Sunshine state of mind

Falcons should make the effort to land a new head coach

Life on the boat must be getting a bit nauseous for Jimmy Johnson. ... Waking up at the crack of noon, surveying all that is the F-L-A Keys, cracking open a cold one, kicking back in the sun's warmth.

But surely there is something missing -- like training camp, 18-hour days, road trips.

And just what would it take to convince JJ to leave his tropical paradise? How about $5 million per -- with a dock for Three Rings on Lake Lanier -- to reside in the land of perpetual road construction?

OK, Dan Reeves should not be fired right now as Atlanta's head coach. He is one win shy of 200, and dumping a man that close to such a milestone (only five other coaches in NFL history have won as many) would be on the Ice Station Zebra side of cold-blooded. But ...

Arthur Blank should begin making in-roads to get Johnson as the Falcons' next head coach. Full-page ads in the newspaper are nice, but they cannot stop the on-field bleeding. Saying all the right things when the TV cameras are on is expected, but again, fans don't want to hear the owner talk -- unless it's to announce a major change, like a new head coach.

Reeves has one year remaining on his contract, but it is one game that matters. Give him the opportunity to slay his Moby Dick -- it's been six weeks, what's a few more? -- and then begin cementing the pieces in place for 2004 and beyond.

It's been mostly cosmetic changes under Blank since he purchased the franchise: better parking around the Georgia Dome; lower ticket prices; new uniforms (no matter that a local softball team designed them).

But the time has come for nuts and bolts improvements, beginning now, six games into an already lost season. And JJ is the most respected Mr. Fix-It available.

Even when Falcons Fever was at its hottest, there were those who knew 2003 was not going to be an easy road to Houston; the schedule had six games against playoff teams. Still, Super Bowl or bust was the mantra, even in the days immediately following Michael Vick's broken leg.

Doug Johnson had stepped in for Vick last year and beaten the mighty Giants -- on the road, no less -- and he looked like a competent stopgap until The Savior returned. A win against Dallas in Week 1 only whetted the natives' eagerness to make their early February reservations at Rick's Cabaret.

Six losses later, Kurt Kittner is under center. Keith Brooking has broken bones in his back. And Atlanta is no closer to consecutive winning seasons than it was 38 years ago. More important, Vick is still weeks away from returning.

Meanwhile, JJ is tanned and rested, even wiser for his time away from the grind. Sure, the allure of the gulf runs deep, but Blank has deep pockets, the kind that fans expect him to reach into to solve problems. Salary-cap constraints and talent evaluation are one thing, but there is no limit to the spending for a proven winner. That Johnson has an eye for talent is a bonus. Teaming him with Falcons consultant Bobby Beathard would be a boon.

Of course, Johnson contends he's happy watching the waves roll in. Then again, so was Parcells -- and Quincy Carter is no Vick, to be sure. And while it is unlikely JJ could again snooker a team to trade its future for the likes of Ray Buchanan, Bob Whitfield or Tyrone Williams, the building blocks of a near-future contender are in place. All that is lacking is a head coach.

Arthur, you've been around long enough that it should be easy to fill in this blank.

B. Duane Cross is a senior producer for SI.com.