McKay: Petrino to stay put, and so could ticket prices
Falcons' GM says Vick aftermath 'has cut wide and deep'
By STEVE WYCHE
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 11/10/07
In an exclusive interview with the AJC, Falcons president and general manager Rich McKay said the Falcons have discussed not raising ticket prices for next season as one of several measures to regain fan interest that has waned with the team's 2-6 start. He also said head coach Bobby Petrino would return next season, despite rumors that he will return to the college ranks.
As for Michael Vick's suspension by the NFL for pleading guilty to federal charges related to dogfighting, the aftermath has cut wide and deep. The team now recognizes that it may take a while to overcome, on and off the field, but measures are being put in place to speed the recovery.
McKay discussed these and several other topics with Falcons beat writer Steve Wyche Friday.
Q: You've had almost three months to digest the overall impact of Michael Vick's guilty plea on federal dogfighting charges. How has that affected the franchise?
A: Not positively. It's different than what probably any other franchise has experienced. Most franchises experience negative events all the time. They can come off the field, they can come through injury, they can come through coach change. They can come with a lot of things. This came in a much different way because of the fact that Michael was the franchise quarterback and became in many people's eyes, the face of the franchise.
He's one of the five most exciting players in the league and he won a lot of games. Now, you're faced with a situation where he is convicted through a plea agreement for a felony and he's not going to play for you. The effect is unique. We can't look back and say, 'We wish this didn't happen or we wish we would have done this or thought of that.' The main thing you do is plan for the future. We've met about the marketing aspect. We've met about tickets. We've talked about brand, about campaigns we'll run in the future. On the football side, he's had a definite impact.
I don't think a GM should make excuses because you've lost a player because it happens to every team. It typically doesn't happen to the franchise quarterback but you have to recover and move forward. In our case the effect is deeper than that because it goes beyond the team. As a franchise we're making sure we don't assume it will be business as usual. It will not be. We need to address it and we are addressing it. You will see that as the offseason begins to unfold.
Q: How as a franchise, then, can you convince the season ticket holder to come back?
A: Under this system, there is no question that you can reverse your fortunes pretty quickly. We'll read and hear it's going to take three years to get it right. I don't believe that. It doesn't mean you want to do something from a personnel standpoint that takes unnecessary risks to try and correct it in three months, but I do think in this system if you continue to draft right and develop right and you sign the right free agents to fit your needs you can turn your fortunes quickly.
The second phase is making the fans to feel comfortable and confident that you're going in the right direction and that starts with winning. If ownership is committed to doing the right thing and committed to winning, meaning spending what's necessary and taking steps that are necessary, you're going to win. I know that?s the case with Arthur [Blank]. He has that credibility and he's earned the credibility with the fans so we have less of a task of convincing them of that than others would. But we have to convince them. We'll take our case to them and tell them what we're going to do and how we're going to do it.
It will not be easy but I think it is something we can achieve.
REST OF Q&A
McKay: Petrino to stay put, and so could ticket prices | ajc.com