Thomas Dimitroff on the sense of urgency to win now: ‘We know that it is about this year’

[Geneaut]

https://www.atlantafalcons.com/news/thomas-dimitroff-on-the-sense-of-urgency-to-win-now-we-know-that-it-is-about-thi

ATLANTA – Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff joined a couple of morning radio shows Friday morning and had some revealing thoughts about the Falcons’ recent coaching changes, Steve Sarkisian, priorities in free agency, Grady Jarrett, focus in the NFL Draft and much more.

Dimitroff also shared some revealing thoughts on the growing sense of urgency for the Falcons to win in 2019.

That’s a lot of territory and topics to cover, so let’s jump right into Dimitroff told 92.9 The Game and 680 The Fan.

Dimitroff: ‘We know that it is about this year’

Toward the end of his second interview on 680 The Fan, Dimitroff talked about the youth movement with head coaches general managers currently taking place in the NFL and said, “if you can’t hit it now – again, using the not-for-long idea – you won’t be around in two years to sniff the field.”

Dimitroff said 2019 is an “extremely important season” for both him, Dan Quinn and the Falcons.

“We know it,” Dimitroff said. “We’ve talked about it at length. Our football players on the team right now, the talent that we do have know it. And we’re not focused on anything past this season. This is the season we are 100 percent focused on – and that’s what we need and what I need, and what Dan needs going into the offseason.”

[vel]

I can't wait for this offseason to get rolling man. I've said it before, but the last time we had cap space, DQ when and got Alex Mack. With very few needs off the line of scrimmage and having a guy like DQ who has a clear eye for talent, it's set up for him and TD to kill it this offseason. 

[Sun Tzu 7]

20 minutes ago, vel said:

I can't wait for this offseason to get rolling man. I've said it before, but the last time we had cap space, DQ when and got Alex Mack. With very few needs off the line of scrimmage and having a guy like DQ who has a clear eye for talent, it's set up for him and TD to kill it this offseason. 

I think they're going to have more challenges than people realize because of the cap and looming extensions to Grady and Julio.

Finding good vet help in the trenches isn't cheap.

Sure they could go bargain basement to add bodies in the trenches but they've been doing that and the results speak for themselves.

[7979]

Did anyone ask Hair doo where the urgency was the last 10 years.

 

[vel]

13 minutes ago, Sun Tzu 7 said:

I think they're going to have more challenges than people realize because of the cap and looming extensions to Grady and Julio.

Finding good vet help in the trenches isn't cheap.

Sure they could go bargain basement to add bodies in the trenches but they've been doing that and the results speak for themselves.

I disagree. Again, Julio is already under contract. It's easy to create cap space with an extension. If anything, his cap hit will be neutral before it goes up by any considerable amount. 

Same with Grady. Give him a 5yr $75MM deal, which is about where I think he lands. That's a $10-13MM year one hit. After that, there are no major FAs to re-sign that would kill the cap. Also, TD already said this:

Players will be cut and contracts will be reworked to create space. There are plenty of FAs that will be available, as are every year. This is not a broken roster. The DL doesn't need anchor pieces. The OL already has the two most important positions locked down at LT and C. Take the Colts for example. They had Castonzo and Kelly. That's it. Added Nelson in the first and Smith in the second. Took a chance on Glowinski and now suddenly have one of the best OLs. It's not farfetched. 

[4dabirds]

Usually when people at the top of an organization make these sort of statements, it doesn't end up going well. 

TD absolutely has to hit on getting a better offensive line assembled, throughout his tenure he has never really done good in this area. The OL has overachieved at times only to come crashing back down in the form of old age and injury. One or two good OL guys is not enough if you  are hoping to win it all. You also need an OL coach who can get it done too. I'm hoping this is the year we get a line that can perform at a high level, but that is a tall order. 

