interview series with General, Managers from around the NFL
and we're talking now to a gentleman who
got the job in Atlanta. A year ago. This is draft. Number two,
that is just concluded for Terry Fontenot. He joins us now
Terry, welcome to the program. Great to finally talk to you.
Yeah. Appreciate you having me Mike
and congratulations on your success until research.
Sometimes. I do that. Sometimes it can be dangerous because
I end up thinking that I saw.
A things I didn't actually see. But one thing that I saw
loudly, and clearly in your background. You are a Louisiana
guy, throwing through
Lake, Charles Tulane. All those years with the Saints.
How did they let you
take a job with the Falcons?
That's look, I appreciate you doing that research. And
and look, I still love all my family back home and Louisiana.
And
and then I couldn't be more excited about being here in
Atlanta. And, you know, it's funny. How living my
Life in Louisiana, but once I got here, it didn't take long
to really get accustom to everyone here.
My family. I have four kids and you would think they've lived
here for their whole life. So, so very quickly because this
community this region, they really take you in as family.
And we feel like we've lived her for a whole life,
quite a rivalry. Those still between the Saints and
the Falcons, all the stories from the day. I
remember the time. The
buses were act. I think it was Saints buses
at the Atlanta airport. Port, right.
Yeah, you have those buses when they got egged.
I don't remember that.
Well,
a new a new future in the Rivalry as you continue to work
forward with the Falcons. Let me ask you this, before we get
into some nuts and bolts of what happened in this draft,
your own experience
coming out of Tulane
deciding to pursue a career in football and Landing
as you did as a scout, what Drew you to that aspect of
the NFL process.
Yeah, and I was I was just blessed with a really good
opportunity when I tell that story, there's there was never
a time where I said, I want to be an NFL scout.
I was kind of raised a certain way just to do your very best
in every moment and and and work like it depends on you
pray. Like it depends on God and I believe this was this was
meant to be for me
and but when that opportunity just to work on the business
side, with the Saints came, I did an internship and I worked
as hard as I could. Good
and you blink your eyes and you keep getting promotions and all
of a sudden you're the assistant GM. So,
I really believe I just kind of kept my head down and work, and
this is something that I have passion for and it worked out
for me.
It's amazing. How long you were with the Saints to you? Don't
see that kind of stability in the NFL. What's the biggest
lesson you learned during your time in New Orleans that
prepared you best for the job? You have now
and I would say everything you do needs to be. Lou Civ,
there's never, it's not a dictatorship. There's never one
person whether it's a coach or GM that's making all
the decisions. It has to be an inclusive process
in everything you do in the decision-making you have to
surround yourself with really smart people and trust and
Empower them. And if you do that, whether we're talking
about football or any other business, if you do that, then
you will have a level of success.
I want to get to one of the big Dynamics in the NFL right now.
And there are different. Teams that approach it differently
and that is the acquisition of receivers whether it's
developing a player who becomes a star and gets paid a lot of
money by that team whether it's
going out and drafting a new guy and hoping for the best or
trading for somebody else's veteran, receiver this year for
you. The right decision was to use that eighth overall pick
on the first receiver taken in the draft and Drake London.
What has brought you down on the side of The best course for us
is to go ahead and jump in with a rookie
and hope that we can develop Drake London into a future star.
Yeah, great. Great question. And, and you're right this,
it's interesting would happen with the receiver position.
This all season
via trade in free agency, with the numbers were
and also in the draft,
the way they came off the board
for us. We set the board and we have an amazing staff are
And staff is led by col Smith and they work along
obviously, with the coaches and the entire building. And we
have a very inclusive process and we set the board Mike and
we take the players off the board. So when we drafted Drake
London, he was the best player on the board and we're excited
to take them at that point. If it would have been a defensive
player or another skill position on offense or whatever
position, we would have taken that player off the board. So
so we never felt like
we had to take a receiver at that spot. So
now, when you look at how the draft came out,
obviously it was a very
highly valued position
and we can see why. But for us,
we start with the Integrity of the board, and we were
disciplined because of all the work that went in and Drake,
truly was the best player on the board. When you go through
the process. Terry upsetting your board. How hard is it?
To set aside your needs because you clearly needed a receiver.
How do you keep that from from influencing and skewing?
Assessment of a prospect so you don't bump him up higher. So
you can say, okay. We we had we
had a real neat at that position. We got to taken care
of. Coincidentally. That was the highest rate of guy that we
have when it was time for us to pick. Yeah. Well, when you're
a prisoner of the moment and you're thinking about right
now, Mike, that can be difficult and you want to grade
on the curve and and and pump some air and some guys to get
him
up when you're a prisoner of the moment, but for us, we're
focusing on the big picture and
Focusing on the process and we're looking at progress over
Perfection. So with that, we need to add good players at
every position.
Now with Ken happened, Mike when you're setting your bore.
