Arthur Blank has not been here before.
Since purchasing the team in 2002, the Falcons’ owner had never watched his team endure more than three losing seasons until now. There were the playoff years with Michael Vick in 2004 and 2006, the somewhat sustained success from 2008-2012, and the brief burst of brilliance from 2016-2017 to break up the lulls. Over the past five seasons, however, an owner who doesn’t like losing has watched the Falcons post losing records in all five, leaving him yearning for wins just like the rest of us.
That’s why Blank seems so optimistic today, and why his expectations are heightened.