It’s End of the Road for Reeves in Atlanta

ATLANTA — Michael Vick is back. Dan Reeves won’t be.

The Atlanta coach was fired Wednesday after the Falcons staggered to a 3-10 record, well on their way to a fifth losing season in Reeves’ seven years.

The firing came three days after the Falcons’ most stirring performance of the season, a 20-14 overtime victory over the Carolina Panthers before a sellout Georgia Dome crowd that welcomed Vick’s first start since he sustained a broken leg in an exhibition game.

Defensive coordinator Wade Phillips will take over as interim coach for the Falcons’ final three games.

“When you own a franchise and you don’t feel it’s going in the right direction you have the right to make a change and I respect that,” Reeves said at a Wednesday morning news conference.

Owner Arthur Blank asked Reeves, 59, to stay until the end of the season after firing him, but “that’s like me telling a player I’m going to cut him and then asking him to play the last three games,” Reeves said.

Speculation last week had Blank meeting with Louisiana State Coach Nick Saban, who has guided the Tigers to a spot in the bowl championship series national-title game. The Tigers were in Atlanta last Saturday for the Southeastern Conference championship game against Georgia. Blank normally attends Friday practices but was not present the day before the SEC championship.

Blank declined to comment on possible replacements. Former NFL coaches Jimmy Johnson and Dennis Green, and college coaches Bob Stoops of Oklahoma and Kirk Ferentz of Iowa are thought to be candidates along with Saban.

“The decision to hire a new head coach did not come easily or quickly,” Blank told reporters Wednesday. “We have great respect for Dan’s NFL career record and for him personally. This is purely about the future of the organization.”

Last Sunday, the Falcons received a glimpse of what their season could have been like had Vick not been injured. The third-year quarterback rushed for 141 yards against Carolina, the third-highest total for a quarterback in NFL history, and provided one of the few highlights this season. It wasn’t enough to save Reeves’ job.

As Blank answered reporters’ questions, Reeves stood outside in a hallway and exchanged hugs and handshakes with players, including Vick, whose lengthy rehabilitation appeared to create a brief rift between the coach and franchise player.

Vick took almost 3 1/2 months to return to the field despite an initial diagnosis of six to 10 weeks. Reeves at one point said Vick needed to get back on the field, but Vick said he would not play until he had fully recovered.

Vick on Wednesday called Reeves a “sweet guy.”

“He’s a guy that really cares about his players,” Vick told Associated Press.

Atlanta is 30th in the NFL in offense and 32nd in defense. It had lost 10 of its last 11 games before upsetting Carolina. Reeves had one year left on a three-year, $10-million contract.

Reeves has a 201-174-2 record in a 23-year career and is sixth in NFL history in career victories. He was 52-61-1 with the Falcons and guided the team to its only Super Bowl appearance in 1999.

Reeves led the Denver Broncos to three Super Bowls, losing each time. His contract was not renewed by the Broncos after the 1992 season. He was fired by the New York Giants after the 1996 season.

“When Arthur told me he had made the decision about the end of the year, I knew it had to come to a fullness today,” Reeves said. “I’m an eternal optimist, so yeah, it was a surprise. But I’m also realistic enough about coaching to understand this is how it is in the NFL.”

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200 Club

Dan Reeves is sixth on the NFL’s all-time victory list:

*--* Coach W-L-T Pct. 1. Don Shula 347-173-6 665 2. George Halas 324-151-31 671 3. Tom Landry 270-178-6 601 4. Curly Lambeau 229-134-22 623 5. Chuck Noll 209-156-1 572 6. Dan Reeves 201-174-2 533

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