The 2016 Atlanta Falcons Offseason Thread - Brought to you by Bird Brehs

[AVXL]

Dan Quinn was hired on February 2, 2015. Name ONE thing TD has been solely responsible for since that date.

Everything before then is irrelevant and became irrelevant the moment DQ was hired and kept Dimitroff around to do his bidding.

No it's not. You don't get 8 years as the general manager of a professional football team, with all of ONE playoff win attached to your resume and then add 3 consecutive non playoff seasons to it and somehow get absolved of all blame for those first 7 years because you got a new coach. Doesn't work that way. Under Dimitroff this team has failed to draft a pass rusher, quality offensive lineman (Peter Konz, Sam Baker, Lamar Holmes) or quality depth at any of our key positions. Smitty got fired b/c he couldn't coach em up. TD still bears the responsibility for drafting those players to begin with.

Our drafting has also been better over the last three years too, which you can't continue to ignore just because it doesn't fit your agenda.

So I have an agenda now? My "agenda" is that this isn't a talented enough team to seriously be a playoff contender and the reason why we're in this position is in large part due to Dimitroff. See below:

In April, Jason Lisk of The Big Lead noted that of the 27 players drafted by Dimitroff from 2009-12 one player, Julio Jones, started at least eight games in 2014. That’s damning because those players should have been in their primes. None of Dimitroff’s six-man draft class of 2012 plays for the Falcons anymore, and four of those players are healthy street free agents.


Only five players from Dimitroff’s first five drafts remain, one being the punter.

I'm not even a big TD fan like that. I just don't like making somebody a scapegoat for problems they're not responsible for and know that TD is here because DQ wants him to be and DQ holds most of his power.

If you wanna replace TD right now then you don't believe in Quinn, period. Either admit that or just accept it for what it is.

​

I still don't understand you trying to tell me that the GM of a professional team shouldn't be the "scapegoat" for drafting players on his team the past 8 years. He's DIRECTLY responsible for how this team looks. That's part of his job. Maybe that's why Quinn got rid of 14 players last off season because he knew he was dealing with absolute trash coming in and needed to immediately clean up TD's mistakes

And Quinn's success is tied to Quinn not TD. I can replace TD and that tells me that I'm giving Quinn potentially a better partner and somebody who hasn't consistently drafted poorly and has now become a local recluse & pariah. I believe in what Quinn is trying to do, TD in 8 years has lost the benefit of the doubt and should've been fired this offseason

 

[AVXL]

Our drafting has also been better over the last three years too, which you can't continue to ignore just because it doesn't fit your agenda.

I want to go back to this point again because 1. It's easy to be better at drafting when no one from your 2012 draft class is still on your roster

Falcons last 3 drafts:

2013 Falcon Draft Class

First Round: CB Desmond Trufant
Second Round: CB Robert Alford
Fourth Round: DE Malliciah Goodman
Fourth Round Compensatory: TE Levine Toilolo
Fifth Round: DE Stansly Maponga
Seventh Round Compensatory: S Kemal Ishmael
Seventh Round Compensatory: S Zeke Motta
Seventh Round Compensatory: QB Sean Renfree


Here are the Falcons' 2014 NFL Draft results.

Jake Matthews, OT, Texas (A&M) | Pick Story | Where Will He Play?
Ra'Shede Hageman, DT/DE, Minnesota | Pick Story | Where Will He Play?
Dezmen Southward, FS, Wisconsin | Pick Story
Devonta Freeman, RB, Florida State | Pick Story
Prince Shembo, OLB, Notre Dame | Pick Story
Ricardo Allen, CB, Purdue | Pick Story
Marquis Spruill, ILB, Syracuse | Pick Story
Yawin Smallwood, LB, Connecticut | Pick Story
Tyler Starr, OLB, South Dakota | Pick Story

2015 NFL Draft Coverage

Falcons draft picks

Round 1, #8: EDGE Vic Beasley
Round 2, #42: CB Jalen Collins
Round 3, #73: RB Tevin Coleman
Round 4, #107: WR Justin Hardy
Round 5, #137: DT Grady Jarrett
Round 7, #225: OG Jake Rodgers
Round 7, #249: S Akeem King
Click to expand...​

So you've got 2 Pro Bowlers, a few ok starters and a bunch of guys. Again if you want to completely absolve TD of any blame, put the 2015 draft class on Quinn. But I'm struggling to see great depth in 2013 & 2014 and as GM TD has failed us at acquiring talent either via the draft or free agency

 

[Rebel Soldier]

The fact that we didn't start to have better drafts until Pioli got involved should tell you everything about Dimitroff as a talent evaluator. The draft is a GM's bread and butter and we have a GM that has a faulty understanding of identifying and acquiring good players. Especially when it comes to the trenches.

