Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff is looking forward to working with new coach Dan Quinn on the team’s pressing personnel matters.
“It’s not about who has final 53 or who has authority over one thing or another,” Dimitroff said on Wednesday. “It’s about working together. It’s about nice equal footing and a partnership.”
Quinn also said he was looking forward to working with Dimitroff even though he reports to owner Arthur Blank.
The two hit it off during the coaching search and believe they can work together.
“Given the fact that this is Dan Quinn and he has all of his understanding of the defense and how he believes he wants to build a football team,” Dimitroff said. “I have no problem with how the set-up is. I encouraged it.”
Dimitroff knows he had he a role in the downfall of the Falcons. He also help the team ascend to the NFC championship game only to fall to 10-22 over the past two seasons. He plans to make some changes.
“I need to continue to support in the right way,” Dimitroff said. “With a head coach-and-GM relationship I think that’s very important. I think we need to spend a lot of time together talking about the specifics about system and the specifics about the football players that we are looking for.”
Dimitroff has taken some blame for the team's perceived lack of talent, especially on the defensive side of the ball. The Falcons finished last season as the 32nd ranked team in the league.
“Never in this organization have we force-fed any players on our staff,” Dimitroff said. “We’ll continue to be very mindful of that fact. I think we can take it to another level as far as truly understanding the nuances and intricacies of the players needed on this football team for this coaching staff.”
Dimitroff believes the defense can be rehabilitated in part by Quinn’s schemes. The past regime may have asked the players to execute too many complex schemes. Quinn likes to line up in simple defenses, play fast and attack.
“The idea of allowing this team and this defense specifically to play fast and eliminate some of the sort of over analyzing and let these players be who they can be is going to be very important for us,” said Dimitroff, who noted that the team has the eight pick in the upcoming draft.
