Getty An Atlanta Falcons helmet from 2001.
April is an exciting month for the NFL with the draft, that’s right the show must go on. But it’s especially exciting for the Atlanta Falcons this year.
17 season later…it’s finally happening. The Falcons are ditching their old uniforms for new ones. Atlanta’s president, Rich McKay caught up with Falcons’ digital managing editor and mock draft analyst, Matt Tabeek to discuss the NFL draft in the midst of the coronavirus and new uniforms.
“I’ve seen them and I’m all on board. I’ve seen them numerous times, more than once,” McKay told Tabeek.
New Uniform Process
For years upon years, the Falcons have been listening to fans ask for new uniforms. General manager Arthur Blank sent out a letter to season ticket members informing them of the new change.
President McKay helped make sense of and explain why the change has taken so long.
“I’m jacked about the new uniforms. Listen anytime you do it, first of all, it’s not a [normal] process. It doesn’t take one week or two weeks or three months or a year. This is years. This is a lot of fan input, a lot of player input. This is a great partnership with Nike and them helping. I’m looking forward to the unveil. I have no question that’ll you’ll have people say I didn’t expect this or I didn’t expect that. That’s part of it. But it’s cool and I’m looking forward to it.”
Typically the unveiling takes place on stage, in front of a large crowd. This is a big deal and teams make it a big deal by holding a ceremony. McKay clarified that this year won’t be like that.
“It’s gonna be different given the fact that we’re not going to do it live at a live event. We’re gonna have to do it in a new social environment.”
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The Ultimate Event
Usually, the NFL draft is the second biggest event next to the Super Bowl. But this year it’s expected to be even bigger, considering it’s the only excitement happening in the sports world.
McKay details what it’s going to look like this year in the midst of the coronavirus.
“Is it the same as in the past years? No. It’s different. But we’ll be ready to go and I think one thing you need to know about the NFL is we’ll make it a spectacle. It may be a virtual spectacle but it’ll be a spectacle. We’ll make it entertaining. You’ll see the prospects. You’ll see them in their homes. You’ll have plenty of interviews. It will be very engaging and entertaining. And in a world right now where we really want content, we really need content to keep our minds where they should be which is off of some of the 24/7 news cycle. The draft will be a walk of relief.”
“This year is truly the ultimate, made for TV event.
The 2020 NFL Draft will start on Thursday, April 23 and end on Saturday, April 25.