The Falcons are entering into a new phase under general manager Thomas Dimitroff and coach Mike Smith.
Let’s just call it the “Makeover, Part Two.”
Since arriving in 2008, the two have worked together to turnaround the fortunes of the franchise trying to rebound from the Michael Vick era and Bobby Petrino leaving them at the altar. They have enjoyed unprecedented success, but Falcons owner Arthur Blank, pointing to three losses in the playoffs, is demanding more.
“Our goal is to win rings, to get championships and eventually win a Super Bowl for this community,” Blank said Wednesday at a news conference in Buckhead. “That’s our goal.”
Dimitroff and Smith have crafted four consecutive winning seasons and three trips to the playoffs, while breaking in a quarterback in Phase 1 of the Falcons’ makeover. Now, the challenge, as Matt Ryan continues to grow, is to push the team to elite status in the NFL and bring the Vince Lombardi trophy to Atlanta for the first time.
“We know that we need to get better in many, many areas,” Dimitroff said. “It is my job to make sure that I step back with Coach Smith and obviously, Mr. Blank, and look at all aspects of the football operations and determine where we need to make changes and where we need to adjust going forward.”
Dimitroff noted that there would be no “sacred cows” on the roster. “I don’t care where we drafted them or how we acquired them in free agency,” Dimitroff said.
The new makeover for Dimitroff and Smith starts with replacing coordinators Mike Mularkey and Brian VanGorder. VanGorder, who was contacted by Auburn two days before the playoff game with the New York Giants on Sunday, left the team Monday. Mularkey was named the new head coach in Jacksonville on Wednesday.
The Falcons said neither of the coordinators were fired.
“Absolutely not,” Smith said. “There had been no decisions made. Brian made the decision to go back to college football. Mike has got a second-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
The makeover can’t start until the new coordinators are in place. Blank said the organization wants to be as “transparent” as possible, but will conduct their search in private. Recently, some NFL teams have allowed their candidates for high-ranking positions to meet with the media.
“As soon as we are able to say who’ll be joining our staff we’ll make an announcement,” Smith said. “We think that it should be done in a private manner.”
Among the hot names being mentioned for defensive coordinator in coaches’ agent circles are former St. Louis coach Steve Spagnuolo and Mike Nolan. Former Jacksonville coach Jack Del Rio and Smith have worked together in the past, but a reunion is not likely.
On offense, Smith thinks highly of Dirk Koetter, who was Jacksonville’s offensive coordinator from 2007-11. Hue Jackson, who was fired by the Raiders on Monday, was the Falcons’ offensive coordinator in 2007 under Petrino.
If the Falcons want an internal candidate, quarterbacks coach Bob Bratkowski, was Cincinnati’s offensive coordinator from 2001-10 and Seattle’s from 1995-98. He’s close to Mularkey and could be headed to Jacksonville.
The Falcons must move swiftly on Spagnuolo, who’s also being courted by the Philadelphia Eagles. He coached for the Eagles from 1999-2006.
Spagnuolo is especially attractive to the Falcons because his defenses have performed well in the playoffs. When Spagnuolo was coordinator for the New York Giants, his defense stopped the 18-0 New England Patriots and sacked Tom Brady five times in Super Bowl XLII.
The Falcons have had trouble sacking elite quarterbacks in big games with New Orleans and Green Bay.
While Blank stated that he was “angry” at one point in the news conference. He later called for some caution. “We need to be careful that we don’t throw the baby out with the bath water,” he said.
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