Falcons has a new GM

[BornandDieHawks]

The Atlanta Falcons has hired New England director of college scouting Tim Dimitroff for their GM

http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/f...age_tab_newstab

[DrReality]

Curious what the opinion on the board it. Don't know much about this guy but he's worked for a hell of an organization. Hope it's rubbed off.

[DJlaysitup]

Interesting that we hired a previous "Director of Scouting"...this would lead me to believe that we are NOT going to hire a head coach who will have full authority over the draft (like the USC coach wanted). Maybe it means nothing?? Who knows at this point. Personally I would hire Singletary as our head coach. Not because I think he is a genius or anything but he would get player respect at least. As Clayton (espn) said...the Falcons are the farthest from being a contender of all the teams in the NFL right now.

[BornandDieHawks]

You're right this should stop all the Carroll talk and hopefully he can spot talent in coaches as well as players

[DrReality]

Have we considered anyone from the Pat's coaching staff the take the head job. Wonder who this new GM will endorse as his coach. Any thoughts????

[Gray Mule]

Sounds like, from what I can read, Falcons have hired a

"Football Man" for the position instead of a big name.

Good. He's from a top, winning orginization.

Scout? Should know a lot about all kind of players,

both those coming out this year and those already

playing. Falcons really need someone with such

knowledge and experience.

Now, he will hire the head coach.

[mattlanta]

It was between him or Heckert from Philadelphia. Good move either way. To be honest with you, I kinda wanted Heckert more because of the experience that he's had in the NFL, and the amount of interest there was between him and Caldwell. Either way though, you can't go wrong with hiring a New England scout director to be your 'roster manager'. Now, the only thing I want Dimitroff to do is to get Blank to fire McKay, but that's probably not going to happen.

[frosgrim]

McKay will the non-football stuff. So there are no worries that McKay can hurt the team in FA or poor drafts.

Dimitrof sounds like an excellent hire for the Falcons. They went to the correct organization and got the right guy. I liken this hire to what has happened to the Braves over the past decade or so as Shurholz's lieutenants have left for other positions (see Kansas City).

In terms of coaches, I would think that he might bring down one of the NE assistants, but both of them are young and relatively inexperienced. I have the same reservations about Singletary, who may not have enough management experience right now to be an effective HC. Whomever the Falcons hire, I hope the team makes a long-term commitment to him and sticks with that choice for at least 5 years. The Falcons need to have the attitude of hiring a coach and letting him develop as a coach, e.g. the Steelers.

[TroyMcClure]

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The Falcons need to have the attitude of hiring a coach and letting him develop as a coach, e.g. the Steelers.

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The Rooney family knows football, though. Blank doesn't. Blank gets compared with Jerry Jones a lot, but Jones actually played college football at Arkansas. He knows a thing or two about it. Blank has made error after error. He knows nothing about the game, and it's starting to show. I like this hire, though. We need a true philosophy for the type of player we want. Maybe this is the beginning of the foundation.

[AHF]

The worst mistake made by Blank was hiring McKay and giving him the keys to the empire. Blank hasn't been someone who has not given his guys room to grow.

Mora was around until he went on the radio and said he wanted to be hired at Washington.

As big of a disaster as Petrino was, Blank was literally supporting him the day before Petrino finished stabbing him in the back.

McKay was responsible for both of those ill-fated hires and was given the discretion to make some bad trades and bad first round picks (among other issues).

Given Blank's history, I don't see why someone who can make the right calls couldn't succeed until this ownership. This hire doesn't have the sizzle but as long as it provides the steak, that is all good.

[TroyMcClure]

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This hire doesn't have the sizzle but as long as it provides the steak, that is all good.

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Exactly. If you'll remember, there was no sizzle when Parcells left the Pats. They just quietly kept building a foundation for a real "team". They have taken the "team" concept to another level. We need football players, not flashy playmakers. This move tells me we won't be getting McFadden. Music to my ears, as I feel he is chicken legged, of little agility and already beaten up from a few years of SEC football. His fumbling is a major concern, too. He is exactly the type of player we may have gone for in the past. I'm thinking more fundamental positions will be addressed under Dimitroff.

