General Manager Thomas Dimitroff
Opening Statement:
"Obviously it's an exciting time to be here for all of us. This is kind of like being a kid in a candy shop for a lot of us. This is where we attempt to rebuild and redirect. I've had the opportunity to be here for over 20 years and attend this. I will say Jeff Foster and National Scouting do a fantastic job with this and it keeps getting better and better as the years go on.
"We were encouraged by our 2008 season in Atlanta. We're fired up about moving forward though and moving into 2009. We have a lot of work to do; a lot of roster calibration to do and we're excited about it. We have a number of free agents right now -- 13 we're trying to decide on. We're still in the process of doing that. This is where we're kicking it off. We have an opportunity to juxtapose players not only on the playing surface but in interviews as well as from a medical perspective. It's a very efficient operation for us to be here at the Combine. This is a big part of our redirection."
On free agency and the draft:
"We're very focused on the draft. I want to start by saying last year there was no surprise we spent a lot of time and a lot of money on the draft and in free agency on the offense. Obviously we'll be focusing on both sides of the ball with an emphasis on defense as well. At the outset of taking the job in Atlanta I made statements where we will definitely try to build through the draft and be mindful of free agency and supplement. I would suggest now our focus is not to be a major player in free agency but to focus on this process here and try to get young, energetic, fiery football players so we can continue to build youth on our team and head in the right direction."
On focusing on building on the offensive and defensive lines:
"That's what Mike Smith is about. That's what Mike Mularkey is about on the offense. In the very end we're a system-specific scouting system. We are needs based so we'll make sure we focus on the players we think are suitable to continue to build not only inside but outside as well... We want to continue to make sure we get speed and urgency on this team."
On the success of first-year head coaches in 2008:
"I think this was a great year for the league. It was great for first-year head coaches. I think it was encouraging for first-time general managers as well... I think what Mike did, just speaking personally, his focus and respect for the institution of scouting was huge for me. I knew he had a very fine mind as far as the defensive side of the ball and I knew he had a policy of how he wanted to run a team. He's created a culture in that building where he's treated everyone like men. They know when he means business. He has an opportunity to do that again this year. I think it's going to continue to open up doors. He set the bar with these guys, I do believe that, but I'm very encouraged by Mike's development going into his second year."
On the culture Smith developed in the building:
"Mike came into our situation in Atlanta following up a very tumultuous 2007 season. His stance is very real. He's not about pomp and circumstance. He's about being real. He's about selling it straight to the players and they really appreciate that. He doesn't have to posture any which way. They understand he's a head coach. Mike is very fiery when he needs to be but he's also a guy that can pat someone on the back and, in today's world and today's football, the whole psyche of the players they really adhere and adapt to that approach and I think they appreciate it quite a bit. I set out talking about a certain culture in the building. There's no way that can be carried through with an executive talking about that. It has to be by a head coach and Mike does a fantastic job.
On scouting a tight end from a spread offense:
"This is a good tight end draft. First of all you get a chance to see players like Chase Coffman who was spread out a little bit. He's a very accomplished receiver. (With) his abilities you tend to project him inside. I think in all our evaluations there were very few times we saw him on the line. You tend to have to project a little bit to determine whether he has the whole operation and control as far as blocking and pass receptions. I think my opinion is you really have to evaluate the athleticism, the fluidity, the ball skills and then really project and know that maybe a player that was in a spread offense as a tight end might not be that accomplished as a blocker but can continue to improve with coaching and continued stress on the blocking scheme."
On the importance of interviewing players at the Combine:
"The interviews are an important process. I think 15 minutes, though short, you get a broad stroke overview of a player. We asked some very pointed questions during that 15 minute time and a lot of it does hold true. We follow up with meetings and interviews through the rest of the spring on people we are, in fact, interested in and allow them to expound on their situation and any character brushes they may have or in general their personality. To me it's a very good kickoff."