Don't get me started on his free agent acquisitions

 

[Professor K.]

No it's not. You don't get 8 years as the general manager of a professional football team, with all of ONE playoff win attached to your resume and then add 3 consecutive non playoff seasons to it and somehow get absolved of all blame for those first 7 years because you got a new coach. Doesn't work that way. Under Dimitroff this team has failed to draft a pass rusher, quality offensive lineman (Peter Konz, Sam Baker, Lamar Holmes) or quality depth at any of our key positions. Smitty got fired b/c he couldn't coach em up. TD still bears the responsibility for drafting those players to begin with.

​

So I have an agenda now? My "agenda" is that this isn't a talented enough team to seriously be a playoff contender and the reason why we're in this position is in large part due to Dimitroff. See below:

​

I still don't understand you trying to tell me that the GM of a professional team shouldn't be the "scapegoat" for drafting players on his team the past 8 years. He's DIRECTLY responsible for how this team looks. That's part of his job. Maybe that's why Quinn got rid of 14 players last off season because he knew he was dealing with absolute trash coming in and needed to immediately clean up TD's mistakes

And Quinn's success is tied to Quinn not TD. I can replace TD and that tells me that I'm giving Quinn potentially a better partner and somebody who hasn't consistently drafted poorly and has now become a local recluse & pariah. I believe in what Quinn is trying to do, TD in 8 years has lost the benefit of the doubt and should've been fired this offseason

You quoted it yet still didn't answer, so again:

Dan Quinn was hired on February 2, 2015. Name ONE thing TD has been solely responsible for since that date.

What TD did before then is irrelevant to QUINN. He could give a damn about how you, me, or anybody else feel about it. The moment he was hired and kept him on in his diminished capacity to run his errands should've let you know the past 5 years you mad at didn't matter anymore. Sure, you would feel better if TD was gone but unless you took power away from QUINN and gave it to a new GM, replacing TD would not matter. So if you believe in Quinn like you say you do then let the man cook.

 

[AVXL]

You quoted it yet still didn't answer, so again:


What TD did before then is irrelevant to QUINN. He could give a damn about how you, me, or anybody else feel about it. The moment he was hired and kept him on in his diminished capacity to run his errands should've let you know the past 5 years you mad at didn't matter anymore. Sure, you would feel better if TD was gone but unless you took power away from QUINN and gave it to a new GM, replacing TD would not matter. So if you believe in Quinn like you say you do then let the man cook.

The current roster's makeup is largely the result of Dimitroff's work. How is that irrelevant to the coach hired to then coach those players?

And if Dimitroff's role is as errand boy and a rubber stamp for what Quinn wants done, why is he still the GM? If he doesn't serve a true authoritative role or provide any real value then why are we keeping him? Because Quinn likes having a do boy?

Blank values continuity over accountability and has not (and possibly will not) hold TD accountable for his mistakes which have lead us to another non winning season & one of the biggest collapses in NFL history. Dimitroff doesn't deserve a pass for his past failures because he has less authority or because he has a new coach, that's bogus to me

 

[Nostalgic]

Main thing what it is with Thomas Dimitroff, Is hes one of those sabermetrics nerds
they value stats and numbers more than playmaker ability and raw talent.

Reasons why you end up with picks such as

Kory Bierman
Lawrence Sidbury
Jonathan Massaquoi
Levine Toilolo

ect.

Guys that have great measurables, But not great raw talent.

 

[Professor K.]

I want to go back to this point again because 1. It's easy to be better at drafting when no one from your 2012 draft class is still on your roster

Falcons last 3 drafts:

2013 Falcon Draft Class

First Round: CB Desmond Trufant
Second Round: CB Robert Alford
Fourth Round: DE Malliciah Goodman
Fourth Round Compensatory: TE Levine Toilolo
Fifth Round: DE Stansly Maponga
Seventh Round Compensatory: S Kemal Ishmael
Seventh Round Compensatory: S Zeke Motta
Seventh Round Compensatory: QB Sean Renfree


Here are the Falcons' 2014 NFL Draft results.

