Desperate For Relevance
August 25th, 2024
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BY IRA KAUFMAN
As owner of the Falcons since 2002, Arthur Morris Blank has adopted a cool, laid-back approach. It’s the same philosophy he took as co-founder of Home Depot in 1978, preferring a low-key, carefully designed growth plan.
Those calm days are over.
Falcons owner Arthur Blank.
Now Blank, who turns 82 next month, has grown impatient with the plight of his beloved Falcons. For the past six seasons, Atlanta has largely been ignored — an irrelevant franchise on the NFL landscape.
During that time, he has seen the Glazers win a second Super Bowl while Tampa Bay went 53-46. with six postseason victories. Atlanta’s record since 2018? Try 39-60.
Blank has seen enough. When 35-year-old Kirk Cousins hit free agency, Blank pounced. When 32-year-old Matthew Judon became available for a third-round draft pick, Blank signed off. With Justin Simmons still out there in the market place, Blank didn’t stand in the way as Atlanta added a 30-year-old safety.
You don’t make those moves if you’re planning for the long haul.
“For many years, we had a very competitive team,” Blank said early in training camp. “We’ve had six years where our record has not been what we wanted. The last six years have not been up to our standards. I feel good about where we are.”
On paper, the Falcons have closed the gap against the Bucs. They have Tampa Bay’s full attention after a headline-grabbing offseason that included the drafting of Michael Penix Jr in the opening round.
Let’s not forget that it was Tampa Bay’s comeback win at Mercedes-Benz Stadium that triggered the late-season Buc surge to the NFC South title. The Falcons never recovered, losing 4-of-5 after a 6-6 start. In those five games, Atlanta was a combined minus-9 in turnover ratio.
When healthy, Judon and Simmons are proven commodities. Simmons will combine with Jessie Bates, who posted six of Atlanta’s eight picks in 2023, to form a stellar safety tandem of dynamic ballhawks. Judon is a force off the edge who will help a tepid pass rush.
Raheem Morris is already trumpeting the impact of Judon’s arrival.
“Anytime you can add a dog to your group, that’s exciting,” he says. Morris also lauded Judon as a potential game-changer, a game-wrecker, an absolute edge setter and a universal pass rusher.
Von Miller is not in the Falcons’ locker room, Ira Kaufman explains.
Morris believes Judon could have the same impact on the Falcons that Von Miller had on the Rams in 2021, when Morris served as defensive coordinator for the Super Bowl champs.
Hold on now.
Miller is going to be rewarded with a Hall of Fame bust, perhaps even in his first year of eligibility. Judon doesn’t have nearly the same body of work and he played only four games last year.
There are still weak spots on this Atlanta defense and not much help is expected from the draft. Cousins is coming off a torn Achilles and Morris has a lot to prove as a head coach.
Still, these are heady times for Arthur Morris Blank. He just took a stroll down the aisle of Home Depot and patched up a few holes. We’ll soon find out whether those repair jobs can help his floundering franchise move past the Bucs.
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August 25th, 2024 at 5:22 pm
Maybe if he would keep his creepy a$$ of the sidelines, the players would play better.
August 25th, 2024 at 5:27 pm
Too little too late.
We got this! LFG!!!!!
August 25th, 2024 at 5:29 pm
I think their in for a rough year
August 25th, 2024 at 5:37 pm
Ira, I’ve followed your work for many years and I generally agree with you. But why are you writing about the dirty birds seeking relevance ? It seems to me that you should be writing about the irrelevance shown by the media for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
August 25th, 2024 at 5:39 pm
Sad how that team has gone to the dogs.
August 25th, 2024 at 5:48 pm
Perhaps Ira is being politically correct and protecting his place as a curator for the NFL Hall of Fame.
August 25th, 2024 at 5:55 pm
Ira Says ; Still, these are heady times for Arthur Morris Blank. He just took a stroll down the aisle of Home Depot and patched up a few holes. We’ll soon find out whether those repair jobs can help his floundering franchise move past the Bucs.
After fluffing Arthur Blanks pillow you covered yourself with the above. Tsk-Tsk
August 25th, 2024 at 6:16 pm
They are going all in. If it doesn’t work, they’re basement bound for a lost decade.
August 25th, 2024 at 6:26 pm
The Fowlclowns didn’t think enough of Raheem to hire him after he brought the team out of the ditch and had a 17-0 lead on Tom Brady at halftime of a must-win game for the Bucs in 2020. What’s different about him now? They are a messed up mess. If the Bucs defense can tighten up the pillow soft pass defense (a big “if”), they can contend for the whole enchilada.
August 25th, 2024 at 6:30 pm
Penix scares me more than Cousins. He threw last year to 2 of our rookies and he looked fantastic. We shall see. Also, the Panties SMOKED the Bills in their last game. It will not be easy. GO BUCS!
August 25th, 2024 at 6:44 pm
Artie should have went to Lowe’s.
August 25th, 2024 at 6:45 pm
If Cousins struggles at all the fans will be howling for Pexix. That can really divide a team.
August 25th, 2024 at 6:47 pm
Ira, you’re great, but why would you write about this tired worn out ATL garbage now? Is it not enough that it’s been spewed all season by every single buffoon in the NFL media? No we’re going to run the screws in JBF Bucs’ fans one more time. Screw Blank, Morris and that garbage team and city. This must have been a trade off. You sold your soul for that last vote to get Ronde in the HOF and write this junk. Ok, I get it then, fair trade off.
