Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank has been historically patient with head coaches not making quick reactions when a new coach struggles. With this in mind, Raheem Morris should be safe no matter how Atlanta's season ends. The head coach is accomplished and more than earned at least another season to prove he can fix the franchise. Still, if the Falcons fumble away the NFC South lead someone must pay and the most deserving is Terry Fontenot.
The Atlanta GM is responsible for the issues at quarterback and a historically awful Atlanta draft class. Add in the fact the GM did absolutely nothing to fix the pass rush and it is clear if the season doesn't end in the playoffs, Terry Fontenot should no longer be Atlanta's GM.
You simply cannot defend the job Fontenot has done since taking over Atlanta's front office. The drafts have been consistently poor and until this season the quarterback issues couldn't be fixed. Arthur Smith is gone as a fall guy and the problems for the franchise remain the same.
One could argue that when Arthur Smith was fired the Falcons should have cleaned house completely and started fresh. Fontenot isn't helping his case by paying Kirk Cousins top dollar while drafting Penix and getting absolutely nothing from the rest of his draft class. Add in the lack of impact signing for the defense and there is reason even if the Falcons made the playoffs to question his job security.
For two straight seasons, this is a team that has been handed a golden chance with an easy schedule and bad division to luck into a playoff spot. We know how last season ended and what that meant for Arthur Smith. If the story doesn't change at the end of this year it should be Terry Fontenot looking for a new landing spot.
