ATLANTA – The Atlanta Falcons never thought they’d be 1-7 halfway through this NFL season.
Yet here they are at their open date, tied for the NFC’s worst record and looking even worse than last year’s disappointing team.
A six-game losing streak led Falcons owner Arthur Blank to say he planned to spend the team’s bye week evaluating coach Dan Quinn, general manager Thomas Dimitroff and the entire football operations.
Blank was noncommittal on the future of both men when asked after last week’s 27-20 home loss to the Seattle Seahawks. The Falcons are 4-12 since Week 9 of last season, and attendance has never been worse in three seasons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
“It’s very painful,” Blank said. “I understand that. I’ve always been here. I’m going to be in my seat. Hopefully, the great majority of our fans will as well. I think they understand our ownership has been committed for almost 20 years now in doing the right things for the franchise. I look at our record over that period of time compared to the prior 36 years, and it’s extraordinarily good.”