ajc.com
10:15 am January 29, 2011, by Jeff Schultz
quote:Late in the third quarter against Green Bay, he watched from his private box as the Packers scored their scored fifth consecutive touchdown to take a 42-14 lead. Fans began to stream out of the Georgia Dome.
“People said to me, ‘You must be upset about that,’” Blank said. “I said no. I wasn’t upset that they were leaving, I was upset about the way we were playing. The fans were incredibly supportive all year. After that third quarter, it would’ve taken a miracle just to come back and make the game competitive. It was like the fans were getting hit on the head with a hammer, and it wouldn’t stop. The only way they could make it stop was by leaving. So they left.”
Blank’s head was still throbbing the following week when NFL meetings were held in Atlanta. During a lunch break, he sat with New England owner Robert Kraft, whose team was stunned in its first playoff game by the New York Jets (the day after the Falcons’ loss).
“There we were, the owners of the two No. 1 seeds, having lunch,” Blank said, managing a chuckle. “Nobody else sat at our table. We were two sorry sacks. You never get used to it.” continue