Jake Matthews, OT, Texas (A&M) | Pick Story | Where Will He Play?
Ra'Shede Hageman, DT/DE, Minnesota | Pick Story | Where Will He Play?
Dezmen Southward, FS, Wisconsin | Pick Story
Devonta Freeman, RB, Florida State | Pick Story
Prince Shembo, OLB, Notre Dame | Pick Story
Ricardo Allen, CB, Purdue | Pick Story
Marquis Spruill, ILB, Syracuse | Pick Story
Yawin Smallwood, LB, Connecticut | Pick Story
Tyler Starr, OLB, South Dakota | Pick Story

2015 NFL Draft Coverage

Falcons draft picks

Round 1, #8: EDGE Vic Beasley
Round 2, #42: CB Jalen Collins
Round 3, #73: RB Tevin Coleman
Round 4, #107: WR Justin Hardy
Round 5, #137: DT Grady Jarrett
Round 7, #225: OG Jake Rodgers
Round 7, #249: S Akeem King
Click to expand...​

So you've got 2 Pro Bowlers, a few ok starters and a bunch of guys. Again if you want to completely absolve TD of any blame, put the 2015 draft class on Quinn. But I'm struggling to see great depth in 2013 & 2014 and as GM TD has failed us at acquiring talent either via the draft or free agency

The bold are players that are/will be good ones for us. The italicized are/were decent roster-worthy roleplayers. Not great at all and I won't try to say it is, but we're on the upswing at least. By comparison, the Seahawks last 3 drafts:

2013
2 30 62 Christine Michael Running back Texas A&M
3 25 87 Jordan Hill Defensive tackle Penn State
4 26 123 Chris Harper Wide receiver Kansas State
5 4 137 Jesse Williams Defensive tackle Alabama
5 5 138 Tharold Simon Cornerback Louisiana State
5 25 158 Luke Willson Tight end Rice
6 26 194 Spencer Ware Running back Louisiana State
7 25 231 Ty Powell Defensive end Harding
7 35 241 Jared Smith Defensive tackle New Hampshire
7 36 242 Michael Bowie Offensive tackle Northeastern State (OK)
7 14 220 Ryan Seymour Guard Vanderbilt

2014
2 13 45 Paul Richardson Wide receiver Colorado
2 32 64 Justin Britt Offensive tackle Missouri
4 8 108 Cassius Marsh Defensive end UCLA
4 23 123 Kevin Norwood Wide receiver Alabama
4 32 132 Kevin Pierre-Louis Linebacker Boston College
5 32 172 Jimmy Staten Defensive tackle Middle Tennessee State
6 23 199 Garrett Scott Offensive tackle Marshall
6 32 208 Eric Pinkins Safety San Diego State
7 12 227 Kiero Small Running back Arkansas

2015
2 31 63 Frank Clark Defensive end Michigan
3 5 69 Tyler Lockett Wide receiver Kansas State
4 31 130 Terry Poole Guard San Diego State
4 35 134 Mark Glowinski Guard West Virginia
5 34 170 Tye Smith Cornerback Towson
6 33 209 Obum Gwacham Defensive end Oregon State
6 38 214 Kristjan Sokoli Defensive tackle Buffalo
7 31 248 Ryan Murphy Defensive back Oregon State



Before you smite me for comparing us to Seattle, be real breh, which past 3 drafts would you rather have? Of course we haven't touched the epic amazingness of their 2012-2013 drafts but....

guess what....

NEITHER HAVE THEY!

I think Quinn, Pioli, and a little bit of TD in the mix can continue to rebuild this team and I'm willing to give them another year together to see what they can do.

 

[Professor K.]

The current roster's makeup is largely the result of Dimitroff's work. How is that irrelevant to the coach hired to then coach those players?

And if Dimitroff's role is as errand boy and a rubber stamp for what Quinn wants done, why is he still the GM? If he doesn't serve a true authoritative role or provide any real value then why are we keeping him? Because Quinn likes having a do boy?

Blank values continuity over accountability and has not (and possibly will not) hold TD accountable for his mistakes which have lead us to another non winning season & one of the biggest collapses in NFL history. Dimitroff doesn't deserve a pass for his past failures because he has less authority or because he has a new coach, that's bogus to me

If it was as relevant to Quinn as it is to you(or me) then TD wouldn't be here anymore. Period.

TD is still the GM because:
1. he's good with the cap and FA contracts. We haven't had any cap problems since he's been here/Vick's contract came off the books.
2. Quinn and Pioli have taken over the GM duties of the draft and roster construction and TD is fine with sitting back and playing his role.
3. like you hit the nail on the head with, Blank is loyal to a fault,

Again, for the like the 5th time, the time to hold TD accountable was on February 3rd, 2015. The results of that were him being stripped of basically 2/3rds of GM responsibilities with Pioli taking the draft and Quinn taking the roster.

