ATLANTA -- For the fourth time in five attempts, the Atlanta Falcons have struck out in their effort to fill the general manager position, a job that will be an integral element of a restructured front office under the stewardship of new owner Arthur Blank.

ESPN.com confirmed Thursday night that the St. Louis Rams have denied the Falcons permission to interview general manager Charley Armey for the post. The Falcons made the request of Rams officials on Wednesday and St. Louis took considerable time to deliberate before deciding against the move.

The Falcons, recently purchased by Blank for $545 million, were close to a deal with Tampa Bay general manager Rich McKay, but he opted to stay with the Bucs after Bill Parcells backed out of an agreement to coach the team.

Falcons officials are still pursuing McKay, who will weigh his options after completing a deal to bring Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis to the Bucs as head coach. McKay has been offered a substantial raise and the team's presidency to remain with Tampa Bay and he is likely to stay there.

Atlanta inquired about Denver college scouting director Ted Sundquist, but he was promoted to general manager by Broncos ownership. The Falcons were denied permission to interview Ozzie Newsome, vice president of personnel in Baltimore, and last weekend met with New Orleans general manager Randy Mueller about the job. If for no other reason than by default it appears that Mueller could be the frontrunner now.

A longtime league personnel man, whose tenure includes a stint as a Falcons scout (1988-90), Armey has three years remaining on his Rams contract. There have been rumblings of discord between Armey and head coach Mike Martz, but both men insisted during Super Bowl week they work well together and respect each other, and that the whispers are unfounded rumors.

Armey has presided over productive drafts with the Rams and is responsible for acquiring the majority of the players on the current roster. It is Martz, however, who contractually has the final say over personnel decisions and roster composition.

Blank reportedly would like to have a general manager in place by the middle of this month, and no later than March 1, when the league's free agency period begins.

Armey has a long and varied resume, was actually a head coach in the USFL for four years, but found his niche in scouting in the late '70s. He worked for the Buffalo Bills (1978-82), Green Bay Packers (1985-87), Falcons (1988-90) and New England Patriots (1991-97) before joining the Rams after the '97 draft.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com.