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02/15/2007 -
ATLANTA (AP) -Arthur Blank is looking for new revenue - and possibly a new stadium - for the Atlanta Falcons.
Not a new starting quarterback.
February marks the five-year anniversary of Blank's purchase of the team. ``There have been a lot of ups and downs along the way, but we've had a lot of fun,'' Blank told the Atlanta Press Club.
Blank fired coach Jim Mora after the Falcons failed to make the playoffs for the second straight season and hired Bobby Petrino as the new coach. But the biggest offseason news was quarterback Michael Vick's water-bottle encounter with Miami airport security last month.
Vick was cleared of allegations the water bottle he attempted to take through the airport was laced with marijuana. Though Miami police moved quickly in announcing the results of lab tests, several days of public suspicion did not help Vick's public standing.
Vick has not been available for interviews and the Falcons have been mostly quiet on the matter after an initial public reprimand from general manager Rich McKay, who said the quarterback ``let a lot of people down.''
Blank stood up for Vick Thursday.
``He is our quarterback,'' Blank said in an interview session following his speech. ``We're proud of Michael. He's obviously a great player and he's a very fine person. The incident in Miami was unfortunate, but as we found out it was a water bottle. It might have been a trick water bottle, but it was a water bottle and it was filled with water and that's what it was filled with.''
Blank said Vick is ``enthused and excited about operating under new coaching and a new scheme.''
Blank said officials have discussed backup quarterback Matt Schaub's future. Schaub is a restricted free agent who could be viewed as a potential starter for another team.
``We'd love to keep him as part of the Falcons,'' Blank said. ``We always have to look at options and we'll certainly consider options as we look toward our roster for 2007.''
Meanwhile, Blank's search for new revenue continues as he again discussed the option of replacing the Georgia Dome, now 15 years old.
``The Dome is a fine place to play football but it was built in 1992 and domes tend to age more quickly than other stadiums,'' Blank said.
Blank said the team's lease with the Georgia Dome continues through 2020 or when bonds are paid.
But he said it's not too early to discuss a new stadium that could be configured for more high-priced seats. The Georgia Dome has ample space for 204 luxury seats but it has only 4,400 club seats - far fewer than division rivals Tampa Bay (12,000) and Carolina (11,300).
From Blank's perspective, that's lost potential for revenue.
``In order for us to continue to field a competitive team, we will need some short-term revenue opportunities to continue to develop for us and some long-term resolutions,'' he said.
Blank has said he prefers the Falcons' home remain in a downtown location, but on Thursday he indicated no preference for either an indoor or outdoor facility.
``My view is we would start out by doing what we always do, by talking to the fans ... about the kind of stadium they would like to see us build.''
Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
<< NBA All-Star Game Results
2006-East 122, West 1202005-East 125, West 1152004-West 136, East 1322003-West 155, East 145, 2OT2002-West 135, East 1202001-East 111, West 1102000-West 137, East 1261999-No game.1998-East 135, West 1141997-East 132, West 1201996-East 129, West 1181
<< NBA All-Star Game MVPs
2006 - LeBron James, Cleveland2005 - Allen Iverson, Philadelphia2004 - Shaquille O'Neal, LA Lakers2003 - Kevin Garnett, Minnesota2002 - Kobe Bryant, LA Lakers2001 - Allen Iverson, Philadelphia2000 - Tim Duncan, San Antonio; and Shaquille O'Neal, LA
<< Mavs recall first-round pick Ager
DALLAS (AP) -The Dallas Mavericks recalled rookie guard Maurice Ager from their developmental team Thursday.Ager, the team's first-round pick out of Michigan State, has played in 19 games for the Mavericks, averaging 1.3 points in 3.7 minutes a game
<< South Carolina hires Frank Beamer's son
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -South Carolina added another big college football name to its staff Wednesday, hiring Shane Beamer, the son of Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer.Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier said his newest assistant will coach outside lineback
For Morrison, no place like road >>
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -Adam Morrison headed to Las Vegas on Thursday to take part in All-Star weekend festivities as the second-leading rookie scorer in the NBA. He might be leading the league if not for those home games.Morrison prefers playing on t
Wood hurt in fall from hot tub, out for a few days >>
MESA, Ariz. (AP) -Oft-injured Kerry Wood is out again - this time because of a flub in a hot tub.The Chicago Cubs pitcher is not expected to throw off the mound for a few days after he slipped this week getting out of a hot tub at home. Wood landed
76ers playing only for draft picks and hope for the future >>
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -The only thing fans want the Philadelphia 76ers to win these days is the draft lottery.The playoffs are far out of reach for the third-worst team in the NBA, so winning games won't do anything except lower the number of available
Zito unveils new delivery on first day with Giants >>
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) -Barry Zito unveiled a different delivery on his first day with the San Francisco Giants, making at least one of his new coaches a little nervous.Pitching coach Dave Righetti went as far as to say the tweaks Zito made this win
MySportsbook.com Favors Fighting Irish to win College Football betting odds
According to odds makers at MySportsbook.com, on January 8, the Fighting Irish faithful may be toasting their 14th national title in Arizona – Notre Dame’s first national championship in close to 20 years.
