Tag: Thomas Dimitroff

Former Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff to interview with Lions

Following an 0-5 start in 2020, the Atlanta Falcons fired general manager Thomas Dimitroff after 12 and a half seasons.

Following an 0-5 start in 2020, the Atlanta Falcons fired general manager Thomas Dimitroff after 12 and a half seasons. While there are plenty of interesting potential candidates for the Falcons to consider, Dimitroff is drawing some interest of his own.

On Thursday, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported that the Detroit Lions, who recently fired GM Bob Quinn and head coach Matt Patricia, plan to interview Dimitroff next week.

Atlanta’s former GM drew criticism for neglecting the salary cap and creating a situation where the team routinely needed to ask players like WR Julio Jones and QB Matt Ryan to restructure their contracts in order to make space for incoming draft picks and free agents.

Dimitroff had some great moments, too. His moves helped the Falcons reach a Super Bowl in 2016. Some of the better ones include signing OL Alex Mack and WR Mohamed Sanu as free agents, along with drafting DT Grady Jarrett and LB Foye Oluokun.

There’s certainly upside to a Dimitroff hire that a team like the Lions, who’ve never reached the Super Bowl, would see as beneficial. And as much as Dimitroff compounded the Falcons’ salary cap situation by kicking the can down the road, there was only so much he could do while keeping Ryan and Jones in Atlanta.

Detroit has also shown interest in Louis Riddick, the ESPN analyst and former Eagles scouting director.

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Report: Falcons to interview Saints exec Terry Fontenot for G.M. opening

New Orleans Saints pro scouting director Terry Fontenot was reported to be a candidate for the Atlanta Falcons general manager position.

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At least one member of the New Orleans Saints is getting consideration for a big move to a new city: Terry Fontenot, who holds the titles of vice president, assistant general manager, and director of pro scouting.

And he wouldn’t be moving far. Fontenot is a candidate to be interviewed for the Atlanta Falcons general manager job, as first reported by D. Orlando Ledbetter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution this week. Atlanta parted with longtime G.M. Thomas Dimitroff earlier this season.

While the Saints-Falcons rivalry is one of the most heated and pettiest feuds in football, it makes sense for Fontenot to put his career first and put himself out there for this opportunity. There are only 32 jobs like it, and he’s spent the last 16 years preparing for his chance to run his own team.

It would hurt the Saints to lose Fontenot to this departure or any other (he interviewed for the New York Jets opening last offseason), but it’s worth considering that the NFL approved a rules change that would reward teams that lose minority candidates to these sort of promotions with draft picks.

A lack of diversity in leadership structures around the league prompted a diversity committee headed by Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney II to push for this new measure, which he described to Jarrett Bell for USA TODAY Sports as: “I don’t look at this as a silver bullet. This is just one more piece of the puzzle, one in a number of steps.”

Bell reported the terms of the new rules change, which as follows:

•”A team that loses a minority assistant coach who becomes a head coach or loses a personnel executive who becomes a general manager will receive third-round compensatory picks in each of the next two drafts.

• A team that loses two minority staffers to head coach and general manager positions would receive three third-round picks.”

Fontenot has been a major help for the Saints during his years with the team, helping scout and acquire valuable additions like linebackers Demario Davis and Kwon Alexander, cornerback Janoris Jenkins, guard Larry Warford, and tight end Jared Cook. He’s taken a “no stone left unturned” approach and has been an avid supporter of players making the jump from the Canadian league like Delvin Breaux, Adam Bighill, and Erik Harris, who has developed into a Las Vegas Raiders starter after initially signing with New Orleans.

So it will be interesting to see where he goes next. Earlier this year, the Saints promoted Fontenot to vice president and assistant G.M., the same titles held by college scouting director Jeff Ireland. Fontenot would be a huge potential loss, but the Saints have taken hits like this before; his predecessor Ryan Pace has been working as Chicago Bears general manager since 2015.

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Candidates for the Detroit Lions general manager vacancy

Candidates for the Detroit Lions general manager vacancy.

The Detroit Lions fired general manager Bob Quinn on Saturday and one of the top priorities of the organization will be to find his replacement.

The Lions are in a unique situation, where Shelia Ford Hamp is still in her first year as principal owner, Rod Wood (the team president) mostly handles the business side of the operation, and they need to replace a GM and coach, where the trending names are mostly individuals who would also be new to their positions.

That’s why when Lions Wire editors Jeff Risdon and Erik Schlitt put together a Top-10 coaching list they included both first-year and veteran options. This same approach should be applied to the GM position and this list of available candidates will include both individuals who have experience and those who are considered rising stars in  NFL circles.

Dan Quinn says being Falcons coach was ‘the privilege of a lifetime’

The Atlanta Falcons fired head coach Dan Quinn following the team’s fifth loss of the season in Week 5.

The Atlanta Falcons fired head coach Dan Quinn following the team’s fifth loss of the season in Week 5. While many fans felt it was time for a change, Quinn never made excuses and never lost the respect of his players in the locker room.

On Wednesday, the team’s Twitter account released a letter from Quinn addressed to the city of Atlanta in which he called coaching the Falcons “the privilege of a lifetime.” Read the full letter below.

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Falcons name Jeff Ulbrich defensive coordinator, fire Ben Kotwica

It was time for the Atlanta Falcons to make a change after their Week 5 loss to the Carolina Panthers dropped them to 0-5 in 2020.

It was time for the Atlanta Falcons to make a change after their Week 5 loss to the Carolina Panthers dropped them to 0-5 in 2020.

On Sunday night following the team’s loss to the Panthers, head coach Dan Quinn and general manager Thomas Dimitroff were relieved of their duties. Falcons CEO/team president Rich McKay will assume football operations, while defensive coordinator Raheem Morris has been named Atlanta’s interim head coach.