[Monolith2001]

Sounds like OL and DL are priorities unless someone very special falls at another position.  Music to my ears if they follow it.  I might even go out and buy TD a Mustang, an F-150, Focus and Fiesta just so he has constant reminders of who I think he should pick in the 1st.

[Stryka]

1 minute ago, Monolith2001 said:

Sounds like OL and DL are priorities unless someone very special falls at another position.  Music to my ears if they follow it.  I might even go out and buy TD a Mustang, an F-150, Focus and Fiesta just so he has constant reminders of who I think he should pick in the 1st.

LOL....Im all aboard the Ford train as well.  That said because his position is a premium and more vital than DT, I can see him being snatched up.  However I think its possible he slides a bit and maybe we can come back and get him in 1st like we did Baker after drafting Ryan.  Baker was at least solid for a few year.  Not special but solid.

[FentayeJones]

Heres the rest of the article:

Dimitroff: ‘We know that it is about this year’

Toward the end of his second interview on 680 The Fan, Dimitroff talked about the youth movement with head coaches general managers currently taking place in the NFL and said, “if you can’t hit it now – again, using the not-for-long idea – you won’t be around in two years to sniff the field.”

Dimitroff said 2019 is an “extremely important season” for both him, Dan Quinn and the Falcons.

“We know it,” Dimitroff said. “We’ve talked about it at length. Our football players on the team right now, the talent that we do have know it. And we’re not focused on anything past this season. This is the season we are 100 percent focused on – and that’s what we need and what I need, and what Dan needs going into the offseason.”

On the reason to move on from Steve Sarkisian

Dimitroff was asked right off the bat on 92.9 The Game about the decision to part ways with offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian after two seasons.

“You know Sark is just a good football man and a creative guy and he worked really hard and well with our group – and Matt and Julio and the crew responded well to him,” Dimitroff said. “I think anytime that you have a head coach looking at the entire package and the entire staff, that’s never easy to lose someone, but I know that Dan and our organization did what we thought was the best for the entire group moving forward.

“Meaning that you have a new and very veteran offensive coordinator coming in here and that person in Dirk Koetter is going to be really good for this offense – keeping it focused, keeping it disciplined and accountable. I think that’s what the offense needs to continue to be prolific.”

On the NFL Draft: Focused on being 'big and strong' inside

Dimitroff said, in general, the Falcons’ draft approach is based on need, but they won’t ignore premium talent should a player they have a high grade on slides. Dimitroff noted that the Falcons were focused on the offensive line last year and pointed out how there was a run on offensive linemen early on in the first round.

“It depends on how it all plays out,” Dimitroff said. “There was a run on offensive linemen early and then we were very fortunate to be staring down the barrel of a guy like Calvin Ridley, and we made that move. But things are always changing.”

As far as how the Falcons’ draft board is setting up, Dimitroff said the team’s focus will continue to be on getting “big and strong” inside on both sides of the ball, but added that “if something comes available that will bolster our athletic positions on the field then we will consider that as well.”

On need to add cornerbacks: ‘You can never have too many corners’

Dimitroff was asked if there was a need to add more cornerbacks and, in short, the Falcons general manager said, “it’s another strong consideration for us” and “you can never have too many corners.”

“I think last year we came in thinking very highly of our secondary,” Dimitroff said. “We know that (Damontae) Kazee has done a really good job for us as well. Where he situates on the field will depend on what we do in the draft and/or in free agency at that position. Again, depth at that position is vital.”

The Falcons’ soon-to-be free agents: ‘Grady is our focus’

NFL free agency begins in mid-March and the Falcons have 21 players who could potentially hit the open market as free agents, including defensive tackle Grady Jarrett. Dimitroff also said the Falcons are committed to re-do receiver Julio Jones’ deal this offseason.

“Grady is our focus coming out of this season,” Dimitroff said. “He was our focus and we tabled it during the season because we didn’t want to be distracting anyone. He was a complete warrior about it. To his credit, I can’t say enough about how Grady approached the season. He is a soldier 100 percent and a warrior – and that’s great.

