Former Browns scout Thomas Dimitroff built the Atlanta Falcons into winners overnight by scoring instant bull's-eyes on a head coach and quarterback.
With a 62.4 completion percentage and six touchdown passes in four games, Matt Ryan is continuing his development into a top-flight NFL quarterback in his third season.BEREA, Ohio -- The Atlanta Falcons were an ugly mess in 2007 and now consider themselves legitimate Super Bowl contenders, though they won't use the phrase.
Not only did they transform overnight, the Falcons have sustained their success. They're into their third winning season in a row and come to Cleveland this weekend in first place in the strong NFC South.
Their 3-1 record includes a tough win over the defending Super Bowl-champion Saints. Their loss was in overtime in Pittsburgh, where they dropped three potential interceptions.
The architect of the Falcons' stunning turnaround is General Manager Thomas Dimitroff, who, like Browns GM Tom Heckert, is the son of a former Browns scout. The younger Dimitroff also scouted for the Browns during the startup of their expansion era. He went on to be trained for five years in New England as Bill Belichick's director of college scouting.
Dimitroff's formula for jump-starting the Falcons was simple -- hire the right coach and get a young quarterback in place soon as possible.
"The head coach and quarterback thing are two incredibly important building blocks for a team," Dimitroff said in a telephone interview Tuesday before darting off on a scouting trip. "They're not easy decisions. But sometimes I think you can over-think them. Just like drafting, if you overanalyze it, you're going to lose the opportunity. Calculated decisions are great, but sometimes you have to step up and go with your gut."
The key men Dimitroff put in place were coach Mike Smith, formerly defensive coordinator in Jacksonville, and quarterback Matt Ryan, who was the third overall pick of the 2008 draft.
View full sizeHead coach Mike Smith is 23-13 with the Falcons, and already has a victory over the champion Saints to his credit this season.Consider where the Falcons were when Dimitroff was hired as Atlanta GM in January, 2008.
Their franchise quarterback, Michael Vick, was a national pariah and on his way to federal prison for leading a dog-fighting ring. Their coach, Bobby Petrino, bolted the team after the 13th game to return to college coaching. The 2007 season ended with 16 players on injured reserve and a bunch of the healthy ones pining to play elsewhere.
Dimitroff was given carte blanche by owner Arthur Blank to change the culture in the Atlanta organization. He weeded out players and employees who didn't fit his "positive, passionate and persevering people" mantra.
But after hitting bull's-eyes with his first two major decisions -- hiring Smith and signing running back Michael Turner in free agency -- Dimitroff got lucky. He won a coin toss with Kansas City and Oakland for the No. 3 spot in the '08 draft.
"If I had called heads instead of tails, Matt Ryan would not be with the Atlanta Falcons today," Dimitroff said.
There were a lot of other brilliant moves -- including trading for tight end Tony Gonzalez in 2009 -- but Dimitroff concedes getting his quarterback immediately on board cleared the path for success.
"To me, it's a never-ending process building a football team when you don't feel you have that quarterback who can take you to whatever that next level is," Dimitroff said.
"I do believe it wears on you when you're always in the hunt and searching for the guy who can spin the ball effectively for you and move the ball downfield. It affects your organization in the draft, free agency and at so many levels when you're in search mode."
The Falcons surrounded Ryan with as many supporting players on offense as quickly as possible and handed him the ball -- and their fortunes. The Falcons are 23-12 in Ryan's start, including an NFC wild-card playoff loss. The Falcons lost the two games Ryan has not played.
Dimitroff doesn't believe there is patience for long-range rebuilding plans anymore in the NFL. While Bill Parcells earned his lofty reputation for turning around moribund organizations in two years, Dimitroff astonishingly did it in one.
"I've talked to a number of my peers in the league about how expectations in this league have been expedited," he said. "I think the whole 'not for long' thing is holding true for administrators, GMs as well as head coaches.
"I've mentioned to Smitty, we really do pride ourselves on being very calculated in our decisions. But this league is about quick, decisive action."