The team announced more changes on Monday afternoon, firing special teams coach Ben Kotwica and promoting LBs coach/assistant head coach Jeff Ulbrich to defensive coordinator.

The Falcons promoted running backs coach Bernie Parmalee to special teams coordinator, and named Will Harriger the new RBs coach.

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Arthur Blank praises QB Matt Ryan, but doesn’t know what future holds

Falcons owner Arthur Blank was also asked about the future of 35-year-old quarterback Matt Ryan, and his answer left quite a bit of wiggle room.

The Atlanta Falcons shook things up following their fifth-straight loss to open the season, firing both head coach Dan Quinn and general manager Thomas Dimitroff on Sunday night.

Team president and CEO Rich McKay will take over the football operations side from Dimitroff and defensive coordinator Raheem Morris will act as the interim head coach for the remainder of the season. These changes were expected, but they also create uncertainty over the direction of the franchise going forward.

Both Falcons owner Arthur Blank and Mckay addressed the media on Monday about the process of finding a new GM and head coach. Blank was also asked about the future of 35-year-old quarterback Matt Ryan, and his answer left quite a bit of wiggle room.

Blank talked of his admiration for Ryan, but also said he would leave the decision up to the team’s new head coach and GM, along with Ryan’s own preference. Watch his comments below, as shared by ESPN’s Vaughn McClure.

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Falcons fire head coach Dan Quinn, general manager Thomas Dimitroff after 0-5 start

The Falcons fired head coach Dan Quinn and general manager Thomas Dimitroff on Sunday night.

When the Atlanta Falcons started the 2019 season 1-7 only to rebound to a 7-9 finish, team owner Arthur Blank maintained that he wanted more than a 7-9 season. As the 2020 Falcons started with an 0-5 start, looking especially vulnerable on defense, Blank decided that he had enough. On Sunday evening, following the team’s 23-16 loss to the Carolina Panthers, Blank relieved head coach Dan Quinn and general manager Thomas Dimitroff of their duties.

Quinn had been with the team since 2015, and Dimitroff had been Atlanta’s general manager since 2008. Under Dimitroff, the Falcons had a 109-83 regular-season record, and Quinn amassed a 43.41 regular-season mark. Quinn was also 3-2 in the postseason, and the most “remarkable” playoff game was the Falcons’ infamous loss to the Patriots in Super Bowl LI at the end of the 2016 season. Atlanta lost 38-24 in overtime after blowing a 28-3 lead.

The Falcons are expected to name an interim head coach on Monday. Defensive coordinator Raheem Morris was the Buccaneers’ head coach from 2009 through 2011, so he’s a likely prospect. Team president and CEO Rich McKay will assume control of football operations and lead the search for long-term replacements.

“Decisions like these are very difficult, but the previous two seasons and start to this one have been especially hard for me because of the deep love, admiration and respect I and my family have for Dan, Thomas and their families,” Blank said in a Sunday evening statement. “For many years, they have represented me, our team, organization and Atlanta with class, commitment and all the passion you would want in the leaders of the team. But as everyone knows, this is a results business and I owe it to our fans to put the best product we can on the field. We have poured every resource possible into winning and will continue to do so, but the results of late do not meet our standard or what I’ve promised our fans. Therefore, we will install new coaching and personnel leadership of the Atlanta Falcons at the appropriate time.

“Our finish in 2019 earned an opportunity to show that momentum could be continued and built upon, but that has clearly not happened And overall, the last 3-plus seasons have fallen short of my commitment to Atlanta and to our fans everywhere. I want them all to know that my commitment to winning has not wavered and I will continue to provide every resource possible to that end.”

McKay added: “We are moving forward and will do everything we can to help this year’s team win as many games as possible while putting a strong plan in place to execute these important leadership searches with an eye to positioning the Falcons for success well into the future. We owe that to our fans.”

Quinn, who gained fame as the Seahawks’ defensive coordinator in 2013 and 2014, likely won’t have to wait long for another job in that capacity.

Falcons fire Dan Quinn, Thomas Dimitroff after 0-5 start

The New Orleans Saints will face the Atlanta Falcons on Nov. 22, but the Falcons will be without coach Dan Quinn or G.M. Thomas Dimitroff.

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The New Orleans Saints suspended their best player after he punched a teammate at practice, but they aren’t even the most dysfunctional team in the NFC South. After going winless through the first five weeks of the 2020 season, the Atlanta Falcons announced Sunday evening that both head coach Dan Quinn and general manager Thomas Dimitroff have been relieved of their duties.

It ends a 13-year tenure for Dimitroff as the team’s shot-caller; while his biggest move was a blockbuster trade to acquire wide receiver Julio Jones, he also hit on draft picks like quarterback Matt Ryan, defensive tackle Grady Jarrett, and LSU Tigers linebacker Deion Jones.

And as for Quinn: he leaves Atlanta with a 43-42 regular season record as head coach, and a 3-2 postseason record (including a loss in Super Bowl LI, when his team lost after leading 28-3 late in the third quarter). He went 4-6 against the Saints since taking the Falcons job back in 2015.

So where do things go from here? The Falcons’ season is effectively over, and it isn’t immediately clear who will be named interim head coach, though defensive coordinator Raheem Morris is a logical pick. Team president and CEO Rich McKay will take over football operations in Dimitroff’s place, so there will be some continuity at the top.

But the Falcons are 0-5 and can’t spiral much further down to rock bottom. Expect the NFC South title race to be whittled down further to a three-team race between the 3-2 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 3-2 Carolina Panthers, and 2-2 Saints — who have a shot at improvement on Monday night. The Saints will see the new-look Falcons next on Nov. 22, playing them twice in three weeks (with a road trip against the Denver Broncos sandwiched in-between).

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