Falcons owner Arthur Blank: 'I am concerned'

ATLANTA — Add Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank to the list of people disappointed with the team’s 1-3 start.

Blank told ESPN on Tuesday that he's "concerned."

"Well, I am concerned about a 1-3 start. I don't know anyone who would say that's where we had planned on being or that's where we had hoped to be. But we're 1-3," Blank told ESPN.

The Falcons have been hit hard by the injury bug, particularly on the defensive side of the ball.

But even with the injuries, the Falcons have lost three games by a total of just 13 points.

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"This is not excuses, but reality is reality," Blank told ESPN. "We've had some very difficult injuries to really good players."

Blank is referring to Pro Bowl strong safety Keanu Neal, Pro Bowl linebacker Deion Jones and starting free safety Ricardo Allen.

"When you lose Allen and Neal and Deion Jones, those are kind of the middle of that defense. So that hurts," Blank told ESPN. "And all three of those guys are really good communicators. They not only play at a very high level in their own right, but they get everybody else in the right positions. They make everybody else better."

The Falcons play the Pittsburgh Steelers and their high-powered offense Sunday at Heinz Field.

"We have plenty of talent on defense to play well. It's trying to put people in the positions where they can maximize their strengths and not expose any lack of experience that they may have. And that's what the coaches are in the process of doing," Blank told ESPN.

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