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Falcons change post-Vick marketing

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Newly drafted quarterback Matt Ryan will not be a prime player in an advertising campaign planned by the Falcons to try to rebuild the team's sagging season-ticket base. The Falcons acknowledge a steep drop-off in season-ticket renewals in some parts of the Georgia Dome -- a tumble precipitated by a disastrous 2007 season and not abated by a price cut -- and the team vows an aggressive effort to fill the vacated seats. But the person drafted last weekend to succeed Michael Vick on the field will not replace the imprisoned quarterback as the marketing face of the franchise -- at least not now.

Atlanta Journal Constitution

Matt Ryan , AP Matt Ryan , AP
April 30, 2008  07:19 AM ET

Yeah, might wanna see if he can play first.

April 30, 2008  07:42 AM ET

Right that Jaz........many a QBs dont pan out.

April 30, 2008  08:08 AM ET

Marketing-wise Michael Vick can never be replaced. He was a demi-god here in the ATL!

April 30, 2008  08:18 AM ET

Maybe they can get one of those nifty hurricanes to come hit Atlanta like the Saints did. That seemed to fill allot of stadium seats for black and gold.

I hear they even tore the roof off the joint.

Now thats marketing.

April 30, 2008  08:32 AM ET

Vick is still marketable, although I doubt we'll be seeing any commercials for the "new" michal nick expercience

April 30, 2008  08:40 AM ET

There is gonna be a new Mike Vick Experience Commercial 700 Level Lifer.

It starts off with him dropping the soap in a prison shower with a bunch of angry, tattooed, dog loving, Samoans.........

April 30, 2008  08:51 AM ET

There is gonna be a new Mike Vick Experience Commercial 700 Level Lifer.

It starts off with him dropping the soap in a prison shower with a bunch of angry, tattooed, dog loving, Samoans.........

Hortag | 04/30/08, 08:40 AM
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hahaha, Vick is at the 30, the 20, the 10 ooohhhh he gets hit up the middle

April 30, 2008  09:03 AM ET

Maybe they can get one of those nifty hurricanes to come hit Atlanta like the Saints did. That seemed to fill allot of stadium seats for black and gold.

I hear they even tore the roof off the joint.

Now thats marketing.

Hortag

Easy, now. I happen to live in the Atlanta area.

April 30, 2008  09:15 AM ET

Marketing-wise Michael Vick can never be replaced. He was a demi-god here in the ATL!
Cowboystar | 04/30/08, 08:08 AM

This guy's right. Michael Vick was nearly everyone's favorite player in Atlanta. No matter how he was playing, his jerseys were being sold out alot. I go every summer and the amount of Vick jerseys versus all the other jerseys was astounding. You can't really replace the marketing presence he had.

April 30, 2008  09:15 AM ET

So the doggy beanie babies weren't filling the seats?

How about staging "World's Biggest Dogfight Halftime Show" during a game and have two guys in dog mascot costumes fight to the death?

April 30, 2008  09:16 AM ET

Maybe one can be that Georgia Bulldog mascot.

April 30, 2008  09:31 AM ET

Vick was a seat filler and top jersey seller, marketable player in the league. Next to him was probably DeAngelo Hall who was a fan favorite as well..With them gone, the Falcons games will be empty for years to come...Sorry Art Blank.

April 30, 2008  09:59 AM ET

I can't believe all these cheap and tasteless dog jokes. Firfaces lost their lives!

A great player lost his career and freedom. And there was NEVER any proof that he knew these dogs were not enjoying themselves.Or what he saw or heard. He may not have even been in the pew, er, I mean seat to see this bad stuff.

April 30, 2008  10:01 AM ET

Yeah, might wanna see if he can play first.
Jazinho | 04/30/08, 07:19 AM

This guy will be the equivalent of Jon Kitna...sometimes starter, sometimes backup. Way to use that first pick ATL.

April 30, 2008  10:28 AM ET

Good call. He may be squeaky clean, but it's useless if he can't pout points on the board.

April 30, 2008  10:37 AM ET

Vick was a seat filler and top jersey seller, marketable player in the league. Next to him was probably DeAngelo Hall who was a fan favorite as well..With them gone, the Falcons games will be empty for years to come...Sorry Art Blank.

his_majesty1 | 04/30/08, 09:31 AM
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Thats pretty sad that the stadium will be empty because you would rather rally around a felon than your home team. Don't you realize that he was an average QB at best anyway.

April 30, 2008  10:42 AM ET

Why wait to see if Matt Ryan can play before hyping him up?
They did not wait with Michael Vick.
What is this crap about Vick being a seat filler? If the Falcons cannot sell out 8 games a year with out the most over rated player in NFL history then they should move the team some place else.
I am sure that cities like Portland, Louisville, San Antonio and Oklahoma City would be glade to have a team.

April 30, 2008  11:20 AM ET

Philatron: Vick did sell out pretty much every game while he was there. You couldn't get a ticket the last several years. That's now changed. The cities you mention would not support an NFL team. I lived in Portland, there is no stadium and little support for even trying for a team. The other cities are likely the same. Try putting some sort of factual informationin your next post.

April 30, 2008  11:24 AM ET

Thats pretty sad that the stadium will be empty because you would rather rally around a felon than your home team. Don't you realize that he was an average QB at best anyway.

700 Level Lifer | 04/30/08, 10:37 AM
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Another dumb post --- Vick was popular "before" he was a felon because he was so exciting, not because he was a great QB. Many "wow" moments. He started to wear out his welcome with the finger incident, the airport incident etc.... then the fan base dumped him after he was convicted. There's still a vocal minority of Vick lovers... but they are not to be taken seriously.

 
April 30, 2008  11:49 AM ET

There's still a vocal minority of Vick lovers... but they are not to be taken seriously.

Sir Robin 320 | 04/30/08, 11:24 AM

That "vocal minority" might be composed of ticket holders, because weren't Falcons tickets easier to get this year? I'm sure Blank takes them seriously. What is wrong with people wanting to rally around Vick? If I'm not mistaken, a lot of tickets and jerseys were sold because of that "felon".

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