For instance. You see it in the second round for us where we
had epic 80
at a certain spot. He's a really good pass rusher. And so
we traded up to get him, but we wouldn't have
reached for another. If he's off the board wouldn't have
reached for anyone at our spot. We would have taken the best
player off the board. So I think where that comes into
play Mike,
when you want to take
players that fit needs
that comes more into play, in terms of moving around
the draft, whether you're trading up for a player or trading back
for a player, but in setting the board, you just want to not
be a prison of the moment
and understand that you need to add to each position
and set the board that so that you're really going to take
the best players off the board at the appropriate time
when you're putting that player's name and Drake London,
specifically the first receiver drafted. It this year. Do you
consider it all
this broader Dynamic? I've noticed with the position and
I'll use Michael. Thomas is the best example of it.
If you get a receiver who gets drafted later than he thought
he was going to get, drafted Falls around to that lights. A
fire that never goes out. It seems like it never goes out in
his entire career. Whereas if it's the first receiver off
the board, now, I know it worked out well for Jamar chasing
the Bengals last year, but
there's a little extra pressure.
Like do you factor into that? If this is our guy at number
eight? We think he's going to be able to The pressure and
the expectation, and the scrutiny
and he's not going to
going to be satisfied
that he's arrived. That he was the first receiver take and
he's still going to have some fire. Maybe it's because he
wasn't taking first overall instead of eight overall. But
do you factor that into your assessment? Well,
we do, we start with the makeup but when players are wired
the right way, because if you think of it, Mike there can always
be. Whether a player was drafted High. There's a level
of expectation or
or even once he has success, even if he was
drafted. Added later. And once he has success in signs, a big
contract, there's low of expectations. So at some point
it's going to come out that true character is going to be
revealed. So we believe that when you draft the right
players that are wired the right
way and acquire the right players
there they have the right makeup.
And so they're going to handle it the right way.
They're going to come in and they're always going to have
that fire on a daily basis and they're going to work and even
when they if they do get a big contract, they're still going
to be wire the right way. So
that's why we believe in bring it in the guy.
Is that a wire the right way? That have the right intangibles
that have the right makeup? The character part is so important
just because of those things
Terry the quarterback position was a wild card in this draft,
a mystery for a lot of people inside and outside of the NFL
when the dust settled on round one on Thursday night. How
surprised were you? That only one quarterback had been taken?
Well,
I wouldn't say surprised because the other teams were
operating the same way we did and they were taken there were
so many good players
in this drafted. In the first round. When you go through
the first round, go through the 32 picks a lot of really good
football. Players came off the board. Same with the second
round.
We're excited to get the players that we got in
the second round. Not that it's not a negative on any of
the quarterbacks, but we're taking the best players off the board
and a lot of really good football. Players got taken off
the board.
So I know Unique in this year, just like all the receivers
that went not as many quarterbacks went. But I just
when you look at the players that went, there were a lot of
good football players that came off the boards.
So when you get to round 3
and you select Cincinnati's Desmond, Ritter
when there are other options available at quarterback, what
set him apart? What made him your guy in that spot? Yeah. So
so at that point he truly was he was the best
guy off the board and we were excited to take them off
because we spent time with Desmond as we did, the other
quarterbacks throughout the process. And
I remember going into Cincinnati
and and after he worked out getting a sitting room with
him, and we talked to him a lot. And and he went through
how they brought that program to a different level and he
talked about his very selfless and humble in the way. He
talked about his teammates and the coaching staff and what
they did. I think it's special with they're able to do it.
Cincinnati
raising that program to another level
and you knew we had a player that he I have a chip on his
shoulder.
He always felt like he has something to prove
and he's one of those guys that whether he goes in the first
round or the seventh round, he's going to be that type of
worker, that brings it every day. So
we're excited to take Desmond at that time excited about
the time. We spent with him and we're excited to get him here,
so he can go to work. Is it harder to evaluate quarterbacks
Terry? Because there are so many intangibles like that that
you need to get right? You need to
know that you're getting a guy who's going to show up early.
Stay late. Do all the things you need and do hold his
teammates accountable be
A guy who can walk into the locker room and command attention.
It. Does it make it harder than for any other position
to gauge exactly what you're getting
or those intangibles are so critical in. The, the tough
thing about the entire college process is we're projecting.
And it's not because obviously in their element,
they handle things a certain way, but we're projecting
with. They're going to be once they get here, but
there are process. I really appreciate our process and
again starting with our College. Staff and getting into
the coaches and all the work that goes into it.
We really appreciate
our process. And we believe that we have a really good
group that is evaluating these players. So, it is difficult at
that position and any position
to come in and make this transition. These are young
men. Some of them are 20 years old now and when we bring them
in there's a lot of things that they're going to be going
against. So once they get in the building with all of them
we have to make sure we have clear development.
Lands, and we're able to support them. And all the ways
that we can
from an outsider's perspective. How should we view the Falcons
quarterback depth chart going into this year. Is it Marcus
Mariota?
Or is it competition? Or is it something else? I would say
at any depth. Sorry, any position
on our depth chart? It's all the same
that right. Now we're going to have going into Camp. We're
going to have 90 players all competing to be the 53 plus 16.
And then on a weekly basis, they're going to
Painting to get a jersey on game day to be one of the 48.
That's truly how we see this. We're continuing to add
competition at every position and that's what's really
exciting about this.
