Blank: Falcons aren't a 'one-year wonder'

The Falcons' 2016 season will forever be remembered for Atlanta blowing the biggest lead in Super Bowl history. The franchise's owner is focused on its bright future instead.

Despite the heartbreaking loss to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LI, Arthur Blank said Thursday he believes the Falcons have built a team capable of competing for years to come.

"I think we're in a great position," Blank said, according to D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. "I look forward to this year and many years to come. It's not about a one-trick pony or one-year wonder. It's about creating a sustainably winning organization. And we've done that."

Atlanta returns nearly all of the roster that helped the team make its first playoff appearance since 2012. And while some expect the Falcons to regress in 2017 due to the loss of offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan and the unlikeliness of Matt Ryan having another MVP year, Blank is confident Atlanta's improvement was no fluke.

"It was a great honor playing in the Super Bowl," Blank said. "It was a great honor having the wonderful season that we did ... For me personally, the greatest honor from last year is that I feel now that we have what I've envisioned for many years, which is a sustainably winning organization.

"I love our head coach. I love our general manager. I love our coaches, coordinators, and whole personnel department. I love a lot of the talent that we have - all the talent that we have."