It was only three short seasons ago that the Atlanta Falcons seemed to be in perfect position to annually contend for the NFL crown.
A franchise quarterback, up-and-coming defense and a strong, calming influence in head coach Mike Smith meant the future was bright in Hot-Lanta.
Fast forward two years and the Falcons are 6-9 and in second place in the trash heap that is the NFC South, preparing to play the equally as mediocre Carolina Panthers for the division title and a playoff spot next Sunday, and owner Arthur Blank is hiring "consultants" to help him make certain business-related decisions.
That consultant - former Browns and Eagles executive, Joe Banner - is a notoriously opinionated and brutally honest personality. The fact that Blank felt the need to hire an outside voice does not bode well for someone inside the building - it means that the Falcons owner doesn't trust those already around him to make the right decision.
But could Banner's opinions and honesty potentially extend beyond business decisions and into the realm of football? He had a heavy hand in personnel with the Eagles during the early portion of his tenure in Philadelphia. As a partial owner of the Browns, he was a major voice in personnel there as well.
What if the Falcons, rumored to be less-than enamored with Smith and general manager Thomas Dimitroff after the last two season have turned into absolute nightmares, are interested in an outside perspective on potentially replacing either man?
"If Blank asked Banner for advice on how to hire the team's next coach (if a coaching change is made), Banner presumably would advise Blank not to simply delegate the task to G.M. Thomas Dimitroff," writes Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com.
Banner has become a fairly prodigious user of social media in his time away from the game. Via Twitter, he has openly questioned the wisdom of hiring a GM to run a franchise and allowing him to select a coach entirely of his own choosing.
Could this be the real reason Blank has brought him on board?
