Yesterday, Wednesday, July 23, my beloved Falcons hired Georgia Force of the Arena League head coach Doug Plank as a coaching assistant. According to owner Arthur Blank, Plank is going to work on different projects for the team. I hope those projects come down from head coach Mike Smith by telling Plank to help the secondary get better. This position is only going to be seasonal during the NFL season. Hopefully it will be every season if all goes well. Plank will still hold the head coaching position of the Force, which Blank also owns.
Plank has been with the Force for the past four years, and has compiled a 47-25 record. Plank has guided the Force to three Southern Division Championships, and did make it to the Arena Bowl in 2005.
As you might not know, Plank played safety for the Chicago Bears and wore the number 46. You might wonder what is so special about that number, it's just another number? Well, there is a scheme of defense called the 46 defense that was named after him because of the hard hitting, smash mouth type of player he was in the NFL. With the young talent that the team has portrayed in the offseason workouts, this could very well be the reason for the hire.
I am not going to get too fired up about my team this season because I do not expect too much this year. I just want to see improvement. But I believe Blank is hiring the right people and putting them in place so they can operate a top-notch organization.
Keywords: Atlanta Falcons, NFL