August 25th, 2024 at 7:10 pm
It they lose opening day to the Steelers they could be 0-5 to start the season, wonder how that will effect Blanks old black heart.
August 25th, 2024 at 7:45 pm
Hmmm….Why would Ira write a fluff piece about about Blank and the Falcons ? He most certainly knows that no one reading this here website could give a hoot. Therefore, the answer to the above question is this; It was written for the consumption of others. Mr. Kauffman, you have soiled yourself.
August 25th, 2024 at 10:47 pm
My response to Mr. Pear ; The small minded ones are the most easily deceived and confused.
August 25th, 2024 at 11:26 pm
So you indict yourself, Citrus. Excellent.
PS – the world is not flat, as you seem like someone who might believe it is. JBF is an entrepreneurial profitable organization from a passion for the Bucs, and you aren’t.
August 25th, 2024 at 11:42 pm
Mr. Pear; Ira Kaufman has been a sportswriter for many decades. His talent has kept him relevant and employed. He is obviously well regarded among his peers, hence his Hall of Fame vote. That vote had to be earned. I suspect he suffers not from naivete. I respect his informed opinions. However, he is not immune from criticism. Criticism is a function found in his job description. I don’t feel that my critique was unfair or unwarranted. If Mr. Kaufman feels that it was then he should defend his work. I was not “dissing” him. I fully understand that it is necessary for him, in his position, to throw some love around from time to time.
It’s really not necessay for Ira to do that.–Joe
It’s all politics and prima donnas.
August 25th, 2024 at 11:45 pm
Mr. Pear is incapable of rational and coherent thought.
August 25th, 2024 at 11:57 pm
Citrus says this without demonstrating any cognitive capability whatsoever. Just offers a slur because her feeble perceptive neurons were all annihilated from an unfortunate incident involving a pool cue and a fat girl.
If a dancer wants to dance that’s fine. Otherwise it’s just moronity and jealousy of a successful business for which criticism is actually welcome and allowed.
However improvement suggestions aren’t available from the cretonics.
August 26th, 2024 at 12:09 am
Mr Pear; Let me dissect your statement. You stated this;” JBF is an entrepreneurial profitable organization from a passion for the Bucs, and you aren’t.”.
I criticized Ira for his piece “Desperate For Relevance
August 25th, 2024”. I feel that Ira’s focus should be on the lack of relevance shown by the media toward the Bucs and not on the perceived desperate moves by Arthur Blank and the Falcons.
Your statement is absolutely nonsensical. Your incoherent attempt at correlating JBF’s business model to my 48 year fandom of the Bucs is asinine.
August 26th, 2024 at 12:16 am
Mr. Pear, I compliment you on your gifted ability to take gibberish to a higher level.
August 26th, 2024 at 12:23 am
Ms. Citrus : when someone ingests as much medical psilocybin as you apparently do, it makes it real that you have the inside track on everything , more than everyone else.
So in the morning, drink a bunch of electrolytes and some coffee. Then realize? There is no conspiracy here. Ira simply bringing up the owner of a division rival who despite his best efforts has had his ass kicked by the Bucs going back to Dirk Koetter days.
This is a highly relevant piece in that it shows he’s making urgent moves to beat the Bucs because he has nothing left.
Come down from your high, and just chill.
August 26th, 2024 at 12:52 am
I reiterate; Mr. Pear, I compliment you on your gifted ability to take gibberish to a higher level.
On that note I will retire for my slumber.
August 26th, 2024 at 3:50 am
Great article, Ira!
Yes, we cannot forget how badly Blank wants a SB at this point in his life. Keep them in our rear-view window at all times. I haven’t been worried about Cousins. He has been over-hyped for weeks. Agree with Crickett and others, more worried about Penix.
August 26th, 2024 at 5:36 am
I like Wirfs, and Goedeke over Judon.
August 26th, 2024 at 7:52 am
Ira, come on man. What’s your next article about, the misunderstood genius of Sean Peyton? F the Falcons and F Authur Blank.
August 26th, 2024 at 4:39 pm
Ira, I concur with red pen and others that your focus on Atlanta is out of bounds. We read JBF articles for Buccaneers news and NOT write ups of potential success of rivals.
Maybe You can explain Yourself versus others trying to guess your motivations…. They aren’t you and DON’T have a clue what they’re talking about. So how about it? Why not spend your time on the many promising Buccaneer potential heights this season rather than teams that WE DON’T SUPPORT and have NO interest in?
And why do you believe the Falcons have “EARNED” your respect and reverance?
Have they won something that none of us are aware of? Or is the TRUTH of the TRUTH is that this division RUNS THROUGH TAMPA BAY UNTIL OTHERWISE PROVEN DIFFERENTLY and your focus SHOULD BE ON THE CHAMPS!!?
A concerned fan of yours…..
August 26th, 2024 at 5:56 pm
Perhaps I played a bit rough, but that article was “out of the blue”.
Of all the subjects to write about, why did Ira choose that one ? Yes the media is favoring ATL over our Bucs, so an article could have been written about why that may be the case, after objective and careful analysis. An article such as that could have been framed as a motivator for the Bucs while still portraying us in a positive light. I am still perplexed as to why an article was written about an 82 year old owner’s desperate attempts for relevancy would be considered appealing by Tampa Bay Bucs fans. What was the motivation for writing such an article ? What about the Glazer family being considered irrelevant after two Super Bowls ?