Tony Grossi's Scouting Report
Browns vs. Atlanta Falcons
Sunday 1 p.m. in Cleveland Browns Stadium.
Record: 3-1. Last game: Beat 49ers, 16-14, Oct. 3 in Atlanta.
Coach: Mike Smith, 23-14, third year.
Series record: Browns lead, 10-2.
Last meeting: Browns won, 17-13, Nov. 12, 2006, in Atlanta.
League rankings: Offense is sixth (fourth rushing, 10th passing), defense is 15th (11th rushing, 18th passing) and turnover differential is plus-5.
Michael Turner's stats after a quarter of the NFL season are down, but he remains a major piece of the Falcons' offensive puzzle.Offensive overview: When coordinator Mike Mularkey had the same role under Bill Cowher in Pittsburgh, the Steelers consistently fielded one of the strongest power running games in the NFL and played off that in the passing game. Same thing with the Falcons. Michael Turner is the workhorse back and Jason Snelling replaces him in multiple receiver sets. Mularkey's penchant for creative trick plays has abated, somewhat due to the season-ending injury to running back Jerious Norwood. Quarterback Matt Ryan continues to progress in his third season. He's blessed to have two superstar targets in receiver Roddy White and tight end Tony Gonzalez. Ryan might not be an elite quarterback just yet, but he's more than a game manager and can make the plays to win games. White, in his sixth season, is tied for second in the NFL with 32 catches and leads the NFC with 362 receiving yards.
Defensive overview: The Falcons started a youth movement on defense last year. Now coordinator Brian VanGorder is taking the unit to the next level. The addition of cover corner Dunta Robinson has emboldened VanGorder to trust the secondary in single coverage. He is taking more risks on third downs with blitzes, and they can come from anywhere. The Falcons will throw some exotic looks on third down to confuse quarterbacks. The gambling strategy has worked so far. The Falcons have improved from 32nd last year to fifth this season in third-down efficiency. They also lead the league with eight interceptions and are tied for fifth with 10 takeaways.
Special teams overview: Kicker Matt Bryant leads the NFL with 39 points and is 10-of-11 in field goals with a long of 49 yards. Punter Michael Koenen is 30th in gross average (39.5 yards) and 31st in net (31.8), but his value is on kickoffs. He is second in the NFL with nine touchbacks, helping the Falcons to a No. 1-ranked average drive start of the 20.3-yard line on kickoffs. Return specialist Eric Weems is fifth in punt returns (13.8 average) and 10th in kickoff returns (25.3). The Falcons have given up a punt return of 72 yards.
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
• Running back Michael Turner: Lightly used in San Diego, the 247-pound runner has been one of the most productive free-agent signees in the NFL. His 3.8-yard rushing average this year is down more than a full yard from his career mark.
• Tight end Tony Gonzalez: The all-time leader among tight ends in catches (1,018), yards (12,012) and touchdowns (83), he's still playing at a Pro Bowl level at the age of 34.
• Quarterback Matt Ryan: In his third season, the league's 13th-ranked quarterback can make all the throws and has a nimbleness in the pocket. Most people don't question he will join the elite QBs before his career is done.
Injury report: LB Sean Weatherspoon (ankle) and SS Erik Coleman (knee) did not play last week. DT Corey Peters (back) left the game, but returned. WR Michael Jenkins (shoulder) hasn't played since last season, but has practiced the past two weeks.
Small world: General Manager Thomas Dimitroff is a native of Barberton and was a college scout for the Browns, 1998-2001. ... Defensive line coach Ray Hamilton coached the line for the Browns from 2001-02. ... Wide receivers coach Terry Robiskie was Browns offensive coordinator and interim head coach in 2004, and receivers coach 2001-03 and 2005-06 and is the father of Browns receiver Brian Robiskie. ... Long snapper Joe Zelenka is a native of Cleveland and attended Benedictine High School. ... Trainer Marty Lauzon spent 10 seasons with the Browns and was head trainer 2005-08. ... Assistant trainers Danny Long (2005-09) and James Williams (2006-09) held the same positions for the Browns.