ATLANTA -- In coming days, pending Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank is likely to hear from a number of coaches and general managers, including two-time Super Bowl winner Bill Parcells, inquiring about his plans for restructuring the front office of a franchise with a miserable history.

Truth is, though, they can save their time.

	Many expect to see Dan Reeves continue as coach or in the front office with the Falcons under their new ownership.

A man who made his fortune selling home improvement products, Blank ironically has no blueprint for refurbishing the Falcons management team, and the former chief executive officer of Home Depot isn't even keen on painting the walls orange in the team's new practice facility.

If this is the ultimate fixer-upper franchise, Blank apparently believes the current foreman is up to the task of sprucing things up.

In fact, unlike most ownership upheavals in professional sports, the sale of the Falcons probably will significantly enhance the odds that coach Dan Reeves will be retained for the 2002 season and possibly even longer. Sources familiar with Blank acknowledged Thursday night that he has a great deal of respect for Reeves and is in no hurry to enact a change in the football hierarchy.

Said one league source: "Dan could parlay this (sale) into something pretty good."

Reeves signed a five-year contract in 1997 and this season is the last on that deal. But Reeves and outgoing team president Taylor Smith last year agreed on a "mutual option" for the coach. Simply put, if Reeves preferred to stay aboard and Smith wanted him to, he would.

There is now a chance, sources said, that Reeves will be able to negotiate an even longer deal, in essence an extension of his original contract. Such a deal might include a plan for Reeves' exit from the sideline in time, and his movement into a front office role in which he would oversee the operation of the football program.

In addition to Reeves, the pending transfer of ownership is expected to actually stabilize some of the support positions in the front office, with some officials likely to get new contracts in time.

Now in his 21st season as a head coach, Reeves has demonstrated no signs of slowing down and has said his health is excellent. He underwent cardiac bypass surgery in 1998, but has shown no effects of that the past two years. Some close to him believe that Reeves, buoyed by prospects of having first-round choice Michael Vick lead the franchise to prominence in time, already has made up his mind to return in 2002.

"I think if I made up my mind, I'd want to stay, but we've got five more weeks of the season," Reeves said. "But I think my health's a lot better. I enjoy the players we've got. If I had to make it right now, no question (I would be back)."

One area in which Blank will have to make changes is the marketing of the team in a community that has largely lost interest in the club. The Falcons have just 32,000 season ticket patrons, one of the lowest bases in the NFL, and typically play in front of 20,000 seats in the Georgia Dome, which has a capacity of 70,000.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com.