Although MySportsbook.com has listed Notre Dame as the 5-1 favorite to win thecollege football College Football betting, fans in Columbus do not need to cancel their tickets to Glendale just yet. The Ohio State Buckeyes, listed right behind the Irish at 7-1, are also heavy favorites to win college football’s most coveted prize, while West Virginia, USC and the 2007 National Champion Texas Longhorns - all listed at 8-1 – are strong contenders as well.
MySportsbook.com has also posted gambling odds on the conference championships for the ACC, Big 12 and SEC. In the ACC – it could be anyone’s title, particularly for the two schools from the Sunshine State. Florida State and Miami, both listed at 2-1, are favored to win the ACC Championship Game odds, with the ‘Noles hoping to finish in the nation’s top 10 for the first time in five years, and the ‘Canes looking to avenge their 10-7 loss against FSU in last year’s ACC Championship betting.
Moving west to the Big 12, MySportsbook.com has betting lines listing Texas as 7-5 favorites to repeat as conference champions, even though the Longhorns lost their national championship-winning quarterback Vince Young to the NFL. In the south, the Auburn Tigers – led by Heisman-hopeful senior running back Kenny Irons – have been given the best odds to win the SEC Championship odds at 5-2.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Visa needs.
| Notre Dame Ohio State West Virginia Texas USC Florida California Auburn Oklahoma Iowa Louisville Florida State Michigan Miami (FL) LSU Penn State Virginia Tech Nebraska Tennessee Georgia Arizona State Oregon Clemson Texas A&M Texas Tech Alabama Arkansas Boston College Michigan State Maryland South Carolina Colorado Purdue Georgia Tech TCU UCLA Arizona Pittsburgh Iowa State Wisconsin North Carolina State Virginia North Carolina Fresno State Hawaii Northwestern BYU Oregon State UNLV Field (Any Other Team) |
5-1 7-1 8-1 8-1 8-1 12-1 15-1 15-1 18-1 20-1 20-1 20-1 20-1 20-1 25-1 40-1 40-1 50-1 60-1 60-1 60-1 70-1 70-1 100-1 100-1 100-1 100-1 100-1 150-1 200-1 200-1 200-1 200-1 200-1 250-1 250-1 300-1 300-1 300-1 300-1 300-1 300-1 400-1 500-1 500-1 500-1 500-1 1000-1 1000-1 40-1 |
| Miami (FL) Florida State Virginia Tech Clemson Georgia Tech Boston College Maryland Virginia North Carolina State North Carolina Wake Forest Duke |
2-1 2-1 3-1 7-1 15-1 15-1 15-1 30-1 30-1 30-1 50-1 500-1 |
| Texas Oklahoma Nebraska Texas Tech Colorado Iowa State Texas A&M Kansas State Missouri Kansas Baylor Oklahoma State |
7-5 9-5 9-2 12-1 14-1 15-1 15-1 30-1 30-1 35-1 100-1 100-1 |
| Auburn Florida LSU Georgia Tennessee Arkansas Alabama Mississippi South Carolina Mississippi State Kentucky Vanderbilt |
5-2 11-4 4-1 6-1 7-1 7-1 9-1 20-1 28-1 75-1 100-1 300-1 |
For complete NCAA football odds please visit Mysportsbook.com.
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