Not so fast - Reeves shows he's not ready for pasture

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- After three straight losing seasons, Dan Reeves appeared washed up as an NFL coach.

Time to put him out to pasture, many people thought.

"It wasn't hard to hear that sort of thing when you were around town, talking to fans," Atlanta Falcons linebacker Matt Stewart said Monday. "I kind of thought there was a chance he might be (fired)."

Reeves stuck around and led the Falcons back to the playoffs for only the seventh time in franchise history. Last weekend, they became the first visiting team ever to win a postseason game at Green Bay's Lambeau Field, stunning the Packers 27-7.

Now, Reeves is only two victories from going back to the Super Bowl, where he'd like to have a chance to fill in the only blank spot on his resume. Four times, his teams have reached the title game. Four times, his teams have been blown out.

"I've had a great career regardless of what happens," said Reeves, the league's winningest active coach with 198 victories. "But you'd always like to have a Super Bowl victory. I've been trying for 22 years and I haven't gotten it done."

A season of redemption

No matter what happens in the playoffs -- and the Falcons would have to win two more road games just to reach San Diego -- this has been a season of redemption for Reeves, who will turn 59 in a couple of weeks.

After taking the Falcons to their first Super Bowl during the 1998 season, Reeves watched all his good work fall apart the very next year. The Falcons slumped to 5-11 after winning the NFC championship and were even worse (4-12) in 2000. A 7-9 mark followed, giving Reeves six losing seasons in seven years -- hardly the kind of numbers that are conducive to job security.

The main component for a turnaround was already in place, however. Reeves helped engineer a trade a day before the 2001 draft that brought Michael Vick to the Falcons with the No. 1 overall pick.

Then, Arthur Blank bought the team from the Smith family, bringing in much-needed financial resources, marketing expertise and just plain ol' enthusiasm. Many wondered if the new owner would dump his aging coach, but Reeves got a three-year contract extension.

A grateful coach

Reeves is still grateful for the chance to turn things around. He knows that no one would have objected to bringing in a new coach after the way things deteriorated over the last three seasons.

"Missing the playoffs after making the Super Bowl, thinking you've got things under control and then not doing it, that's extremely disappointing," he said. "And you are responsible. I didn't get the job done, pure and simple."

Reeves is still criticized from time to time for being old-fashioned, but he clearly made adjustments on his way back to the playoffs.

For one thing, he ceded much of his authority over the draft and player personnel to Ron Hill, the vice president of football operations. Also, Reeves made some much-needed changes on his coaching staff, letting Pete Mangurian manage the offense and bringing in Wade Phillips -- a head coach in Denver and Buffalo -- to run the defense.

Mangurian and receivers coach Mike Johnson, who joined the staff this season, have upgraded the team's computer operations -- making it easier to document and prepare for opposing tendencies.

"Some of that stuff is way over my head," Reeves admitted. "But if you don't do it, you're behind. Young coaches like Pete and Mike understand those things. They've helped to move us from the 20th to the 21st century."

Since clinching a spot in the playoffs on the final Sunday of the season, Reeves has continually reminded his players to take advantage of their opportunity.

"No matter what point we are in our careers, we don't know how many times we're going to get back," offensive tackle Todd Weiner said. "He keeps stressing that we really have to seize the moment, enjoy it, because this is a great time in our lives."