2013 NFL Playoffs: Atlanta Falcons Owner Arthur Blank Left Breathless in Win

The Atlanta Falcons extremely dramatic 30-28 victory over the Seattle Seahawks finally saw them shake that playoff monkey off their back.

While Matt Ryan and Tony Gonzalez, who both celebrated their first playoff victory, were excited, they probably were not nearly as pumped as their owner, Arthur Blank. The Falcons head man, has been working very hard to help the franchise recover from their Michael Vick days and has done an excellent job, to say the least. The only thing Blank had not accomplished was a playoff win. Minutes after the game was over, Blank was quoted as saying, “I haven’t started to breathe again yet.” Later he added, “Seriously, I can’t breathe.” Hopefully, Blank is feeling better a day later, I mean, he is 70 years old.

In the grand scheme of things, this playoff victory, at home no less, will probably help Blank in his push to build his team a new stadium in Atlanta. The Falcons main man has been working to get the city of Atlanta to help in contribute to the building a stadium that he says the team will pay two-thirds of the cost for. The only problem is, most of the legislators don’t seem to be as excited about the idea as Blank is. The Georgia Dome is a great facility, at least in my opinion. At best, it probably only needs a little remodeling and renovating in spots being that is has been around since 1992.

Blank has superb as owner of the Atlanta Falcons and has done a great job at making them relevant in the NFL, which was not always the case. However, one can only wonder if he is being influenced by the stadium Jerry Jones built for the Dallas Cowboys. Blank’s stadium is estimated to cost around $300 Million, which would be a drop in the hat compared to the $1 Billion Jones dropped on the Cowboys. It must also be pointed out though, the Cowboys have struggled to win in their new home, which is something Falcon fans would definitely not be interested in. Nevertheless, if the Falcons can win the NFC title game against the San Francisco 49ers, and win the Super Bowl, Blank just may get his wish granted for a new stadium. In doing so, Blank would definitely cement himself as the greatest thing to ever happen to the Falcons and as one of the league’s more prominent owners in the NFL.