In any business, if you can find talent, you'll find success.
Atlanta Falcons' owner Arthur Blank knew this, but it took him three tries to find the talent that would bring national recognition to his franchise—and a lot of awards, too.
Last season, Blank set a course to rebuild his franchise—one that was left in ruins by the Petrino in-season resignation, the Michael Vick scandal, and more locker room strife than a jail cell.
In late December of 2007, Blank thought he had the carpenter in Bill Parcells, who is one of the biggest names and best talent evaluators around.
Parcells would help pick the general manager and head coach, and offer guidance throughout the draft process.
It turns out Parcells was using Blank's offer as leverage to get a similar job with the Miami Dolphins.
That's when Blank turned to his years of experience in business. If you want talent, go where the talent is.
Blank knocked on the door of the New England Patriots.
One teleconference interview later and Thomas Dimitroff—the Patriots' director of college scouting—was named the Atlanta Falcons' general manager.
One year and 15 days later, Dimitroff is being honored as Sporting News Executive of the Year. With the award, he rounds out a trio of Atlanta Falcons winning "-of-the-Year" awards this year. Dimitroff's head coach selection, Mike Smith, won Coach of the Year and his first-round draft pick, quarterback Matt Ryan, won Rookie of the Year.
That's just the tip of the iceberg for Dimitroff's accomplishments this season. As is the case in football, the face of your franchise is your head coach and quarterback, and the heart and soul of the team is made up of all the other players that surround them.
Dimitroff gave Smith a lot to work with this year.
He signed running back Michael Turner (1,699 rushing yards, second in MVP voting), kicker Jason Elam (129 points scored, won more games than he lost for the Falcons), and safety Erik Coleman (started all 16 games, 95 tackles and three interceptions). Each of those additions served to help snag or preserve a win for the Falcons in the 2008 season.
The draft was where Dimitroff really shined. Ten of his 11 picks made the team, including three starters and four more contributors in backup roles.
Dimitroff has football in his blood and, while he doesn't fit the description at first glance, his actions have spoken louder than his appearance.
The son of a professional player, coach, and scout has built the foundation for a bright future in Atlanta, but also helped create the outstanding teams in New England.
His department oversaw the scouting and evaluation of eventual Patriots players like cornerbacks Ellis Hobbs and Asante Samuel, center Dan Koppen, guard Logan Mankins, safety Brandon Merriweather, defensive end Ty Warren, tight end Ben Watson, and defensive tackle Vince Wilfork.
Ernie Accorsi, a former NFL executive and adviser to Blank and the Falcons, said of Dimitroff and his evaluation of talent, "You have to learn under top people. ...But you also need that indefinable instinct to see talent. That can't be taught. ...Thomas has that instinct."
That instinct helped turn a reeling 4-12 team in 2007 into an 11-5 playoff team in one year.
Great businessmen will always try to deflect credit back onto the people that work for them, often the very talent they hired.
Dimitroff won't take much credit for the team's success, but if you look at his fingers, you'll see the ink of Atlanta's blueprint all over them.
This article originally appeared on the Atlanta Falcons Examiner page. To view, go here.
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