Falcons owner Arthur Blank promised scrutiny of the entire football operation after firing coach Mike Smith.
Some of those changes came to light as the Falcons restructured their front office by expanding the role of assistant general manager Scott Pioli and having the head coach report directly to the owner, the team announced Wednesday.
Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff will retain final decision-making authority, but will hand over the day-to-day operation of pro and college scouting and NFL draft responsibilities to Pioli, a former general manager of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Also, the head coach will report directly to Blank and not to the general manager.
The Falcons are trying to emulate the model that the Baltimore Ravens have in place where assistant general manager Eric DeCosta handles similar duties and reports to general manager Ozzie Newsome. Minnesota is another team with this scouting model.
Dimitroff will retain management responsibility for the salary cap, player affairs, equipment, sports medicine and performance, and video activities.
“I have no reservations that this is the best approach to setting up our player personnel groups for future success,” Blank said in a statement released by the team. “It maximizes the talents of Scott, allows for more time and focus on all areas of our football operations groups managed by Thomas, and is in line with other player personnel groups in the league.”
The Falcons are in the midst of a head coaching search to replace Smith, the coach with the most wins in franchise history. Because of the passing of Blank’s mother, Molly, the interviews for Detroit defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, which was set for Wednesday, and Arizona defensive coordinator Todd Bowles, have been pushed to Friday and Saturday.
The Falcons expect the coaching search to be concluded in the “coming weeks.”
Most teams have the head coach report to the general manager.
“While this decision was not tied to the head coach search currently underway, we also believe that independent thinking and collaboration will contribute to taking us to the next level in our league,” Blank said. “Therefore, our new head coach and Thomas will report separately to me.”
Pioli will be supported by Falcons director of player personnel Lionel Vital, who will assume additional pro scouting responsibilities and play a role in college scouting, and director of college scouting Steve Sabo.
“(Pioli’s) thumbprint can be found on a number of Pro Bowl players during his NFL career, and he was a key contributor to the remarkable Super Bowl success of the Patriots during his tenure there,” Dimitroff said.
Pioli served as general manager of the Kansas City Chiefs from 2009-12 before being fired. He joined the Falcons in February 2014 as assistant general manager.
Pioli joined the Chiefs after serving as the vice president of player personnel with the New England Patriots, where he spent six seasons working with Dimitroff (2002-07). During his nine-year tenure in New England (2000-08).
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