Blank looking for new revenue, not new QB, for Falcons

Football Betting Lines

02/15/2007 -

ATLANTA (AP) -Arthur Blank is looking for new revenue - and possibly a new stadium - for the Atlanta Falcons.

Not a new starting quarterback.

February marks the five-year anniversary of Blank's purchase of the team. ``There have been a lot of ups and downs along the way, but we've had a lot of fun,'' Blank told the Atlanta Press Club.

Blank fired coach Jim Mora after the Falcons failed to make the playoffs for the second straight season and hired Bobby Petrino as the new coach. But the biggest offseason news was quarterback Michael Vick's water-bottle encounter with Miami airport security last month.

Vick was cleared of allegations the water bottle he attempted to take through the airport was laced with marijuana. Though Miami police moved quickly in announcing the results of lab tests, several days of public suspicion did not help Vick's public standing.

Vick has not been available for interviews and the Falcons have been mostly quiet on the matter after an initial public reprimand from general manager Rich McKay, who said the quarterback ``let a lot of people down.''

Blank stood up for Vick Thursday.

``He is our quarterback,'' Blank said in an interview session following his speech. ``We're proud of Michael. He's obviously a great player and he's a very fine person. The incident in Miami was unfortunate, but as we found out it was a water bottle. It might have been a trick water bottle, but it was a water bottle and it was filled with water and that's what it was filled with.''

Blank said Vick is ``enthused and excited about operating under new coaching and a new scheme.''

Blank said officials have discussed backup quarterback Matt Schaub's future. Schaub is a restricted free agent who could be viewed as a potential starter for another team.

``We'd love to keep him as part of the Falcons,'' Blank said. ``We always have to look at options and we'll certainly consider options as we look toward our roster for 2007.''

Meanwhile, Blank's search for new revenue continues as he again discussed the option of replacing the Georgia Dome, now 15 years old.

``The Dome is a fine place to play football but it was built in 1992 and domes tend to age more quickly than other stadiums,'' Blank said.

Blank said the team's lease with the Georgia Dome continues through 2020 or when bonds are paid.

But he said it's not too early to discuss a new stadium that could be configured for more high-priced seats. The Georgia Dome has ample space for 204 luxury seats but it has only 4,400 club seats - far fewer than division rivals Tampa Bay (12,000) and Carolina (11,300).

From Blank's perspective, that's lost potential for revenue.

``In order for us to continue to field a competitive team, we will need some short-term revenue opportunities to continue to develop for us and some long-term resolutions,'' he said.

Blank has said he prefers the Falcons' home remain in a downtown location, but on Thursday he indicated no preference for either an indoor or outdoor facility.

``My view is we would start out by doing what we always do, by talking to the fans ... about the kind of stadium they would like to see us build.''

Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

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Many fans thought it was the best side in the nation by the end of last season. This year, the polls have built on Georgia's momentum and granted it the No. 1 preseason ranking, followed by Ohio State and USC. (The Associated Press has the Buckeyes at No. 2; USA Today took the Trojans.)

"To have people believing we have one of the best teams in the nation going into this thing, it's exciting for us," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told the AP. "I don't think anything is guaranteed, but we certainly have put ourselves in position where at least the college football world thinks we're pretty good."

Georgia Bulldogs - 9.5 wins

There's no question they're good, but the Bulldogs have one of the toughest 12-game schedules in the nation, mostly because they play in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. Away games at No. 15 Arizona State, No. 7 LSU and No. 10 Auburn loom large, with contests between the hedges versus No. 24 Alabama and No. 18 Tennessee as well as the World's Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville versus No.5 Florida.

Ohio State Buckeyes - 10 wins

Like the Bulldogs, the Buckeyes also have a number of tough road contests in 2008. After two scrimmages dressed up as real games versus Youngstown State and Ohio, it's off to face USC. Other tough away games include No.13 Wisconsin in October and No. 20 Illinois in November. Granted, it should be pretty easy sledding at the Horseshoe. In fact, the only ranked team that travels to Columbus is No. 22 Penn State, in October.

USC Trojans - 10.5 wins

A similarly light schedule awaits the Trojans of Southern California, which is why the oddsmakers' total is one win more and the over is currently commanding -150 odds. Pete Carroll's troops only play three ranked teams in 2008, and all of those games are at home. After what should be an easy trip to Virginia to start things off on Aug. 30, the Trojans get two weeks to prepare for Ohio State in Los Angeles. Their two other ranked opponents, No. 21 Oregon and No. 15 Arizona State, visit in consecutive weeks to start the month of October. After that, the competition eases up. Of course, this is the same highly-touted school that lost to Stanford in 2007 and Oregon State in 2006. And don't discount the fact that USC plays its biggest rivals, Notre Dame and UCLA, back-to-back to close out the regular season. On paper, the Trojans are far superior, but motivation will be high for the Irish and Bruins, especially if their historic foes are in national-title contention.

Odds to Win the Heisman Trophy

Tim Tebow, Florida - 7/2
He won it last year, so it's no surprise he's the favorite to do it again, making him just the second player to go back-to-back. Ohio State's Archie Griffin turned the trick in 1974 and 1975, and Tebow's coach, Urban Meyer, is pretty sure his star quarterback can match the Buckeyes legend.

"There has never been anyone quite like him," Meyer told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I am very lucky to be his coach."

Chris Wells, Ohio State - 5/1

The man they call "Beanie" was a star recruit out of high school, so it's not like nobody knew who the star tailback was before he rushed for 576 yards as a freshman in 2006 and 1,609 as a sophomore. But perhaps his finest moment came last year versus Michigan when he rumbled for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 14-3 victory over the hated Wolverines.

Knowshon Moreno, Georgia - 8/1

If the Bulldogs are to live up to expectations, they'll need a huge effort from their sophomore running back. This might be the last year of college ball for Moreno, who rushed for 1,334 yards and for 14 touchdowns as a freshman, while adding 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions, so expect big things for the man from Belford, N.J.

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