FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. – Today's Early Bird Report includes Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff's spot in a GM power ranking as well as the announcement of this year's Mexico City game.
Enjoy!
FALCONS HEADLINES FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY
NFL.com: NFL general manager power rankings
NFL power rankings are often a fun conversation starter. With the NFL Draft just a week away, NFL.com writer Gregg Rosenthal took a slightly different approach to the common practice – a power ranking of current NFL general managers.
Interestingly enough, the man atop his rankings isn't a general manager at all – it's Patriots coach Bill Belichick. While that may seem to break the rules, Belichick has long been viewed as someone heavily involved in how his team is constructed.
Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff is not much further down the list, making an appearance at No. 5. In the past 10 seasons since his arrival, Dimitroff has endured only two losing seasons, and he's built the Falcons into one of the NFC's consistent contenders during that time. Here is what Rosenthal had to say about Dimitroff's spot on the list:
"Dimitroff gets extra credit because he's made the Falcons into a consistent threat with two different coaches (Mike Smith and Dan Quinn), a rare feat. The Falcons' roster is built primarily around his draft picks, with some key veteran acquisitions, like center Alex Mack and wideout Mohamed Sanu. The Falcons stick to their core philosophies (SPEED! URGENCY! MORE SPEED!) and regularly field a roster without glaring weaknesses. Using a deep bench of experienced evaluators behind him, Dimitroff has only suffered through two losing seasons in the 10 years since he arrived, and he has the Falcons positioned to contend throughout Matt Ryan's prime."
Here are more articles for Falcons fans:
BIGGEST NEWS FROM AROUND THE NFL
ESPN: Chiefs-Rams set for second MNF game from Mexico City
Although the rest of the 2018 NFL regular-season schedule won't be released until later this evening, we did learn one piece of the puzzle Wednesday. The Los Angeles Rams announced they will host the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football on Nov. 19 in Mexico City.
This is the third straight season the NFL has played a game in Mexico City. In 2016, the Oakland Raiders hosted the Houston Texans on Monday Night Football and in 2017, the New England Patriots played the Raiders in a Sunday afternoon game.
The NFL will formally announce the 2018 regular-season schedules for each team at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday.
Here are some more articles from around the league:
- NFL.com: Brady seeks revised deal with Pats before season
- CBS Sports: Ranking QB draft classes since 2004
- The Ringer: This NFL Draft won’t look like a typical one
