Saturday, December 27, 2008

Making every decision about improving the team

ATL general manager Thomas Dimitroff (pictured here with owner Arthur Blank) says he's followed a blueprint similar to that of the Patriots in building the Falcons:

"There's no question that we've tried to emulate here what the New England organization has done in terms of making every decision and move about improving their team," Dimitroff said. "Coach (Bill) Belichick and (vice president) Scott Pioli have built a culture that's all about the sum of the parts."

In his first season as a GM, Dimitroff, 42, is being mentioned as a top candidate for NFL Executive of the Year.

“I gave Thomas years to rebuild our team,” [Falcons owner Arthur] Blank said, “and he did it in months. He’s a special guy.”