Biography

For the second time in three seasons, the Falcons earned a playoff berth in 2010 and produced their first NFC South Division crown under General Manager Thomas Dimitroff’s regime. Atlanta’s 13-3 mark was tops in the NFC and marked the second highest regular season win total in franchise history. One of his goals when he arrived in Atlanta was to make this team a relevant and sustainable franchise, and over his first three seasons, the foundation has been laid.

Dimitroff’s ability to lead an organization and his astute football knowledge garnered him The Sporting News Executive of the Year for the second time in three seasons. He was not alone when it came to being recognized by The Sporting News; Head Coach Mike Smith was named Coach of the Year and Offensive Coordinator Mike Mularkey earned Coordinator of the Year from the prestigious magazine.

Atlanta’s 13-3 mark was spearheaded by Dimitroff’s first draft pick in Atlanta, quarterback Matt Ryan. Ryan set career highs in passing attempts (571), touchdowns (28), yards (3,705), completion percentage (62.5), quarterback rating (91.0) and set a franchise record for completions (357). His performance earned him his first Pro Bowl appearance and was joined by eight of his teammates. Ryan enjoyed the company of defensive end John Abraham, tackle Tyson Clabo, tight end Tony Gonzalez, cornerback Brent Grimes, fullback Ovie Mughelli, running back Michael Turner, specialist Eric Weems and wide receiver Roddy White in Hawaii. The Falcons roster, which Dimitroff and his staff devote countless hours into also produced four players who earned All-Pro honors in 2010. Abraham and White were each All-Pro first team selections, while Mughelli and Turner garnered second team recognition.

Dimitroff’s forward thinking and aggressive but calculated nature has allowed the Falcons to be players in the free agency market each year, in addition to putting together three solid draft classes and the 2010 offseason was no different. He knew he wanted to upgrade the defense and Dimitroff and his staff wasted little time in doing so.

With an eye towards improving a young Falcons secondary, Dimitroff targeted and signed talented five-year veteran cornerback Dunta Robinson from the Houston Texans two days after free agency opened. An Athens, Georgia native, Robinson brought a veteran presence and a stalwart reputation back home with him. His impact was felt throughout the defense as DE John Abraham collected 13 sacks and the corner opposite of Robinson, Brent Grimes, posted a franchise-high 23 passes defensed and tied for the team lead in interceptions with five.

The Robinson signing allowed Dimitroff important flexibility when entering his third draft. Dimitroff enjoyed another successful needs-based draft in 2010, selecting speedy, playmaking outside linebacker Sean Weatherspoon from Missouri with the 19th overall pick in the first round. Additional picks included defensive tackle Corey Peters (Kentucky) and offensive lineman Michael Johnson (Alabama), as well as offensive lineman Joe Hawley (4th round, UNLV), cornerback Dominique Franks (5th round, Oklahoma), wide receiver Kerry Meier (5th round, Kansas), and safety Shann Schillinger (6th round, Montana). Weatherspoon and Peters proved to be strong players in 2010 as Weatherspoon logged 50 tackles, one sack and one pass defensed. Peters started 15 games and posted 40 tackles, one sack and one pass defensed during his first NFL season.

ADMINISTRATION

Although the Falcons have produced some impressive accomplishments in his first three years on the job, for the architect behind the transformation of the new look Falcons, it is not enough. Thomas Dimitroff strives for so much more.

Every move Dimitroff makes is well-thought out and calculated and forward-thinking with one goal in mind. Assembling the best football team he can is paramount in his daily thought process and he’s aggressively determined to get the Falcons to the next level.

In each season since ascending to the General Managers post in Atlanta, Dimitroff has astutely engineered key moves and deftly drafted a solid nucleus of players to augment the Falcons roster. In his first year on the job, he landed Ryan in the draft and added two-time Pro Bowl running back Michael Turner in free agency. Heading into the 2009 season, the perception was the Falcons needed a pass catching tight end. Dimitroff answered the bell once again by orchestrating a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs to obtain the most prolific tight end in NFL history and future Hall of Famer, Tony Gonzalez. After finishing 9-7 in 2009, the fan base wanted help on the defensive side of the ball and Dimitroff and his staff brought in former Defensive Rookie of the Year CB Dunta Robinson and selected OLB Sean Weatherspoon with the 19th pick, in addition to drafting defensive tackle Corey Peters in the third round (83rd overall).

