When the NFL season ends Sunday with the Super Bowl, perhaps no one will be happier to see the football calendar turn than Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank. With his own franchise devastated by a tumultuous season that saw the quarterback go to prison and the coach bolt for Arkansas, Blank will be in Glendale, Ariz., to watch the undefeated New England Patriots play the New York Giants in football's ultimate game. But his mind already is on next season and beyond, Blank made clear in a wide-ranging interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The Home Depot co-founder gave no indication that the painful setbacks of the past year will alter his approach to the Falcons or his other business and philanthropic pursuits. "I look at 2007, in retrospect, as if you were sailing a boat. You get out to a bad storm and you wonder, 'Is it ever going to end?' " Blank said. "But to me, it's going to be just a blip on the charts looking back." A few days before leaving for Arizona, Blank promised an active off-season aimed at bolstering the Falcons' roster, predicted the team will get a new stadium and reiterated his goal of "competing for a number of Super Bowls during my lifetime as principal owner." MORE HERE
He's made some bad decisions but I think/hope he is learning. His heart's in the right place. I hope he ends up getting the Braves and I really hope he can get us an MLS team. I can't believe we got a WNBA team before an MLS team. What a disgrace!
