Tag: Rich McKay

Video: Falcons president Rich McKay on reopening of Flowery Branch

It may have felt more like six months, but the Atlanta Falcons reopened their Flowery Branch facility on Tuesday after it was closed for 67 days due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

It may have felt more like six months, but the Atlanta Falcons reopened their Flowery Branch facility on Tuesday after it was closed for 67 days due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Things won’t exactly be back to normal, though, as Falcons president Rich McKay indicated the facility will slowly phase in the different coaching staffs in accordance with county and NFL guidelines.

“We want to understand all of the protocols,” said McKay over a conference call. “How they are going to operate. What do we need to change? How can we make it as safe as an environment as it can be. That’s how we started. We are pretty comfortable with that.”

The team’s Twitter account shared a video of McKay giving a tour of Flowery Branch while going over the precautions currently being taken by the organization. Check it out below.

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Video: Rich McKay on navigating the offseason during quarantine

Things are far from business as usual in the NFL, but that doesn’t mean teams aren’t working hard to improve their rosters.

Things are far from business as usual in the NFL, but that doesn’t mean teams aren’t working hard to improve their rosters.

Atlanta Falcons team president and CEO Rich McKay gave some insight into what it’s like to navigate through the offseason during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Check out Matthew Tabeek’s interview with McKay below, as shared by the team’s Twitter account:

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Dan Quinn, Thomas Dimitroff will return to Falcons in 2020

Falcons owner Arthur Blank announced coach Dan Quinn and general manager Thomas Dimitroff will be returning next season.

Halfway through the season, it looked as if Atlanta Falcons coach Dan Quinn wouldn’t even make it through the season. At best, the Falcons would stick with him and dump him after the season.

Well, forget both of those scenarios. Quinn will be the Atlanta coach in 2020. And general manager Thomas Dimitroff also will return. Team owner Arthur Blank made the announcement Friday. Quinn and Dimitroff will continue to report to team president Rich McKay who reports to Blank.

“Every year we evaluate all our football operations and this year I have asked Rich to work closely with Thomas and Dan over the next couple of weeks to conduct a top-to-bottom review, inclusive of structure, processes, resourcing and personnel to identify whatever changes are necessary to enable us to compete consistently at the highest level. In my time as owner, and particularly since 2008, we have been one of the winningest teams in the NFC ranking fourth in wins and across the NFL, tied for seventh in wins, and that remains the only acceptable result for us now and in the future,” Blank said in a statement.

That’s good for Quinn and Dimitroff. But they’ll enter next season on the hot seat. Blank wants to win and his patience has to be wearing thin. Despite having star players like Matt Ryan and Julio Jones, the Falcons got off to a 1-7 start.

Perhaps the only thing that saved Quinn was that he never lost the team and has gone 5-2 since. But he’s down to his last chance. If the Falcons don’t win next year, Quinn – and likely Dimitroff – will be gone.

Pat Yasinskas has covered the NFL since 1993. He has worked for The Tampa Tribune, The Charlotte Observer and ESPN.com and writes for numerous national magazines and websites. He also has served as a voter for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.