Atlanta Falcons to hire Leeman Bennett, Jerry Glanville as consultants
The Atlanta Falcons are reportedly adding to their executive staff, hiring former coaches Leeman Bennett and Jerry Glanville as consultants to the offensive and defensive coaches.
It seems the Atlanta Falcons have decided to turn back time with the reported hire of two former head coaches – Leeman Bennett (1977-1982) and Jerry Glanville (1990-1993). Bennett will be a consultant to the offensive coaching staff, while Glanville will focus on consulting the defensive side of the ball.
The 79-year-old Bennett has been away from football since being fired by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1986, focusing on his private business ventures.
Bennett led the Falcons to their first ever playoff appearance in 1978, and was the architect of some of the best offenses the Falcons had ever fielded during the early years of the franchise.
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“It’s going to be great to be back in Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium again,” Bennett said in a statement. “I can’t want to help script some fantastic offensive sets for Steve Bartkowski and those receivers. I just hope Mike Kenn‘s knees can hold up.”
On the defensive side Jerry Glanville — who has been serving as the defensive coordinator for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the CFL — will bring a lot of experience, as well as some colorful personality to the team.
“Hot damn! Back in Atlanta again!” Glanville said from the seat of his Harley-Davidson. “I always knew they’d need me back there. Someone said the odds were 3-28 of me coming back. Guess I showed them. The return of the Grits Blitz and the boys in black! Is it too late to change the uniforms?”
The Falcons are preparing for the upcoming NFL Draft, and its certain both Bennett and Glanville will have a hand in the players selected. When asked if they had any clue as to who they might recommend being picked, both coaches thoughtfully mused.
“We need an offensive lineman who can learn how to block without choking on his Beech-Nut.” Bennett said. “Do I have to learn that Dirty Bird dance? Someone get Dan Reeves on the phone.”
“Don’t listen to him,” Glanville joked as he slapped the hat off Bennett’s head. “It’s time for this defense to get nasty, mean and…wait, you can’t hit with your helmet anymore? How the hell are we supposed to be intimidating? Do they expect these guys to actually tackle people?”
When asked about his current position in Hamilton, Glanville said he’d been training Elvis Presley to take over the role since being hired earlier this year.
Both coaches then hopped in the back of a random pickup truck, awaiting a “ride to Suwanee” to get their offices set up.
While rolling back the clock for the Atlanta Falcons might sound like an interesting idea, clearly (and thankfully) this has been bit of April Fools fun.