Falcons NFLPA Grades: Arthur Blank Praised, Locker Room Scores Poorly
INDIANAPOLIS -- The NFLPA released report cards for all 32 teams Wednesday, and the Atlanta Falcons received mixed reviews.
Falcons owner Arthur Blank graded strongly with an A-, which puts him at No. 9 in the league. Atlanta's training and nutritional/dietician staffs also came in at A-, with both ranking top-five in the league.
Those aspects were positive. Many others weren't.
Feb 8, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank on the red carpet before the NFL Honors show at Resorts World Theatre.
Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Atlanta received F's in locker room and weight room, ranking No. 29 and No. 31 league-wide in the categories.
Still, it gets worse.
The Falcons received an F- for their strength coaches - particularly the head strength and conditioning coach Thomas Stallworth, who wasn't retained on Raheem Morris' new staff.
"The number one issue that the players felt needed improvement at the time of the survey was the head strength coach," the NFLPA said in the release. "He received the lowest grade of any strength coach. The players described a negative culture in the weight room.
"It is important to note that the respondents made it a point to say that the assistant strength coaches are great."
In place of Stallworth, Morris hired former Los Angeles Rams associate director of strength and conditioning John Griffin.
Here's a look at the Falcons' list of grades and where they ranked in comparison to the rest of the league:
Treatment of Families: C, No. 13
Food/Cafeteria: C, No. 20
Nutricion/Dietician: A-, No. 4
Locker Room: F, No. 29
Training Room: B-, No. 14
Training Staff: A-, No. 5
Weight Room: F, No. 31
Strength Coaches: F-, No. 32
Team Travel: C, No. 16
Head Coach (still Arthur Smith at the time of grading): C+, No. 30
Ownership: A-, No. 9
Of note, the Falcons' facilities in Flowery Branch are under construction, with upgrades coming to the weight room, locker room and cafeteria, each of which were cause for concern amongst players.
The NFLPA noted these upgrades should lead to improved ratings - and in some cases, the Falcons have no place to go but up.