[BornandDieHawks]

Reports are that Dimitroff has a short list he gave to Blank during the interview, so I think the list consist of everyone interviewed after Dimitroff's interview

[mattlanta]

According to Pro Football Talk's sources, Dimitroff is someone Rich McKay can manipulate.

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FALCONS SCREWED THE POOCH, AGAIN?

Posted by Mike Florio on January 13, 2008, 11:28 a.m.

We’re picking up some reactions to the decision of the Falcons to hire Pats director of college scouting Tom Dimitroff, who’ll be the new G.M. in Atlanta.

The consensus thus far is that deposed G.M. Rich McKay got his way, bringing in a guy whom McKay thinks he will be able to control.

“McKay has to be ecstatic,” one league source opined. “He got someone he can manipulate. [Eagles G.M. Tom] Heckert would have been more combative. Dimitroff is like a yellow lab. His tail always wags. Heckert has some bite. McKay is dancing right now.”

And we still can’t understand why the Falcons wouldn’t have targeted Dimitroff’s boss, Pats V.P. of player personnel Scott Pioli. Though some league observers think that owner Bob Kraft would put up a fight if someone were to pursue Pioli, the reality is that he doesn’t have final say over personnel or the coaching staff in New England. If someone else were to offer it to him, he would be able to leave.

If nothing else, a run by the Falcons or the Bills (more on them later) at Pioli would have given coach Bill Belichick something else to worry about while pursuing 19-0. Surely, every other NFL franchise would like to see Belichick and the Pats fail in their quest for 19-0.

As one media source opined, teams might not be pursuing Pioli because they presume he won’t leave New England.

Regarding Heckert, there’s now a question as to how things will go for him in Philly. There are whispers of strain between Heckert and team president Joe Banner. As we hear it, Eagles owner Jeff Lurie recommended Heckert to the Falcons — and the fact that Heckert’s current team would try t0 help him leave might have spooked Falcons owner Arthur Blank.

With Dimitroff in place, the Falcons will now pursue a new head coach. As Chris Mortensen of ESPN points out, the arrival of Dimitroff in Atlanta could put Pats offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels back in play.

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[DJlaysitup]

The Falcons (IMO) need smart leadership and stability. The #1 goal for the Falcons should NOT be a flashy draft pick and dreams of a superbowl - it should be to have 2 consecutive winning seasons...then build on that.

[mattlanta]

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The Falcons (IMO) need smart leadership and stability. The #1 goal for the Falcons should NOT be a flashy draft pick and dreams of a superbowl - it should be to have 2 consecutive winning seasons...then build on that.

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Well, in order to have consecutive winning seasons, you would have to have a flashy draft pick. The same goes for dreaming of a super bowl. You can't just build through the free agency and expect it to last forever. The Pats knew that, but look at their linebackers next year. The heart and soul of that defense would have a combined age of 2,452,421 years. They'll have to pay the consequences next year even if they bring in young linebackers because of the amount of reliability they put on their linebackers.

[BornandDieHawks]

Agreed...We need to start an organization with a winning tradition. Hopefully we can start off the new era with a stud offensive lineman. We should be in a great position to get one of the top OL in the draft.

[TroyMcClure]

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The Falcons (IMO) need smart leadership and stability. The #1 goal for the Falcons should NOT be a flashy draft pick and dreams of a superbowl - it should be to have 2 consecutive winning seasons...then build on that.

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Well, in order to have consecutive winning seasons, you would have to have a flashy draft pick. The same goes for dreaming of a super bowl. You can't just build through the free agency and expect it to last forever. The Pats knew that, but look at their linebackers next year. The heart and soul of that defense would have a combined age of 2,452,421 years. They'll have to pay the consequences next year even if they bring in young linebackers because of the amount of reliability they put on their linebackers.

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Are you saying that somehow the Patriots run of Super Bowl wins and general dominance of the NFL wasn't worth it because their LB's are getting old and may not be able to continue to produce? Really? They could not win another game for 2 years and it would have all been worth it.

Also, that thing above is just some blogger's opinion, right? Sounds like nobody really knows about Dimitroff.

[mattlanta]

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The Falcons (IMO) need smart leadership and stability. The #1 goal for the Falcons should NOT be a flashy draft pick and dreams of a superbowl - it should be to have 2 consecutive winning seasons...then build on that.

