Atlanta New Coach Will Have Say Re: Their GM Situation

[Elias]

Imagine it's Rex and he says to fire Dimitroff and hire Idzik. They then go and win the SB with over $20 million in cap space remaining lol. In all seriousness, I never understood why anyone would hire a coach and give him a more powerful role than the GM. It should always be the opposite. GM should have a plan and the team is built around his vision. I'm honestly annoyed that we might be hiring a coach first. It didn't work with Rex and Idzik, might not work here.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000453860/article/falcons-gm-thomas-dimitroffs-future-not-safe

The Atlanta Falcons are already searching for a head coach to replace the departed Mike Smith. General manager Thomas Dimitroff's job still isn't all that safe either.


Ian Rapoport reported on NFL Network's NFL GameDay Morning that owner Arthur Blank has told people the new head coach will have a say in the future of the GM, according to sources who have spoken to the owner.

Until that coach is in place and until the organization decides they are a match, Dimitroff's fate hangs in the balance, Rapoport reported.

It's not a shocker to anyone who watched Blank's news conference following Smith's dismissal. The owner wouldn't provide assurances about the GM, who was sitting right next to him on the dais. It was an awkward scene, but clearly Blank was making a point.

Dimitroff is a two-time NFL Executive of the Year and respected within many scouting circles.

Whether Blank's message to coaching candidates is indication of a forthcoming parting of ways or a reshuffling of front office duties remains to be seen. But it is clear that the Falcons owner isn't sitting idly by and is willing to take any steps to get the coach he desires.

 

[ucrenegade]

It is not the GM failing in Atlanta it is the coach.

 

[Elias]

That team has the same holes it did in the past three years. GM must be a prob too. Weak oline and defense.

 

[Johnny Unite Us]

Ideally, you'd think the GM position is more important than the coach. And, traditionally, that's how it's been set up. An owner would hire a GM, and the GM would often last through several different coaching administrations - each time hiring a coach of his choosing. The owner always had final say, but essentially he trusted the GM to do the hiring and firing of coaches.

That model seems to have changed. I think it's because many owners fancy themselves as GMs and overrate their own football knowledge. They meddle much more than owners did in the past - and, ironically, they generally know far lass about football than owners in the past. A lot are very successful business people who have always been in charge and have had a lot of success imposing their will on others. They like to be the "boss". As a result, they don't put the same importance on the general manager that owners did in the past. I think that's why you see owners increasingly hiring GM/Coaching tandems, or hiring the coach first. It's also why they "clean house" more often.

I met with Arthur Blank several times when he was CEO of Home Depot, and I can totally see him being that way. He's a nice guy, but he definitely always thinks he's the smartest guy in the room. And, when it came to hardware, he was. But, business knowledge and success doesn't always translate into football success. There is a lot of luck involved in sports, and luck is a foreign concept to these guys. They think if they take control of the football team and run it the way they ran their businesses, they will win. I'm a bit surprised Woody is as meddlesome as he is given that he inherited all of his wealth, he's never really run a business.

Also, the media dollars are much bigger than ever before. Winning and losing has surprisingly little to do with the value of a sports franchise. The value of every NFL team has tripled in the past 15 years whether the team has finished first or last. The rising tide is lifting all boats. Eyeballs and fannies trump wins and losses. The casual fan wouldn't know the GM of their team if they tripped over him. But, they do know the coach...he's the guy they see on TV, hear on the radio, hear people talking about around the water cooler, and either blame or cheer him for their success or failure. So, in the minds of many owners, the coach is far more important than the GM. Therefore, they want to be the ones picking him.

At least that's my theory. And, I study professional sports franchises pretty closely - more from a business perspective than a fan perspective. The Jets are really the only team I follow from a real fan perspective. I'm a fan of the game, but have always been equally interested in the business side of things.

 

[jetgreen13]

Imagine it's Rex and he says to fire Dimitroff and hire Idzik. They then go and win the SB with over $20 million in cap space remaining lol. In all seriousness, I never understood why anyone would hire a coach and give him a more powerful role than the GM. It should always be the opposite. GM should have a plan and the team is built around his vision. I'm honestly annoyed that we might be hiring a coach first. It didn't work with Rex and Idzik, might not work here.

agreed.. hiring the HC before the GM seems ass backwards to me as well..