The Atlanta Falcons have hired Tom Dimitroff, New England's director of college scouting, as their new general manager. His first task will be hiring a head coach. Dimitroff, 40, has been afforded the authority to hire the coach, even though outgoing general manager Rich McKay, team owner Arthur Blank and other team officials have spent the past two weeks interviewing potential coaching candidates. It is believed Dimitroff, as well as every candidate interviewed, provided names of potential head coaches they would like to pursue to replace Bobby Petrino, who resigned before the season ended to coach at the University of Arkansas.
Dimitroff is a highly respected talent evaluator who with the Patriots has worked in the shadow of coach and final decision-maker Bill Belichick and vice president of player personnel Scott Pioli, considered one of the best personnel men in the business. Dimitroff faces a challenging task of re-tooling a Falcons roster that was beset by injury, age and ineffectiveness in finishing 4-12 last season. Despite working behind the scenes for the Patriots since 2002, Dimitroff, who has 18 years of scouting/personnel experience, is well known for his work throughout the NFL. He was considered for the Minnesota Vikings general manager job two years ago.
Before joining the Patriots, Dimitroff worked as a scout for Cleveland, Detroit and Kansas City. He broke into the pro ranks working in the Canadian and World leagues.
His diligence in finding talent — typically late in each round of the draft because of the Patriots' success — is something Blank was searching for after making the decision to replace McKay as general manager three weeks ago. McKay had served as president and general manager since he was hired from Tampa Bay in December 2003.
Dimitroff arrived in Atlanta Monday to begin trudging through the multitude of tasks to try to fix the Falcons. The common thinking is that since he is relatively young, 40, he likely would hire a younger coach to grow with him in this rebuilding process. No one knows if anyone the Falcons have already interviewed - Dallas offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, Tennessee defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, Colts assistant head coach Jim Caldwell - are on his radar.
Dimitroff will have significant, if not total input on hiring a head coach. Such decisions rarely, if at all, are made unilaterally, so Blank, McKay and others likely will give their opinions on coaching candidates. A good thing for Dimitroff is he’s also coming from outside of the organization, where he can comfortably accumulate opinions from other league officials about potential coaches.
Dimitroff also must hire a staff he feels comfortable with and a staff with experience in pro personnel to help with free agency and trades. Dimitroff’s expertise lies in college talent evaluation and he hasn’t been involved in a lot of trades, salary-cap decisions and things of that nature so he is going to need some help. There are several people already employed by the Falcons who are very capable but he might want to hire some people he is aligned with to support him when tough decisions need to be made.
The next few years will tell us if Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank chose well. This much we know: Blank has absorbed a lot of criticism of late. But after being conned by Bobby Petrino, used by Bill Parcells and dancing an illogical dance with Pete Carroll, he bounced back with a reasoned choice, free of emotion, pyrotechnics and clowns with exploding feet. Blank didn’t hire a sideshow. He hired a football guy.
Eight years ago the New England Patriots weren't so good. Then owner Robert Kraft did something radical: He hired a personnel chief (Scott Pioli) known only to hard-core football geeks and a head coach (Bill Belichick) who had been a disaster in Cleveland.
Tom Dimitroff worked for the New England Patriots. For the past six seasons, he has worked for arguably the best owner (Kraft), the best personnel director (Pioli) and the best coach (Belichick) in professional sports. There is something to be said for osmosis.
Personally, this writer is thinking more along the lines of a couple of Atlanta Falcon fans that posted comments on Wyches article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitutioon today.
By dufferdawg
let me get this straight…the Falcons hired a GM with NO experience handling free agency, trades or salary cap issues…??? If his strong suit is evaluating college talent, it sounds like he should REPORT to a GM not BE a GM !!! The abyss known as the Atlanta Falcons grows deeper and darker…
dufferdawg makes a great point on experience and I preferred Tom Heckert of the Philadelphia Eagles for just that reason.
By JCSmalls
I really don’t know what to think. How did Blank and McKay interview like 10 people last week in person and this guy not be one of them. I love the fact that he came from the Pats, but other than College Scouting, how much experience does he have? I would like it if we got Jim Caldwell in here as coach and if (Tony) Dungy retires, we could get a bunch of personnel from the Colts. Setting up our franchise with Colts and Pats personnel would not hurt my feelings.
