of grass fields. Grass fields are not all the same either. The important (thing), the rate of injury, if you will, from 2022 to 2023 is almost identical. In fact, it is identical. You couldn’t find a percentage point difference between injury rates on grass versus artificial. So, we’ll continue to work closely with the players, with the NFLPA, in making sure that we have grass fields and artificial fields that meet all the standards to make sure players’ safety, which is always critical to us. Just like all these improvements in the building have nothing to do with me, it has to do with our players, it’s the same thing with the playing surface. We want to make sure that we have a playing surface that they find acceptable. We’ve had virtually no complaints in the Mercedes-Benz Stadium at all. That field is constantly refurbished and replaced because of the use both for soccer and for American football. Standards for soccer are very high as well because the ball rolls there, obviously. So that surface has to really work and work consistently. So it goes with both sports.”

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