TD's mistakes had jack shyt to do with why we collapsed bruh. THAT is the scapegoat fukkery I was talking about. TD isn't the one that decided to release our starting center and replace him with a veteran guard that couldn't snap worth a damn, that was Quinn. TD wasn't the one who had beef with our best lineman and was too full of himself to fix his weakass playcalling, that was Shanahan. TD wasn't the one playing pass rushers out of position and refusing to dial up blitzes to increase pressure, that was Smith(or Quinn too). Our roster wasn't perfect by any means, but it was good enough to start 5-0....








and good enough to be remembered in NFL history as the only team to beat eventual Super Bowl champion Falcon Fam Cam in 2015

 

[Motife43]

C'mon @Kaedus TD deserves blame, fukk contract numbers if he's signing guys who don't produce. And this "everything before DQ was hired/TD was kept is irreleveant"

IT IS RELEVANT. Because it's directly tied to who Quinn provided him with. Maybe his retaining gave him a 2 year window, but you can't block out all the mistakes.

And sure Seattle hasn't hit much better on the draft than we have. But they have made up for mistakes by hitting big on UDFAs. Dimitroff has failed us plain and simple breh, because drafting Julio matters just as much as missing on the other guys we drafted/signed/released

 

[The ADD]

If it was as relevant to Quinn as it is to you(or me) then TD wouldn't be here anymore. Period.

TD is still the GM because:
1. he's good with the cap and FA contracts. We haven't had any cap problems since he's been here/Vick's contract came off the books.
2. Quinn and Pioli have taken over the GM duties of the draft and roster construction and TD is fine with sitting back and playing his role.
3. like you hit the nail on the head with, Blank is loyal to a fault,

Again, for the like the 5th time, the time to hold TD accountable was on February 3rd, 2015. The results of that were him being stripped of basically 2/3rds of GM responsibilities with Pioli taking the draft and Quinn taking the roster.

TD's mistakes had jack shyt to do with why we collapsed bruh. THAT is the scapegoat fukkery I was talking about. TD isn't the one that decided to release our starting center and replace him with a veteran guard that couldn't snap worth a damn, that was Quinn. TD wasn't the one who had beef with our best lineman and was too full of himself to fix his weakass playcalling, that was Shanahan. TD wasn't the one playing pass rushers out of position and refusing to dial up blitzes to increase pressure, that was Smith(or Quinn too). Our roster wasn't perfect by any means, but it was good enough to start 5-0....








and good enough to be remembered in NFL history as the only team to beat eventual Super Bowl champion Falcon Fam Cam in 2015

Family,

Really? You are better than this. The Falcons have average or below average talent outside of #2, #11 and #21. How is that not an indictment of Vegan?

 

[Professor K.]

@AVXL @Motife43 @The ADD My brehs, I think yall are missing my point.

Has TD made shytty moves? Yes.
Should TD probably be fired? Yes.
Should we the fans hold TD's foot the fire for his shyt? Yes.
Is any of that gonna change what Quinn wants with this team? NO.

When Quinn was hired, TD essentially got fired from what we're all mad at which is the draft and roster construction. He paid the price for his bad moves by having most of his power stripped away. This bloodlust yall have against him is wasted energy because he's no longer responsible for the GM duties he fukked up on.

Nobody can name a move he was primarily responsible for since Quinn got hired because TD AIN'T IN CONTROL OF shyt EXCEPT BALANCING THE CAP ANYMORE. He answers to Quinn on FAs and is behind Pioli on draft matters.

If you have a problem with FAs FROM HERE ON OUT, blame Quinn.

If you have a problem with the draft FROM HERE ON OUT, blame Pioli.

Blaming a man for shyt he's not responsible for NOW because you mad at what he did before is just a witch hunt at this point.

Now I will say this: if the draft/FA don't work out next season then TD should be replaced with a new GM who takes power away from Quinn and Pioli because that means they fukked up. But replacing TD with the same structure in place is literally pointless.

The question isn't if you believe in TD as a GM because the Falcons themselves don't anymore. It's do you believe in Quinn and Pioli. If you do, then understand that TD is just there to run their errands and let them boys cook.

 

[The ADD]

@AVXL @Motife43 @The ADD My brehs, I think yall are missing my point.

Has TD made shytty moves? Yes.
Should TD probably be fired? Yes.
Should we the fans hold TD's foot the fire for his shyt? Yes.
Is any of that gonna change what Quinn wants with this team? NO.

When Quinn was hired, TD essentially got fired from what we're all mad at which is the draft and roster construction. He paid the price for his bad moves by having most of his power stripped away. This bloodlust yall have against him is wasted energy because he's no longer responsible for the GM duties he fukked up on.

Nobody can name a move he was primarily responsible for since Quinn got hired because TD AIN'T IN CONTROL OF shyt EXCEPT BALANCING THE CAP ANYMORE. He answers to Quinn on FAs and is behind Pioli on draft matters.

