Bill Belichick Comments on Falcons Team Speed, GM Thomas Dimitroff

The New England Patriots have started scouting their Super Bowl LI opponent, and the Atlanta Falcons have already impressed in one area.

"The thing I notice most is just the team speed the Falcons have," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said Tuesday, per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com. "They're either as fast, or faster, than probably what the average speed of their position is in the league. They look like they're faster than almost every team they play." 

The speed is often apparent with the offensive skill players, including Julio Jones, Devonta Freeman, Taylor Gabriel and others. Jones was especially impressive to torch the Green Bay Packers for 180 receiving yards and two touchdowns in the NFC Championship Game.

These players helped contribute to an offense that led the NFL with 33.8 points per game during the regular season, plus 80 points in two playoff games.

However, the Falcons have also showcased plenty of speed defensively as well, even in areas that don't often utilize that skill set. Brian Billick of NFL Network praised the front seven for the work against the Packers:

Loading up on speed has been an organization-wide strategy, led by general manger Thomas Dimitroff.

Belichick also had high praise of the executive, who worked in the Patriots front office from 2002 to 2007 before getting hired by Atlanta.

"He's a football guy; it's in the family," Belichick said of Dimitroff. "He's done a very good job with the Falcons football team."

The question is whether this speed and overall talent will be enough to beat the Patriots. New England had the No. 3 scoring offense in the NFL this season while also leading the league in points allowed at 15.6 points per game.

The Patriots also earned an easy 36-17 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship Game, another team that prides itself on its speed across the field.

It's clear the preparation from each side will be almost as important as the work on the field.