New regime for Falcons in Flowery Branch

The new head coach and the new general manager met the media in virtual news conferences held Tuesday. Arthur Smith takes over as coach of the Atlanta Falcons. He worked most recently as an assistant for the Tennessee Titans. Terry Fontenot comes to Atlanta from the front office of the New Orleans Saints. He will be the new GM of the Falcons team that fired both its head coach and general manager last October.

From WSB TV…

“When we started this process we were focused on finding someone that not only has a track record of identifying key building blocks that result in successful teams, but also someone who focuses on cohesive relationships within the building. We feel very strongly that we’ve found that individual in Terry Fontenot,” said Arthur Blank, the Falcons owner and chairman.

“In his past positions, he has shown the ability to make strong decisions and judgments that result in championship-caliber teams, while also understanding a variety of viewpoints and respecting a collaborative process throughout. Landing a leader of Terry’s stature, I believe our organization, players, fans and community will have confidence in our approach throughout this process as I am certain Terry will represent them and the expectations they have to a high level.

“I’d like to thank Rich McKay and so many across our organization that played a vital role in the comprehensive and well-coordinated process that resulted in Terry joining our family.”

The Falcons have been searching for a head coach after firing Dan Quinn and GM Thomas Dimitroff in October after the team got off to a 0-5 start.

Cox Media Group