Dimitroff did not rest on his laurels during the 2011 Draft. His philosophy of addressing the needs of the team and being aggressive if the organization believes it is the right move was put on display once again. Atlanta held the 27th overall pick entering the draft. While most thought Dimitroff would stay put and take the best player available at 27, he had a different thought. Dimitroff reached out to the Cleveland Browns, who held the number six pick, in hopes of landing an explosive player to help the team. With Dimitroff’s keen sense for the draft and for talent, the Falcons manufactured a trade with the Browns and selected University of Alabama wide receiver Julio Jones with the sixth pick. It was deemed an aggressive and bold move, but it was a move that the entire organization, including Owner & CEO Arthur Blank felt very strongly about.

“This is an organization that works together, with our coach, with our general manager and with everybody in this building to make the kind of thoughtful decisions that Thomas has made,” Blank said at Jones’ introductory press conference.

“When we made this trade yesterday, Thomas was the gentlemen that actually did the trade and took the name off of the board. It was a decision made by this entire organization and I couldn’t be happier to have Julio Jones as a Falcon.”

That inherent, tireless drive is one of the main reasons why Dimitroff has been so successful throughout his 20-plus years in the NFL. A product of the championship producing ways in New England, Dimitroff is all about building a winner who is able to compete at the highest level each and every season. He has an acute ability to not only focus on the team’s needs of the present, but to plan for a sustainable future for the franchise. These traits are what many around the NFL respect about Dimitroff, but none more than his head coach.

“Thomas is one of the most forward thinking guys I have ever been around,” said Falcons Head Coach Mike Smith. “As coaches, we are always thinking week to week and personnel guys have timelines that are much further down the road. Thomas’ forethought, in terms of personnel moves, is his strength. As a coach, you’re worried about Sunday, but he is looking out for the long term future of the organization, which is impressive. His vision on how to put this team together is the most impressive thing about him.”

The 2009 Atlanta Falcons capped off their first back-to-back winning seasons in the history of the franchise with a 20-10 victory at Tampa Bay in the season finale. For long-time Falcons fans, this was quite a monumental feat. But for Dimitroff and his staff, this was just another block in the foundation for this young Falcons team.

Before the 2009 season kicked off, Dimitroff went looking for another target for Ryan and the Falcons offense to improve their efficiency when he traded for future Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez of the Kansas City Chiefs on the eve of the 2009 draft. Gonzalez delivered in a big way with 83 receptions, second-best on team, and six touchdowns, including the game-winner at the New York Jets on a fourth down with 1:38 remaining. Gonzalez was also a positive and winning presence in the Falcons locker room. He possesses the type of leadership qualities Dimitroff looks to add to the roster each season.

Part of Dimitroff’s master plan also includes adding other veterans when needed to shore up his units. For example in 2009, he signed savvy veteran players like linebacker Mike Peterson and cornerback Brian Williams. Peterson finished second on the team with 140 tackles, starting all 16 games, while Williams supplied a punch to the secondary for the first five starts to the season before being lost with a knee injury.

When he feels he needs to make a move to bolster the roster or retain core players, the decisive Dimitroff doesn’t stand idle for very long. He extended the contract of veteran wide receiver Roddy White prior to the start of the ’09 regular season. White responded with another stellar campaign that landed him in his second straight Pro Bowl with a team leading 85 catches for 1,153 yards and a career-best 11 touchdowns.

The momentum from the Gonzalez trade and the other free agent acquisitions carried over a week later as Dimitroff completed the second draft of his tenure with the ‘09 selections of defensive tackle Peria Jerry, safety William Moore, cornerback Christopher Owens, defensive end Lawrence Sidbury, tackle Garrett Reynolds, defensive tackle Vance Walker and linebacker Spencer Adkins. Despite missing most of their rookie seasons, the selections of Jerry and Moore payed dividends in 2010. Jerry continued to recover from his injury, and recorded two sacks, four tackles for loss and one pass defensed. Moore started 15 games at safety and tied for the team lead in interceptions (five) while adding 108 tackles, eight passes defensed, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. The two will look to continue to improve in 2011.

In 2008, Dimitroff’s first move was signing talented free agent running back Michael Turner from San Diego. Turner fittingly exploded onto the scene as a full-time starter for the first time in his career, finishing with 1,699 rushing yards with a club record 17 touchdowns on his way to his first Pro Bowl, while finishing second in MVP voting.

