The Falcons have hired first-time head coaches in the NFL every single time out since Arthur Blank bought the team. Jim Mora Jr., Bobby Petrino, Mike Smith and Dan Quinn had never held the position before coming to Atlanta, and one of them flamed out, one flamed out spectacularly, one is the winngest coach in franchise history, and one is a coach who took the team to the Super Bowl before everything fell apart.
Only two general managers have been hired by Blank and company, and one was a seasoned executive (Rich McKay) who served as the general manager of the Buccaneers for a decade and the other was a first-time general manager from the Patriots (Thomas Dimitroff).