Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank believes that his side were not tough enough as they won just four games in 2013 season.
The Falcons fell from competing in the NFC Championship in the 2012 campaign to a 4-12 record a year later, as following a spate of injuries Mike Smith's side was torn apart by all comers, especially in the run game.
Blank told ESPN: "You've got to be a tough person, I think. And I think a lot of our players are certainly that. I think, at the end of the day, if I asked you, give me a brief definition of what toughness is.
"I think you might say something else, but you might say to me it's how you control the line of scrimmage. Can you run the ball? Can you stop the run?
"And I don't think we did either one of those things very well this year. So I would say, if you looked at toughness from that perspective, I don't think we were as tough as we needed to be."
Smith's side will select sixth overall in the 2014 Draft.
Simon Sinclair