On his interview style:
"We've done so much research leading up to that interview. Our scouting staff, I'm very proud of how in-depth they are with the research. We have a list of issues to address and we have a pretty firm grasp. My approach is to make it very casual in there. We don't want to make it interrogative as far as throwing out and bombing players with questions. That's for another time. I think it's about being real with these guys and not soft-shoeing it and making it a comfortable atmosphere."
On the style of safety teams look for today:
"We used to look for that strong safety, tough hombre, the guy that could step up there and fill the hole, the 220-plus pound guy. Now, ideally, you'd like to get to a situation where you have interchangeable safeties. You'd like to have a guy that is the strong safety but you can flip it. It offers a lot of variety in your coverages and something that keeps the offenses guessing. I'm more apt evaluate a player with the ability to cover as well as the ability to come up, stick his nose in and be an aggressive run support guy. There are some great ones out there in Troy Polamalu and Ed Reed. Those are great guys that set the benchmark. Not that easy to find those guys year-in and year-out. Those are the guys we're ultimately looking for at the strong safety position."
On Knowshon Moreno and Matt Stafford:
"I think those two guys are obviously going to make a lot of money. I'll just say I know Mr. Blank is happy we're not picking in the top five."
On picking players on the defensive side of the ball:
"Obviously defensive ends and corners are something we're all searching for. I think if you find a defensive tackle and you find one you think you can build and have a rotation in that defensive line -- one that can step up game-in and game-out, one that's going to step up and have a fiery approach to the game -- I think that's a big thing. I think there are some nice defensive tackles in this draft. It's nice to be in the 20s to be honest with you. It's a good area to acquire players of that caliber who can continue to grow and learn."
On finding players through the draft when free agency throws a curve ball:
"I think free agency in general throws a lot of things off. When you look at it from a business perspective and you look at our cap and how, ultimately, we want to personally build and that's stressing the draft. To throw double-digit millions in guarantees and high average per year into your system that has me back on my heals a little bit. I have to do a lot of work in evaluating that. Again, I think there are some fine football players in the draft you can continue to develop. I think Ray Hamilton is a top-notch defensive line coach. I think he gets the most out of those guys. Let's get out and let him coach football; let him coach the young players. That's my opinion."
On receivers:
"Receiver wise we look at players that can get down field and separate. They come in all shapes and sizes. Let's face it. You get a football player out there at the receiver position that can run, start, stop, adjust, has skills to catch around his body and ad lib and I think that will project to whatever system you have him in."
On the "Wildcat" formation and West Virginia quarterback Pat White:
"Obviously Pat White is an incredible athlete. The Wildcat situation is something a lot of us are trying to find the best way to defend as well as use. I think Mike Mularkey obviously has a good understanding of that as well. I think it will continue to bring to the forefront the players that have that 'slash' ability. They can also toss the ball, which is an important thing as well. If you can get that runner that can throw as well as run and be a receiver... To have versatility in this league is huge at many positions."
On linebacker Keith Brooking:
"Keith has obviously contributed a lot to us both on the field and off the field. We're in the process of having discussions with his representative. Part of this process here is determining what is out here in the draft possibilities versus what we have. We haven't made that final decision yet. That's part of the reason we're here, to determine whether we're going to go forward with some of our players. To be honest with you, with Keith, he has to decide and we want him to decide. We'd like to have him back and he has to decide what's best for him going into free agency."
MORE ON THE 2009 NFL SCOUTING COMBINE:
- NFL.com: Combine Homepage | Participants
- BLOGS: J. Mike's Missives | Off the Cuff with Mookie Dunkleman
- TWITTER: Follow J. Mike and Matt on Twitter
- FLICKR: Check out the Falcons Photostream
- NFL NETWORK: Combine Workout and Programming Schedule
- WORKOUTS: What Will the players be doing at the Combine?
- RESULTS: Top Performers at the 2009 Scouting Combine
- LAST SEASON: AF.com Combine coverage from 2008