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Well, in order to have consecutive winning seasons, you would have to have a flashy draft pick. The same goes for dreaming of a super bowl. You can't just build through the free agency and expect it to last forever. The Pats knew that, but look at their linebackers next year. The heart and soul of that defense would have a combined age of 2,452,421 years. They'll have to pay the consequences next year even if they bring in young linebackers because of the amount of reliability they put on their linebackers.

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Are you saying that somehow the Patriots run of Super Bowl wins and general dominance of the NFL wasn't worth it because their LB's are getting old and may not be able to continue to produce? Really? They could not win another game for 2 years and it would have all been worth it.

Also, that thing above is just some blogger's opinion, right? Sounds like nobody really knows about Dimitroff.

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I never said anything about their Super Bowl runs not being worth it. I was only justifying the statement DJ made about not having a flashy draft pick. The Patriots have had flashy draft picks for quite a while now, and that's why they've been as good as they have this year. And if it's not a flashy draft pick one year, it's a flashy trade-off, and in this case, it's the trade Pats made with San Fransisco earning them a Top 10 pick in this year's draft. It just goes to show you that you have to build through the draft one way or the other.

And yes, it was from a blog, but it wasn't really his opinion. He heard from team officials that knew Dimitroff and McKay personally, and he only added his thought on it.

[mattlanta]

Here's a biography from AtlantaFalcons.com:

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The Atlanta Falcons named Thomas Dimitroff the club’s new General Manager on January 13, 2008.

Dimitroff directs all aspects of football operations and, working with the new head coach of the Falcons, has final authority over all personnel decisions related to the signing of free agents, the selection of players in the NFL Draft, trades, terminations, and related decisions. He also handles coordinating other football-related activities with the head coach. Dimitroff reports to club President Rich McKay.

“Thomas is a really bright football mind who comes out of the most successful franchise in sports today,” McKay said. “He has an excellent track record of evaluating players, and I certainly look forward to working with him.”

An 18-year player personnel veteran, Dimitroff comes to Atlanta from the New England Patriots where he spent six seasons in total, and the last five as Director of College Scouting. In this position, he was responsible for overseeing area scouts who evaluate all of the nation’s college prospects while tracking the development and availability of drafted players.

Many of the players responsible for New England’s NFL-best 17-0 record, following last night’s 31-20 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars in an AFC Divisional Playoff game, were scouted, evaluated, and later drafted at Dimitroff’s recommendation. Some of those players include: CB Asante Samuel, S Brandon Merriweather, G Logan Mankins, C Dan Koppen, RB Laurence Maroney, TE Ben Watson, CB Ellis Hobbs III, DE Ty Warren, and NT Vince Willfork. During his five years as the Director of College Scouting, the Patriots had a 75-17 record, and they won the Super Bowl in the 2003 and 2004 seasons.

For nine seasons prior to his tenure with New England, Dimitroff served in the scouting departments of three different NFL teams. His first NFL personnel opportunity came with the Kansas City Chiefs as a part-time scout in 1993. One year later, he was given a full-time opportunity as an area scout for the Detroit Lions where he served until 1997. Before being hired by the Patriots, Dimitroff worked in the scouting department of the Cleveland Browns from 1998-2001.

Dimitroff can credit the beginning of his scouting experience to the Canadian Football League where he worked during the 1990 and 1991 seasons. In 1992, he moved to the World League where he scouted all NFL, CFL and World League rosters while tracking player transactions. He also served two seasons as the scouting coordinator for the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Dimitroff played football throughout college and captained his team at the University of Guelph (Canada) from 1987-1989. He was born in Barberton, Ohio, and is the son of Tom Dimitroff, who was a long-time personnel scout for the Cleveland Browns and an original member of the Boston Patriots in 1960.

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Is it just me or does this guy look really easy to bully around?

http://www.atlantafalcons.com/~/media/2371...88F5C46848.ashx

(Can't seem to post a pic)

[DrReality]

The has been talk that Mckay would be gone when the first offer comes along. One source mentioned going to the league office, which would be a McKay-like job.

I think the coaching hire will be critical and Blank has to have checks and balances in place for McKay, et al. But if the GM and the coach get their plan together they should be OK. The line that McKay will be able to manipulate him seems like a low blow. Give him a chance. But there always has to be desenters and being crass gets attention in the media.