“We would love to have him back for years to come,” Dimitroff said. “Not only is he an important part, as you know, on the field but he’s an important part off (it) for us.”

[Osiruz]

I'm going to need DQ/TD brain trust to draft a guard in the second round (Chris Lindstom), and maybe an RT in the first (Cody ford), and sign a DT/OG in FA.

[Knight of God]

1 hour ago, vel said:

I can't wait for this offseason to get rolling man. I've said it before, but the last time we had cap space, DQ when and got Alex Mack. With very few needs off the line of scrimmage and having a guy like DQ who has a clear eye for talent, it's set up for him and TD to kill it this offseason. 

Bruh...TD is pretty straight up when he asks you to read between the lines. It’s like I thought in that post. He’s going to get TDish instead of cute.

[vel]

8 minutes ago, Knight of God said:

Bruh...TD is pretty straight up when he asks you to read between the lines. It’s like I thought in that post. He’s going to get TDish instead of cute.

Him having DQ and Pioli has helped him a ton. If they don't kill this offseason, they deserve to get fired. It's about as clear cut as it can be. Not drafting so late that any runs on OL/DL should derail the draft. Can create the flexibility to make moves in FA. I'm ready!

[Knight of God]

Just now, vel said:

Him having DQ and Pioli has helped him a ton. If they don't kill this offseason, they deserve to get fired. It's about as clear cut as it can be. Not drafting so late that any runs on OL/DL should derail the draft. Can create the flexibility to make moves in FA. I'm ready!

Rise Up!

[maxatlanta]

Two thoughts-

Smitty's book, which was a post mortem on his tenure as HC here, had a telling description of what he thought did him in. He said it was when they decided to go all in on the present, at the expense of the team building strategy that worked so well for them previously. I hope TD learned from that. It's easy to trade future picks and sign stud vets to deals that are backloaded, ones that will never see the end of their contract and leave dead money on the books.

Second, we have 3 open OL spots. They better have a plan. OGs can be found but we need to be right about 2 of them. Good OTs are tough to find and veterans are super expensive. Even using our 1st rounder on an OT leaves us with a 50/50 chance of getting it right- especially if they have to be good starting day one next year.

[MSalmon]

1 hour ago, vel said:

I can't wait for this offseason to get rolling man. I've said it before, but the last time we had cap space, DQ when and got Alex Mack. With very few needs off the line of scrimmage and having a guy like DQ who has a clear eye for talent, it's set up for him and TD to kill it this offseason. 

I want Gerald McCoy

[vel]

7 minutes ago, maxatlanta said:

Two thoughts-

Smitty's book, which was a post mortem on his tenure as HC here, had a telling description of what he thought did him in. He said it was when they decided to go all in on the present, at the expense of the team building strategy that worked so well for them previously. I hope TD learned from that. It's easy to trade future picks and sign stud vets to deals that are backloaded, ones that will never see the end of their contract and leave dead money on the books.

Second, we have 3 open OL spots. They better have a plan. OGs can be found but we need to be right about 2 of them. Good OTs are tough to find and veterans are super expensive. Even using our 1st rounder on an OT leaves us with a 50/50 chance of getting it right- especially if they have to be good starting day one next year.

One thing about that is that DQ has a much clearer vision of what he wants to do with is players/roster and I think that 2012 roster was maxed out. There was no young talent. No Debo, Neal, Grady, etc.

Right now, the need is OL and DL. That's truly it. Look at the Colts. They hit on their two OL draft picks and signed one OG and turned that OL around immediately. Yes, there isn't a Quenton Nelson in this draft, but there are plenty of OL. Add Cody Ford at #14 and Michael Deiter at #45. Obviously nobody is a lock, but that's a lot of size and versatility added to the OL. Even if both of those guys end up playing OG, you've just built a brick wall in front of Matt. No OL has 5 studs. If those guys work out, that's 4 out of 5, which is winning football. You also added a 6'4 340lb guy in Ford and a 6'6 320lb guy in Deiter (who's played LT, LG, and C). That's a ton of size our OL hasn't had in years. 