Dimitroff’s initial ‘08 draft was a windfall, delivering franchise quarterback Matt Ryan, the consensus NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, starting left tackle Sam Baker, starting middle linebacker and All-NFL rookie selection, Curtis Lofton, and eventual starting free safety Thomas DeCoud. His adept choices also included solid contributors in wide receiver Harry Douglas and defensive end Kroy Biermann.

Dimitroff’s belief that the NFL draft is a major building block to establish a team’s foundation for years to come has been the impetus for the Falcons’ winning ways since 2008. His first three drafts have reaped huge benefits as 12 out of 26 picks have started at least one game and 22 rookies have been active on game day since 2008. Seven rookies have started on opening day from the first three draft classes under Dimitroff. As further evidence that Dimitroff and his hard working personnel staff are continuously selecting quality NFL talent with each draft, an impressive 40 rookies who have competed at Falcons training camps from 2008-10 have ended up on NFL rosters (including practice squads) over the last three seasons.

All of these major moves prove Dimitroff will do whatever it takes to make the Falcons roster better whenever he sees the opportunity. His timely maneuvers have helped the Falcons post a notable 33 victories over the past three seasons, which is the third highest total in the NFL from 2008-10.

Dimitroff directs all aspects of football operations with the Falcons and working with Head Coach Mike Smith has final authority over all personnel decisions related to the signing of free agents, the selection of players in the draft, trades, and related decisions. He will also handle coordinating other football-related activities with Coach Smith.

Dimitroff has earned his climb up the NFL mountain to General Manager by working his way through the scouting trails as a combine/BLESTO Scout, an Area Scout, National Scout, and College Director of Scouting.

His father was a big influence on his life. Tom Dimitroff was a high school, college, and pro coach turned NFL scout (and a former NFL quarterback for the old Boston Patriots). Other key influences that have also helped shape Dimitroff’s philosophy today and aided in his rise to his current post include Kansas City Chiefs General Manager Scott Pioli and New England Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick.

The younger Dimitroff took a genuine desire for scouting players to the ultimate level early in his life. He became the Canadian Scouting Coordinator for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the CFL in 1990 as his first taste into the world of scouting. In 1992, he moved on to World League of American Football, where he scouted all NFL, CFL and World League rosters while tracking player transactions for the NFL’s developmental league.

Dimitroff’s career aspirations brought him to the NFL and the Detroit Lions where he became a College Scout in 1994. It was in his years as Scout for the Lions that he was introduced to Atlanta for the first time (living in the Virginia Highlands area) while evaluating the Southeastern part of the country. From there, Dimitroff made his way back to Cleveland in 1998 as a College Scout for the Browns for four years before landing in New England in 2002.

During his five years as the Director of College Scouting in New England (2003-07), he was responsible for overseeing area scouts who evaluate all of the nation’s college prospects while scouting and tracking the development and availability of drafted players. The Patriots had a 77–17 overall record in Dimitroff’s tenure and they won the Super Bowl in the 2003 (XXXVIII) and 2004 (XXXIX) seasons while making a historic march on a perfect 2007 regular season. Many of the players responsible for New England’s history-making NFL-best 16–0 regular season record in 2007 were scouted, evaluated, and later drafted during Dimitroff’s time. Some of those players include: cornerback Ellis Hobbs III, center Dan Koppen, guard Logan Mankins, running back Laurence Maroney, safety Brandon Merriweather, cornerback Asante Samuel, defensive end Ty Warren, tight end Ben Watson, nose tackle Vince Wilfork and cornerback Eugene Wilson.

“I think there are two ingredients in being a talent evaluator,” said long-time, respected NFL personnel executive Ernie Accorsi. “You have to learn under top people, which Thomas has done from his father to a championship organization in New England. But you also need that indefinable instinct to see talent. That can’t be taught. You can be a good evaluator without it, but not a great one. Thomas has that instinct.”

Dimitroff captained his college team as a defensive back at the University of Guelph (Canada) from 1987–1989. He was born in Barberton, Ohio, in 1966. Thomas and his wife, Angeline, have one son, Mason, and live in Atlanta.

DIMITROFF’S PERSONNEL BACKGROUND

• 2008-11 General Manager // Falcons
• 2003-07 Dir. of College Scouting // Patriots
• 2002 National Scout // Patriots
• 1998-01 College Scout // Browns
• 1994-97 College Scout // Lions
• 1992 Scout // World League
• 1990-91 Scouting Coor. // Saskatch. Roughriders