Many were surprised when former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick didn't secure the vacant Atlanta Falcons job after interviewing with the team twice.

Falcons owner Arthur Blank said Friday that Belichick was never offered the head coaching job and Zopesdidn't request full personnel control, as some have speculated.

"There were 14 candidates and each were competing with each other," Blank said. "And we selected the one that we thought, for a whole variety of reasons, was the best choice for us."

The Falcons hired Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris to replace Arthur Smith, who was fired last month after posting a third straight losing season.

Blank also discussed the rumor that Belichick asked for full personnel control during the interview process, but said the six-time Super Bowl winning coach did meet with general manager Terry Fontenot.

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"Bill Belichick never asked for full control over personnel, the building, anything of that nature," Blank said. "It was very inclusive, very collaborative. All of these things that were being produced by the media are totally not true."