Birds to follow Patriots' modelNew GM wants to follow former organization's lead
BY PAUL NEWBERRY - AP Sports Writer --
ATLANTA --
Thomas Dimitroff knows how he wants the Atlanta Falcons to operate: just like his previous employer.
The Falcons formally introduced their youthful general manager on Tuesday, convinced he can build the same sort of winner that he was part of in New England.
The unbeaten Patriots, preparing to face San Diego in the AFC championship game on Sunday, released Dimitroff from his duties as director of college scouting so he could take over right away as GM of the Falcons.
Dimitroff, who's only 40 and, with his spiked hair, could pass for even younger, certainly needs as much time as possible to turn around the mess in Atlanta. This team is at the opposite end of the NFL spectrum after one of the most traumatic seasons any team has ever faced.
"I left a secure situation," Dimitroff conceded during a meet-and-greet at owner Arthur Blank's palatial office. "Obviously, there's a lot of work to be done here. But not in any way do I look at it as a daunting task."
The new GM must be the optimistic sort, because it's hard to find much to like about the Falcons. The team lost quarterback Michael Vick before the season even began in a scandalous dogfighting case, and coach Bobby Petrino abandoned ship with three games to go in his debut year.
The Falcons finished a dismal 4-12 season with an interim coach (Emmitt Thomas) and a quarterback who was selling insurance a year earlier (Chris Redman).
"Michael Vick was an incredibly talented athlete and quarterback," Dimitroff said. "But we're moving forward. We're headed in the right direction. We're not going to be remaining in the past."
Not surprising in light of his background, Dimitroff said he intends to focus heavily on the draft and use free agency mainly to fill any remaining needs. He believes the team-first philosophy that prevailed in New England can work just as well in Atlanta.
"New England is truly about the team," Dimitroff said. "There's people in place that believe in one direction. That starts from the bottom up."
Dimitroff's first priority is getting a head coach. He hopes to move quickly and speculated that the Falcons could have their man by the end of the week.
Among the candidates who already interviewed with the team: Dallas offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, Indianapolis assistant head coach Jim Caldwell, Dallas assistant head coach Tony Sparano, former Baltimore defensive coordinator Rex Ryan, Jacksonville defensive coordinator Mike Smith and Tennessee defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz.
Dimitroff was hired by the Falcons without the benefit of a face-to-face interview. Because of a tight schedule, the meeting was conducted by video conferencing, which is perhaps appropriate given the strange reorganization of the Falcons' front office.
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