ATLANTA: When the Atlanta Falcons started their seek for a head coach, Rich McKay was sitting aspect by aspect with proprietor Arthur Blank.
By the time Raheem Morris was employed, McKay had been shoved apart.
In an intriguing sidebar to the selection of Morris after an exhaustive search that encompassed 14 candidates, together with six-time Super Bowl winner Bill Belichick, Blank additionally unveiled late Thursday a lesser position for one of many NFL’s most distinguished entrance-workplace figures.
McKay, the CEO of Blank’s sports activities operations and a former basic supervisor with each Atlanta and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, will not have a say in soccer-associated issues.
Blank mentioned the brand new coach, in addition to basic supervisor Terry Fontenot, will report on to the 81-12 months-outdated proprietor — a change from the earlier association which had these two positions having to undergo McKay earlier than attending to Blank.
McKay’s new position with the Falcons will probably be restricted to representing the group on league issues and the foundations-setting competitors committee. In addition, he’ll tackle direct oversight of Atlanta United, the Major League Soccer membership owned by Blank.
In a press release, Blank was effusive in his reward of McKay at the same time as he downgraded his position with the Falcons.
“It is hard to quantify the positive things Rich has done to impact our organization over the last 21 years, laying a strong foundation for our football team and getting Mercedes-Benz Stadium built and functioning as one of the best in the world,” the proprietor mentioned.
It wasn’t instantly clear why Blank made the modifications, although he certainly will probably be requested to deal with it when the Falcons formally introduce Morris as their new coach. There had been no rapid plans for a information convention, although it’s prone to happen early subsequent week.
When Arthur Smith was fired by the Falcons after a 3rd straight 7-10 season, it was Blank and McKay who confronted the media. Blank mentioned the 2 of them would lead the teaching search, with enter from Fontenot.
The Atlanta proprietor additionally indicated there can be no change within the group’s chain of command, with the coach and basic supervisor persevering with to report on to McKay, although it’s at all times been clear that the closely concerned Blank has the ultimate say on all issues.
“If you look at a traditional table of organization, they both report to Rich McKay, and we’ve been clear about that,” Blank mentioned on Jan. 8. “That hasn’t changed.”
Now, it has — for the second time, truly, in McKay’s lengthy tenure with the Falcons.
Hired as GM in 2003 after spending almost a decade in that very same position with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, McKay misplaced a lot of his affect over soccer operations after a number of poor drafts and the hiring of Bobby Petrino as coach in 2007.
Petrino lasted solely 13 video games earlier than abandoning the Falcons to return to the faculty ranks, which led to McKay being kicked upstairs heading into the 2008 season. Blank employed Thomas Dimitroff as basic supervisor, whereas McKay shifted to largely main the hassle to get a brand new retractable-roof stadium constructed close to downtown Atlanta.
After Mercedes-Benz Stadium opened in 2017, McKay progressively regained affect in soccer operations. That appeared to develop after Dimitroff was fired early within the 2020 season, with McKay taking on the duties on an interim foundation whereas helping Blank within the seek for a brand new coach and GM.
Now, with Fontenot nonetheless on board and Morris becoming a member of the Falcons as coach, McKay has been phased out once more.
Blank insisted it wasn’t a demotion.
“While he’ll no longer be involved in day-to-day football operations, Rich’s role will broaden in our organization,” the proprietor mentioned in his assertion. “I’ll continue to trust him with some of the most important work we’re engaged in across the Blank Family of Businesses.”
While Blank has arrange a extra streamlined group, there are nonetheless questions on how issues will work with each Morris and Fontenot having a direct line to the proprietor.
Blank has made it clear that’s the way in which he desires it.
“There has to be collaboration between the general manager and the head coach,” he mentioned on Jan. 8. “There has to be respect — not always agreement. Agreement is not always a good thing, but a respectful disagreement is important in any institution, in any organization.
“You want everybody to speak their minds, you want everybody to be listened to but at the end of the day, hopefully, you’ll have the same vision, the same focus to be able to come to the decision that, collaboratively, everybody agrees to.”
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(This story has not been edited by News18 employees and is revealed from a syndicated information company feed – Associated Press)
