Atlanta, GA
Bill Belichick didn’t ask for ‘full control’ of Atlanta Falcons, owner Arthur Blank says
Bill Belichick didn’t ask to be the boss.
Running the Falcons’ front office in the same way he did the Patriots’ wasn’t a requirement for Belichick as he interviewed for Atlanta’s head coaching job, team owner Arthur Blank said.
“Bill Belichick never asked for, in our discussions, full control of the personnel or the building or anything of that nature,” Blank told reporters Friday.
“He was very inclusive, very collaborative. He met [Falcons general manager] Terry Fontenot. He checked out our people, doing his own references. He sent me a private text, which I eventually shared with Terry, that he was happy working with him. … All of these things that were being produced by the media were totally not true.”
Belichick, 71, interviewed twice with the Falcons, including a one-on-one meeting with the Queens-born Blank.
Many considered Belichick, a six-time Super Bowl champion in his 24 seasons as New England head coach, a favorite for the Falcons job, though Atlanta ultimately chose Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris.
Belichick operated as the Patriots’ general manager throughout his tenure, which ended last month in what he and owner Robert Kraft described as a mutual decision. The Patriots made the playoffs only once in the four seasons after quarterback Tom Brady left and bottomed out in 2023 with a disastrous 4-13 campaign featuring one of the league’s worst offenses.
“He’s got his history,” Blank said. “He has a way of doing things, etc., which were very, very successful. You could debate, is that true the last four years or so? Might be a little different picture, but there’s a lot of stories behind a lot of things. I think it was a very good series of interviews with him.”
Belichick’s continued unemployment remains a surprise, and there aren’t any NFL head coaching jobs currently open. His 333 wins between the regular season and postseason rank second in NFL history, behind only the 347 compiled by Don Shula.
Belichick also spoke with the Washington Commanders and “had support from some decision makers” about their vacancy, according to The Athletic, before they hired Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn.
The Falcons fired Arthur Smith as head coach last month after a 21-30 record over three seasons — a tenure largely defined by a frustratingly conservative offense in which top-10 draft picks Kyle Pitts, Drake London and Bijan Robinson failed to flourish.
Morris spent six years on the Falcons’ staff from 2015-20, serving as defensive coordinator and interim head coach in the last of those seasons. Blank described Morris’ leadership over those years as a “20” on a scale of 1-10 and said his candidacy improved after spending three years with the Rams.
“Today, he’s still a 20. That hasn’t changed,” Blank said. “What I did see change: The three years he had in L.A., where he worked with a different coaching environment, a different kind of setup, which [head coach] Sean McVay operates differently than a lot of other coaches do … was a learning experience for him.”
Atlanta, GA
Man found dead inside southwest Atlanta apartment | what we know
Atlanta police investigate the fatal shooting of a 38-year-old man at The Manor III apartments on Arthur Langford Junior Place in southwest Atlanta on December 10, 2025. (FOX 5)
ATLANTA – A 38-year-old man was found shot to death Wednesday evening at an apartment complex on Arthur Langford Junior Place.
What we know:
Atlanta police said officers were called to The Manor III apartments located at 262 Arthur Langford Junior Place SW around 7:31 p.m. on a report of shots fired. When they arrived, they found the man unresponsive with multiple gunshot wounds. Medical personnel pronounced him dead at the scene.
Homicide investigators spent the night collecting ballistic evidence, reviewing video and working with security at the complex. Detectives said the property has been cooperative and has provided footage that investigators are reviewing.
What they’re saying:
A police spokesperson at the scene said detectives are still working to determine whether the shooter acted alone or whether multiple suspects were involved. “Unfortunately, the male was pronounced deceased from multiple gunshot wounds,” the spokesperson said. “We are still early in the investigation trying to gather information and speak with witnesses.”
What we don’t know:
When asked about a potential motive, detectives said it was too soon to know.
What you can do:
Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers or reach out directly to the homicide unit.
The Source: The Atlanta Police Department provided the details for this article.
Atlanta, GA
Car crash deaths outpace murders, new report shows
A new report shows car crash deaths in metro Atlanta have now outpaced homicides. According to the street-safety group Propel ATL, data from 2020 through 2024 across five counties shows fatal crashes rising at a troubling rate.
Atlanta, GA
What’s the best possible outcome for Falcons vs. Bucs on Thursday Night Football?
What a weird season this has been for the Falcons, and I absolutely mean that in a bad way. Any hope we had early on was choked out weeks ago. Nothing this team does makes sense, whether it’s getting shut out entirely by the Carolina Panthers or beating the Bills. And normally in a lost season, in a season where we’re looking ahead to 2026 with several weeks left in THIS season, we’d be talking about the Falcons draft position.
Not this year! This year we’d be talking about the RAMS’ draft position in the first round, because the team traded that pick away last year to trade back up into the first and select James Pearce Jr.
I loved the pick. I don’t want anyone to misunderstand me there. We’ve been begging for a pass rush for years, and the defensive rookies on this team have impressed me. And that trade did net the pick that the Falcons used on safety Xavier Watts, who looks to be a very solid addition. But what they gave up are key roster-building picks. And it’ll be a couple of years before we fully know the impact.
This week is going to look slightly different around The Falcoholic because of the short week with the Thursday night game, but there’s still plenty to talk about around this team — including the best case scenario for Thursday night’s game.
On one hand, a win would be less embarrassing for the Falcons and for all of us. That’s always a good thing. It would also be kind of funny if the Buccaneers got knocked out of the postseason by the Panthers. If I can’t enjoy the Falcons I’m going to root for chaos, and a Panthers team that pretty much came out of nowhere to be competitive this season fits that bill. Plus, it’s not like it impacts the Falcons’ draft position for reasons mentioned above.
But on the other hand, I know a lot of fans are on the “Fire Everyone” train and I can’t say I blame y’all. A win on Thursday night would almost certainly delay that, if not derail it entirely. I’ve said all this time that, based on Arthur Blank’s history, I expected Raheem Morris would get another season primarily because of the Falcons’ injuries. Candidly, I hate talking about potential firings. I like and respect these coaches as people. I know Arthur Blank does too, and consistency of leadership is often a hallmark of successful teams so I can understand the thought process of not diving into another coaching staff shakeup this offseason. But the results are the results, and with each loss I feel less and less confident that there’s any path forward here for Raheem Morris and just about everyone else but Jeff Ulbrich.
Scroll down to the comments and let us know what your best case scenario is for Thursday night’s game and why.
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