When you evaluated Desmond Ritter was part of a goal to
try to find someone who projected to having a similar
skill, set to Marcus Mariota. So you'd have a seamless
Playbook between one guy and the other was that part of the
consideration at all.
I wouldn't say that. That was a
part of the consideration.
I would say we just
Evaluated the player and
but it is cool to look at the quarterback
room right now. And
we rival.
There's not many quarterback rooms that look like that with
with Marcus and Desmond and also Felipe Frank's. I mean,
they look good coming off the bus, some big athletic guys.
But again, they're all really good human beings as well
and Marcus Mariota. As soon as he was
here and find a house and he was in the building.
And he's been here
working as much as he possibly can anything that he can
legally do. He's going to do it to try to be the best football
player. He can be. So it's been excited to see him work.
And in Desmond is wire that same way, so that's always
important to us and
it's a big athletic looking group,
has Marcus started bringing that spam around. We saw him at
the Super Bowl one year, and he was pushing spam.
I haven't seen the spam yet. No, I haven't
seen really fast. Maybe he's got away from the spam. Maybe
that's why he's still playing all these years later. Hoping
that evening another big athletic guy on your team Grady
Jared. There was some uncertainty about his status.
There were some Whispers maybe it's maybe doesn't
fit or whatever. Boom.
Three-year extension.
What caused you to conclude? It was the right time to do
another contract. With a guy who's been around for a while,
boy. That's really exciting. And you look at this offseason
with Grady. Jared Jake Matthews and young wake. Ooh, those are
three foundational pieces pieces. In each phase. That
Are able to get extensions
done with and that's really important
for us. Moving forward,
our Administration staff. Chris. Olson person, grows have
worked really hard on those contracts, and we're really
excited, because the common thing. What each one of those
players is there are good players and they're even better
human beings.
And when we're building something, those are the kind
of players that we want to build around, you're going to
bring in a lot of young players, and
we have an infusion of young Talent. So we want to make sure
we have consummate Pros in the building. So we're excited
about all those players. And Grady Jared, we couldn't be
more thrilled about getting that done.
If you pay attention to the headlines of pro football talk
and I know you do,
you may have seen that right? Matt. Ryan
recently said that but for the pursuit of DeShaun Watson, he'd
still be with the Falcons. Do you agree with his assessment
of the way things could have fallen out differently.
I don't know. I haven't seen. I usually do. I do pay attention
to pro football talk and I click Refresh on that a lot.
Obviously, my, but I haven't seen that yet.
I don't know the context that it was in
but look, Matt Ryan is a special man, and and the type
of professional that he is. We appreciated our
opportunity to spend an entire year with him and his family
and he's awesome. We appreciate the Colts throughout. That
whole process. Everything was handled with a high level of
professionalism, and we're happy for him
and where he is now and we're moving forward and
we're excited about our quarterback room,
one more students. As soon as I get off this call. I'm going to
go to Tea and catch up on the news that I haven't caught up
on good. That's good. That's very good. I'm not gonna let
you go quicker, so you can get to it. We need to we need to
traffic
but he I haven't read the article myself. I just saw
the headline one of my other people wrote it, but I thought I need
to ask Terry about that. One other thing. I want to ask you
about this. DeShaun Watson. Think he's kind of came out of
the blue that you guys were involved. And Chris Simms
has suggested that
DeShaun Watson actually reached out to the Falcons and asked
the Falcons to get involved. It wasn't a case of the Falcons
getting involved.
Who made the first move on that?
Well again, I don't want to really rehash. He's on another
roster right now. So
without rehashing that Mike and going back to that. I will say
that we're always going to turn over every stone and we're
going to explore every possibility
moving forward here.
And and that's the way we're going to operate.
So without talking specifically about that.
He's on another roster right now.
But I would say we're going to explore everything possible. If
there's if there's an opportunity to improve this
football team, we're going to explore
any time. I say one more question. I guarantee that
there's going to be one more. You got two kids.
How hard has it been to get them
to set aside the Saints?
Fandom, and accept the Falcons. You have any holdouts that are
still Saints, fans know. It's appreciate you asking about my
children and, but it really hasn't. It's amazing how quick
that. Change happens. And I remember vividly the last
Saints game
and it was, it was against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and I was
sitting in the Press Box and afterwards. I come down and
and I'm with my family and with the kids and it's emotional
naturally because
we all knew there was a chance that was the last game. And so
that night,
we agree with the Falcons and we
and
instantly. It's crazy out happens. Mike and I can't
explain it but being somewhere so long and Being
with that team and you live and die in a lot of Blood, Sweat
and Tears. But when I say instantly, there's an instant
transition
to the Falcons and we were Die Hard Falcons, right away and
each one of them were. So
it's appreciate you asking about my family
and they're all about the Falcons. Sounds like the smart
kid. It's a very smart kid. That's my pay daddy now.
All right, Terry.
Yeah. Congratulations on all your success and all the best
moving forward. Ho, To do this again sooner rather than later.
Anytime Mike. I really appreciate you, man. I'm going
to go check bft right now.