It’s hard not to like Falcons G.M. Thomas Dimitroff. Anyone with the confidence to rock this haircut in the NFL isn’t afraid to be a little different.
His straightforward answers are also a plus. I asked Saturday if there would be a temptation for teams to front-load contracts in the uncapped year.
While most general managers said they were operating as if nothing would change, Dimitroff said, “We’re going to be creative with our contracts no question about it, but that’s what this league is about.”
Like everyone at the Combine, Dimitroff wasn’t sure what exactly would happen starting next Friday.
“I’ll be interested, honestly, to see how we end up doing a lot of contracts going forward. That’s going to yet to be seen, but no question you’re going to consider everything that’s out there.”
Dimitroff also admitted that he’s often competing for the same players as some of his former co-workers in New England.
“I was up there arguing with [Scott] Pioli actually . . . we were just talking about that very thing,” Dimitroff said. “How you take all that you’ve learned from a certain organization, like New England, and the success we had. We tend to talk about that often, whether it’s on the trade side of things or whether it’s acquisition side. “
The group may tend to like players that have a certain makeup, but they make sure to not cross lines.
“We do a little bit of busting on each other, no question about it. Especially if we feel like the other person cut around the back to try to get something taken care of,” Dmitroff said. “But we’re usually pretty good. I maintain that this league is about having a handful of allies and it’s very important.”