Falcons General Manager Thomas Dimitroff said early this offseason that he has “no doubt” that the team needs to produce if he is going to remain in his job beyond the 2016 season and nothing in the ensuing months have swayed him from that belief.
During an appearance on the Talk of Fame Network, Dimitroff said “of course I’m on the hot seat” after three straight years that ended without playoff berths. It’s a good thing, then, that Dimitroff also thinks the team is moving in the right direction as they head into their second season under head coach Dan Quinn.
Dimitroff said he believes the Falcons have “a really interesting nucleus” and that the club is closer to the one that started last year 6-1 than the one that went 2-7 the rest of the way. The belief that they’ll avoid that kind of slide this year is based on the increased comfort level that comes with more time in the program.
“I really believe there’s some high energy on this team that’s going to help us a lot,” Dimitroff said. “And I think an extra year under our belt in this system, on the offensive side under Kyle Shanahan and on the defense is going to help us a great deal.”
Dimitroff has been with the Falcons since 2008 and saw the team reel off five straight winning seasons to start his run in Atlanta. That’s bought him time to try to get things back on track, but he’s probably not wrong about the looming expiration date on his tenure if this year doesn’t show that he’s succeeding in that effort.