I agree with JCSmalls. I want Caldwell for Head Coach. He appears to be the best candidate Blank and McKay have talked to that is interested in the job. With Caldwell on board under Dimitroff we might have something.
The Atlanta Falcons have named defensive backs coach Emmitt Thomas as their interim head coach, sources confirm for (Atlanta's) 11Alive Sports. The move came a day after Bobby Petrino departed the Falcons after just 13 games to return to the college ranks and coach for the University of Arkansas. Thomas was a defensive back for the Kansas City Chiefs for 13 years. Thomas has been an assistant coach in Atlanta since 2002.
Why Thomas as opposed to one of our Coordinators? Are they seen as Petrino's guns, perhaps loyal to him and on their way to Arkansas? Is Thomas seen as a "company" man? I think we had some experience in our Coordinators and would have liked to have seen us evaluate a continuation in our staff and program, perhaps on the Defensive side, since Bobby was hands off with the D anyway.
Mike Zimmer is in his first season with the Falcons after spending the past 13 years with the Dallas Cowboys, including the last seven years as Defensive Coordinator. During his time in Dallas, Zimmer established himself as one of the NFL's top defensive minds with a fundamentally sound and aggressive scheme. After joining the Dallas staff in 1994, he was promoted to Defensive Coordinator in 2000. In seven of his 13 years with the Cowboys , they ranked in the top 10 in total defense and pass defense, while advancing to the postseason seven times. As Defensive Coordinator in Dallas, Zimmer earned respect and recognition from around the NFL. In 2005 as he adapted his defense to the Cowboys changing rosters by successfully overseeing the transition from the club's base 4-3 defense to a 3-4 system.
Hue Jackson is in his first season with the Falcons and it is his second opportunity as an Offensive Coordinator in the NFL in 2007. Jackson was the highly-respected Wide Receivers coach for the Cincinnati Bengals the past three seasons. During his successful time with the Bengals, Jackson molded wide receivers Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh into one of the most productive receiving tandems in Bengals history and one of the top duos in the League. Last year under the tutelage of Jackson, Johnson (1,369) and Houshmandzadeh (1,081) became the first Bengals teammates to each surpass the 1,000-yard receiving mark.
Marty Schottenheimer served as head coach of the Cleveland Browns,Kansas City Chiefs, Washingrton Redskins, and San Diego Chargers. He left his head coaching position with the San Diego Chargers in 2007, after leading the Chargers to a 14-2 record.
Better put your money on the Kansa City Chiefs over the Indianapolis Colts right now. They are the luckiest team in the NFL and have all of the momentum, mo-jo, mo, karma, ka, force, whatever you want to call it in their favor.
It started with their impressive play against the Jacksonville Jaguars today in Arrowhead. Then the New England Patriots pulled away from the Tennessee Titans going on to win the game and knock the Titans out of the playoff race. Next the Pittsburgh Steelers, playing inspired football to get to 8 and 8 and give Coach Bill Cower what may be his last win, defeated the Cincinatti Bengals in overtime and knocked the Bengals out of the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Chiefs took care of business finishing off the Jaguars who had their playoff dreams dashed when the New York Jets defeated the Oakland Raiders earlier in the afternoon.
Now the Chiefs needed only the SanFrancisco 49ers to defeat the Denver Broncos. Yeah, right, that was going to happen. But wait, Jay Cutler and the Broncos had been struggling lately. Likewise, the 49ers were showing some promise during the last few weeks. And that folks, is exactly what happened as the 49ers defeated the Broncos in overtime knocking the Broncos out of the playoffs.
"We play to win the game."
Remember to tune in for Chiefs at Colts next Saturday afternoon in the first game of this years playoffs.
Even I am beginning to wonder. I see how he hurt his ankle. What I did not see was him limping into the dressing room for a cautionary x-ray. It appeared to me that he was walking off at his natural gate. There was no "walking gingerly" in his step that I saw. Me thinks he wanted the x-ray, more than anyone else on the Falcons wanted him to have one, to protect his oh so potentially economically favorable long career.