[Francis York Morgan]

1 hour ago, Sun Tzu 7 said:

I think they're going to have more challenges than people realize because of the cap and looming extensions to Grady and Julio.

Finding good vet help in the trenches isn't cheap.

Sure they could go bargain basement to add bodies in the trenches but they've been doing that and the results speak for themselves.

I think we have more space to work with than people think.

Consider this - we cut the dead weight. I'm talking Alford, Schraeder, Reed, and rescinding Beasley's option if he still thinks he's worth 12.8 mil. That frees up almost 30 million. Our cap space goes up to almost 50 million.

Julio's cap hit is already 13.5 million in 2019. Jarrett will take 15 mil/year tops, most likely. Dimi is good with the cap - I see us still having 35-40 mil to play with.

That's enough to get a ton of guys. And we have 9 picks in the draft just to start with.

[Geneaut]

1 hour ago, 7979 said:

Did anyone ask Hair doo where the urgency was the last 10 years.

 

We have the 6th best record in the NFL over the past 10 seasons.

[FalconsIn2012]

1 hour ago, osiruz said:

I'm going to need DQ/TD brain trust to draft a guard in the second round (Chris Lindstom), and maybe an RT in the first (Cody ford), and sign a DT/OG in FA.

Or my under the radar OG: Prescod - 4th round projection, Day 1 mauler at OG.  He is more power gap though

“He’s not getting much buzz right now, but I’ve been impressed with NC State guard Terronne Prescod (6’5”, 334). No sacks or QB pressures allowed on 364 pass blocking snaps last season (

@PFF

). Absolute mauler.

Edited January 11, 2019 by Falconsin2012

[Osiruz]

6 minutes ago, Falconsin2012 said:

Or my under the radar OG: Prescod - 4th round projection, Day 1 mauler at OG.  He is more power gap though

“He’s not getting much buzz right now, but I’ve been impressed with NC State guard Terronne Prescod (6’5”, 334). No sacks or QB pressures allowed on 364 pass blocking snaps last season (

@PFF

). Absolute mauler.

haven't looked into him, I like Lindstrom because he is a plug and play.

[FalconsIn2012]

Just now, osiruz said:

haven't looked into him, I like Lindstrom because he is a plug and play.

Lindstrom is a better prospect, but I see him gone in 2nd rd

[putnam6]

1 hour ago, 4dabirds said:

Usually when people at the top of an organization make these sort of statements, it doesn't end up going well. 

TD absolutely has to hit on getting a better offensive line assembled, throughout his tenure he has never really done good in this area. The OL has overachieved at times only to come crashing back down in the form of old age and injury. One or two good OL guys is not enough if you  are hoping to win it all. You also need an OL coach who can get it done too. I'm hoping this is the year we get a line that can perform at a high level, but that is a tall order. 

I seem to remember rectify with a vengeance circa 2012/2013.

[Gold4425]

I just hope he means what he sllays. Hopefully having the SB in our city and 

we have to entertain other teams will burn a "leave NO stone unturned" in the F O brains. AB is getting older we can't

 afford to sit back and wait. We can't afford mediocrity. WE HAVE TO GET IT DONE!!!!

[7979]

1 hour ago, Geneaut said:

We have the 6th best record in the NFL over the past 10 seasons.

With all due respect:

I got 53 years invested.  Our trophy case has 0 Lombardi's and a major choke job.

Tired of stale rhetoric.

Just 1 man's opinion.

[1989Fan]

3 hours ago, 7979 said:

Did anyone ask Hair doo where the urgency was the last 10 years.

 

I never understood this dig. Do y’all just roll out of bed and go to work with your hair all a mess? Just don’t understand...”look at dis fool, he does his hair in the morning!”.