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Despite 4th Quarter Meltdowns By Atlanta Falcons, Arthur Blank Has ‘Good’ Reason For Not Firing Dan Quinn

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Yes, there’s loyalty, especially if you’re Arthur Blank, with a history of making splendid moves from the gut as the co-founder of Home Depot. Yes, he kept that same attitude along the way to ranking 11th on Forbes’ list of the richest sports team owners at $6.1 billion, but this Dan Quinn thing is ridiculous.

It’s also illogical.

Mostly, it’s bonkers.

That said, I’ve spoken often with Blank during his two decades of owning the Atlanta Falcons, and I’ve read both of his books, including his recently released autobiography called “Good Company.”

So I get it.

I don’t agree, but I get it.

I get the answer to these questions . . .

Why wasn’t Quinn whacked by Blank as Falcons head coach after last season, when they had their second consecutive 7-9 finish?

If not then, why didn’t Blank fire Quinn on the spot two weeks ago in Dallas, where the Falcons looked clueless against the Cowboys during an onside kick to help blow a 15-point lead in the fourth quarter?

Worse, here we are, two days and counting after the Falcons dropped to 0-3 when they spent Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium watching a 16-point advantage disappear in the fourth quarter against the Chicago Bears.

As a result, the Falcons sit in the NFL record book as the only team in the 101-year history of the league to relinquish leads of 15 points or more in the fourth quarter of two games in the same season.

So why is Quinn continuing to draw X’s and O’s for the Falcons’ Monday night game at Green Bay?

Blank isn’t saying.

Actually, Blank is saying a lot, but only if you know what I know.

To understand Blank’s ownership philosophy with the Falcons, you have to realize he uses the same mindset regarding his sports teams (He also owns the Atlanta United of Major League Soccer) that he developed with Bernie Marcus during their 23 years together through 2000 to turn Home Depot into a business that Forbes says now ranks 34th on the list of the world’s most valuable brands.

Two things to consider here:

  • Blank and Marcus were obsessed with customer service at Home Depot. Not coincidentally, Blank spent each of the opening three seasons of Mercedes-Benz Stadium through last year doing the unprecedented in the NFL by slicing prices at his concession stands.
  • Blank and Marcus also stressed the need to hire solid citizens who were capable of maybe teaching Sunday School or perhaps cutting the grass on occasion for an elderly neighbor.

Sounds like Quinn, the ultimate players’ coach.

He allows hip-hop music to blare during practices, and he takes playlist requests from those in his locker room.

During the George Floyd protests this summer, he joined a Black Lives Matter march with some of his players to the Georgia governor’s mansion in Atlanta. He later donated $25,000 to a GoFundMe campaign started by Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan to help the Black community in Atlanta.

Quinn even has won the Salute to Service Award for his support of military members and their families.

Which brings us back to Blank.

It’s been 13 years, but the 78-year-old Blank remains haunted by his rushed hiring of Bobby Petrino and his horror of watching the guy with the underwhelming personality bolt the Falcons in the middle of the night before the end of that season to take over as football coach at the University of Arkansas.

In Blank’s autobiography, he wrote, “After Petrino left, we began the search for a new head coach and a general manager, and to my surprise, I received a rare email from my Home Depot cofounder Bernie Marcus, who I always joke doesn’t know how to use a computer. ‘Keep in mind how we hired people at The Home Depot,’ he wrote. ‘First and foremost based on character, integrity, and trust.’

“It was a timely reminder. Another way to put it would be: hire for culture. Choose someone based on whether they’ll be a good cultural fit and contribute to the company’s expression of its values.”

Sounds like Quinn, all right.

It’s just that, according to Pro Football Reference, the Falcons have blown leads of 16 points or more 13 times in their 55-year history, and nearly half of that total (five) has come since Quinn took over the team before the 2015 season.

That includes “28-3.”

The Falcons held such a lead near the end of the third quarter of their 2017 Super Bowl against the New England Patriots, and you know the rest.

The Falcons didn’t win.

Not only that, but Quinn doubled as the Falcons’ head coach and defensive coordinator for that game, which featured the biggest blown lead in Super Bowl history.

Quinn is a nice guy, though.

Blank will tell you.

Well, Blank already has, because when it comes to his imploding Falcons, Quinn hasn’t gone anywhere.

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