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Reeves puts the blame soley on one Mr. Aurthur Blank for the Price fiasco.

Former Falcons coach Dan Reeves distanced himself from the 2003 acquisition of wide receiver Peerless Price, claiming he told owner Arthur Blank the first-round pick and the $37 million contract the team gave up for Price was too much.

Price was released by the Falcons on Tuesday after two seasons with the team.

"Nobody wanted Peerless Price more than [owner] Arthur Blank," Reeves said on Sirius NFL Radio Wednesday.

"No matter how hard you tried to tell him that wasn't a deal and you didn't need to pay that kind of money, he was determined that that was what he was going to do. So that's as much the owner as it is anybody. Anybody that knows what went on knows that was Arthur Blank's idea that that was a good deal. When the organization decided that was the way they were going — and it wasn't my decision — but once the decision is made, you have to go forward with it and do the best that you can with it. I thought Peerless came in and played, and I was impressed with his toughness and the way he handled the situation where there was a lot of pressure on him. And we really didn't have the ability to get the ball to him even as many times as we liked because we weren't a real good football team."

Blank said Tuesday he was wrong about the price he paid for Price.

"You can't afford those kinds of mistakes and win in the NFL," Blank said.

By releasing Price, the Falcons saved $2 million on this season's salary cap but will take a $5.7 million cap charge next season because signing-bonus credits that were charged annually through 2009, when his contract expired, will be forwarded into a lump sum because Price was cut.

President and general manager Rich McKay said Wednesday the Falcons will not sign a player from another team before the Sept. 12 season-opener, meaning the fifth receiver will be selected from in-house free agents Cole Magner, Will Pettis, Brian Bratton or Romby Bryant. Cornerback DeAngelo Hall also is an option.

At the time, if you can recall, you could tell the Falcons were locked in to getting Price. When negotiations started to sour, the team attempted to use Lavaranues Coles as leverage to get Price. A few people that were around that far back may recall that I wanted Coles over Price. I thought he had proven himself to be a #1 receiver in NY and Price had not. Plus, the team would have had an easier time to get Coles because there wouldn't have to have been any negotiation with the Jets (although similarly we still would have to have given up a #1).

At the time, I was weary of Price, but I understood the team's need for a top-flight receiver, and aware of the risk, I think it was one the team was not stupid for taking, but ultimately it didn't work out.

You can point fingers all you want about why it didn't work out, but I think it was a calculated risk worth taking (like drafting Will Overstreet), and often times they don't work out, sometimes they do. In hindsight it's easy to say the team shouldn't have done that, but I think had I been in the same situation as BLank/Reeves, I would have went after Price as well.

I was right there with you in wanting Coles over Price. Whats more we saw Coles actually do really good for a scattered Redskins team for the last few years. Can you imagine if he had been here, a real "deep threat", a guy who would play through pain, someone who wanted to be a top WR instead of just pad like one. Hmmmmm