Sheis, even that slimeball T.O. is playing with a hand that needs surgery and saying gimme the ball. Did Vick even look like he wanted to get back in the game. Hades no. He looked very comfortable sitting on the bench with his little red knit cap on. I am reluctant to admit it, but I am becoming a hater.
It's his attitude that is beginning to really bug me. Did he say anything to support his coach during the last week? Not that I heard. Not that anyone else heard either. If you do not support your coach, it is very difficult to lead your team.
Vick isn't half the man DeAngelo Hall is. Hall used his up and coming notoriety to support his coach, known to everyone ,for better or worse, as a player coach. Vick can't support a player's coach? Is it because Vick is not man enough to forgive Jim Mora Sr. for agreeing in an interview, after being asked, that Vick is a "coachkiller?"
That would be like Mora being mad at Vick for the "Ron Mexico" misadventure. Wait a minute. Is this the rift? If it is, Mora did not show it. He defended Vick in interview after interview. It would have been nice if Vick would have reciprocated.
Of course, maybe Mora's hands were tied. Afterall, it is obvious that Blank loves Vick. After the 2004 season, when Vick and rookie coach Jim Mora Jr. led Atlanta into the NFC Championship Game, team owner Arthur Blank celebrated by signing Vick to a 10-year, $130 million contract extension. The salary cap consequences of cutting or trading Vick are now so cataclysmic that Vick and his team became immediate life partners.
Vick actually said this after today's game. "I don't see how anybody can point the finger at me, I think I had a great season. I call myself 'Superman...,." Yuck! some team player.
It is also obvious that Blank does not love Mora. Blank never bought that the Washington Huskies comments were said in jest.
Blank is on my nerves too. I do not like the Jerry Jones coming down to the field late in the fourth quarter routine. They can do it if they want to. They are the owners. But I don't like it. It seems like an invasion onto the coaches turf to me. I can see how it would cause problems with the coach being able to lead the team late in a close game.
Now Mora being a coaches player may hurt him. Blank does not strike me as a servant leader. No, he seems to be old school. He seems to be more like Donald Trump. I didn't like the way Blank fired Dan Reeves and I don't like the way he is about to fire Jim Mora Jr.,. Tomorrow Arthur will prove to everyone that he is the Sherriff in the City of Blank Depot by firing Mora. That's going to be two strikes against him in my book.
I left the Kansas City Chiefs because I got tired of Lamar Hunt, God rest his soul, and Carl Peterson. I don't have anything against Rich McKay, I can't tell he is doing much. It seems Blank is overly involved like Jones. Who is the G.M. of the Dallas Cowboys anyway?
A new Head Coach, Offensive Coordinator, Defensive Coordinator, and staff is going to set us back another three years. How is that going to set the Falcons up as perenial contenders? And who wants the job? Blank is trigger happy. He is as bad as the owner of the Washington Redskins. And the Falcons seem doomed to the same fate as the Redskins.
I will stay with the Falcons for the remaining three years of my five year contract I have with them. But they have to keep my allegiance by making the playoffs again in that time. Right now I don't have a lot of confidence that Blank and Vick can get that done.
1998, NFC Championship Game, everyone has already christened the Vikings as NFC champs, everyone that is but the Atlanta Falcons and a few Falcons fans in the nosebleed section of the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. Gary Anderson misses a potential game winning field goal, the first after two perfect years attempting field goals. The Falcons take it to overtime. Morten Anderson, who at that point had already broken George Blanda's record for most NFL games played, splits them. The Dirty Birds go to The Super Bowl, in the Falcon's only Super Bowl appearence.
The 17 year old Danish foreign exchange student who had never seen american football was not about to play center and have another man touch his but taking the snap. He wasn't about to be quarterback and stick his hands under another mans rump either. So he did what he knew how to do. He kicked the football.
How old is he? He played when helmets were leather, well, not actually, that's how the joke goes, but some players still wore helmets with one bar. Did his blood test that was required before rejoining the Falcons yield nothing but dust? No, but he poked fun at himself saying that after he resigned. Does he have a wheelchair in front of his locker? No, but only because his teamates haven't found one to bring in yet. Has he been playing NFL football longer than some of his teamates have been living? Well, uh, yes.
You can learn more interesting facts about The Great Dane from this excellent video from NFL films.
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