The Atlanta Falcons have announced the creation of a new position within their organization, the president of football. Owner Arthur Blank explained in a letter to fans and the Atlanta community that this decision was made after months of consideration.
“The leader in this new role will set the vision and identity for our team,” Blank wrote.
According to Blank, both the new head coach and general manager will report to the president of football. The three positions will form a leadership team responsible for all football decisions, with final authority resting with the president of football.
The new president will report directly to Blank and work alongside Greg Beadles, who succeeded Rich McKay as team president and CEO. In his letter, Blank stated that these leaders would “ensure the team’s football and business operations are appropriately aligned.”
At a press conference on Thursday, Blank provided further details about why this role was created. He said it is intended to ensure alignment across all areas related to football and hold key personnel accountable.
“The general manager will do his job, the head coach will do their job. They both will be accountable to the president of football,” said Blank. “It’ll be a dialog, exchange of ideas, etc.”
Blank also revealed that Sportsology Group was retained several months ago to assess the health of franchise operations through interviews with 30 staff members. The resulting report identified areas needing improvement such as communication, clarity of direction, and accountability.
“It was a little bit surprising the lack of clarity about the vision for the team,” said Blank regarding those findings. He emphasized that without clear vision in any business or industry, inefficiency can result: “As laser-focused as you can be about exactly what you want to do, you can make better selection of players, coaches, coaching staff…and then you modify over time depending on what’s happening within the game because the game is changing.”
Blank noted he does not participate in day-to-day operational decisions for football: “Because I have authority does not mean I have knowledge.” He added: “We wanted somebody else to have input, guidance, hold accountability and work closely with the head coach and general manager…making sure it is consistently held within the vision we have with the team.”
Interviews for candidates are expected soon. According to Blank: “If we bring in the right person, it’ll make a big difference in my view.” The Falcons plan to announce interviews once they are completed.
The Atlanta Falcons operate from Atlanta, Georgia as part of the National Football League’s NFC South Division. The franchise began play as an expansion team in 1965 and has advanced twice to the Super Bowl, reaching it in 1998 and 2016.
