Three years ago, Falcons owner Arthur Blank used words like “hurt” and “distressed” when he talked about Michael Vick. Now Blank says he’s proud of Vick.
Vick has led the Eagles to first place in the NFC East, and Vick’s successor as the Falcons’ franchise quarterback, Matt Ryan, has led Atlanta to first in the NFC South. Blank says he thinks that’s just great, and he’d keep rooting for Vick to succeed right up until an Eagles-Falcons playoff game, which is looking increasingly likely.
“I’m happy for him, I’m happy for the NFL, I’m happy for the Eagles,” Blank told the Associated Press. “The only time I won’t be happy is when we’re playing each other. But we’ll go out there and compete and treat him like any other quarterback we play.”
But if Blank is happy for Vick, he’s happier that his own team has become one of the best in the NFL.
“In these last three years, I’ve finally gotten the pieces together,” Blank said. “How far we’ll go this year remains to be seen, but I think we have the pieces and parts together so that looking forward for the next three, four, five, six years, this team will become what I call an important team in the National Football League.”
No one saw this coming three years ago, but the Falcons are a better team now than they ever were with Vick, and Vick is a better player now than he ever was with the Falcons. Blank has a lot of reasons to be happy.
