Blank is a good man who has made bad football decisions. He needs to stop thinking style and start thinking substance. Sometimes the best people for the job are the least known, a reality Blank has yet to learn. Even before offering a job to Parcells, he showed his football inexperience by seeking out Bill Cowher to be his new head coach. Cowher declined, but you don't attempt to hire a coach before you've hired a general manager. Maybe he would have given both jobs to Cowher, but that would have been a mistake, too. The league is littered with examples of failed attempts to have one man function as coach and general manager.

Atlanta is expected to draft a signal-caller next April, and at that point it will need a coach who can develop that player. If I'm Blank, I stop thinking big names and start thinking qualified names. I think of someone such as Indianapolis assistant head coach/quarterbacks coach Jim Caldwell.

Caldwell has everything Blank should be looking for. Previous head coaching experience? He spent eight seasons at Wake Forest, where in 1999 he led the school to its first winning season and bowl appearance in seven years. On four occasions, the school ranked in the top 25 in passing.

Experience developing quarterbacks? He tutored Kerry Collins at Penn State the year that Collins won the Davey O'Brien Award as the nation's top collegiate passer; he tutored Brad Johnson the year Johnson completed 340 passes to break the Bucs' franchise record; and since 2002 he has tutored Colts QB Peyton Manning, who during that time has set personal passing highs for yards (4,557), touchdowns (49) and rating (121.1) and his career low for interceptions (nine).

Caldwell is not a big name, which means Blank likely won't consider him. What a shame. Blank was warned after buying the team that he shouldn't hire McKay, but Blank did so anyway. He liked the fact McKay was on the competition committee, and he believed erroneous talk that McKay would succeed Paul Tagliabue as commissioner.

Blank also was warned about getting too close to his players, particularly Vick. He ignored that advice as well. In fact, he'll never live down the day he pushed Vick around the sideline in a wheelchair when his quarterback had a foot injury. Blank had a soft spot for Vick in part because he was a marketer's dream, and marketing is a major deal to Blank. But it's time for Blank to realize that the best marketing tool is a winning team, not a big name.