If you have a problem with FAs FROM HERE ON OUT, blame Quinn.

If you have a problem with the draft FROM HERE ON OUT, blame Pioli.

Blaming a man for shyt he's not responsible for NOW because you mad at what he did before is just a witch hunt at this point.

Now I will say this: if the draft/FA don't work out next season then TD should be replaced with a new GM who takes power away from Quinn and Pioli because that means they fukked up. But replacing TD with the same structure in place is literally pointless.

The question isn't if you believe in TD as a GM because the Falcons themselves don't anymore. It's do you believe in Quinn and Pioli. If you do, then understand that TD is just there to run their errands and let them boys cook.

What are you basing that on? A gut feeling? At no point has that been the stated case by the organization.

 

[Professor K.]

What are you basing that on? A gut feeling? At no point has that been the stated case by the organization.

This is what Mr. Blank said at Quinn's introductory press conference:

Going forward, Thomas and Dan, along with their staffs, will collaborate fully on evaluating our roster and working on free agency and the draft as well as other player matters related to building the roster. To be specific, Thomas as our general manager will have final authority over free agents and draft picks. Scott now has a responsibility for running free agency and the draft, which is a great use of his time and his talents and he still continues to report directly to Thomas. Dan will have final authority over the 53 and 46-man rosters, and practice squad.

Falcons Home​

Now, he does say TD has the final say over FA and the draft, yes. However, he also says that Pioli runs the draft and Quinn has final say over the roster. Logic tells me that means TD will draft who Pioli tells him to and sign who Quinn tells him to.

I believe that's evident in this past offseason. Would TD have signed a LB/DE like Schofield or drafted a tall, young CB with question marks like Collins in the Smith era? No.

I can't see TD drafting somebody Pioli is against or signing somebody Quinn is gonna wanna cut in training camp just because he wants to. That makes no sense.

So, to answer your question, I'd say it's 20% gut feeling, 40% inference into Mr. Blank's statements, and 40% logic based on last season.

 

[Rebel Soldier]

The bold are players that are/will be good ones for us. The italicized are/were decent roster-worthy roleplayers. Not great at all and I won't try to say it is, but we're on the upswing at least. By comparison, the Seahawks last 3 drafts:

2013
2 30 62 Christine Michael Running back Texas A&M
3 25 87 Jordan Hill Defensive tackle Penn State
4 26 123 Chris Harper Wide receiver Kansas State
5 4 137 Jesse Williams Defensive tackle Alabama
5 5 138 Tharold Simon Cornerback Louisiana State
5 25 158 Luke Willson Tight end Rice
6 26 194 Spencer Ware Running back Louisiana State
7 25 231 Ty Powell Defensive end Harding
7 35 241 Jared Smith Defensive tackle New Hampshire
7 36 242 Michael Bowie Offensive tackle Northeastern State (OK)
7 14 220 Ryan Seymour Guard Vanderbilt

2014
2 13 45 Paul Richardson Wide receiver Colorado
2 32 64 Justin Britt Offensive tackle Missouri
4 8 108 Cassius Marsh Defensive end UCLA
4 23 123 Kevin Norwood Wide receiver Alabama
4 32 132 Kevin Pierre-Louis Linebacker Boston College
5 32 172 Jimmy Staten Defensive tackle Middle Tennessee State
6 23 199 Garrett Scott Offensive tackle Marshall
6 32 208 Eric Pinkins Safety San Diego State
7 12 227 Kiero Small Running back Arkansas

2015
2 31 63 Frank Clark Defensive end Michigan
3 5 69 Tyler Lockett Wide receiver Kansas State
4 31 130 Terry Poole Guard San Diego State
4 35 134 Mark Glowinski Guard West Virginia
5 34 170 Tye Smith Cornerback Towson
6 33 209 Obum Gwacham Defensive end Oregon State
6 38 214 Kristjan Sokoli Defensive tackle Buffalo
7 31 248 Ryan Murphy Defensive back Oregon State



Before you smite me for comparing us to Seattle, be real breh, which past 3 drafts would you rather have? Of course we haven't touched the epic amazingness of their 2012-2013 drafts but....

guess what....

NEITHER HAVE THEY!

I think Quinn, Pioli, and a little bit of TD in the mix can continue to rebuild this team and I'm willing to give them another year together to see what they can do.

Let's be real, we've been picking in the top ten for a few years now while Seattle has picked in what, the 20's? They didn't even have their 1st round picks in 2013 and 2014. You give Seattle our draft picks and they'd probably have better results.

This comparison is lame because at the end of the day, they are a MUCH better drafting team than the Falcons. They are one of the best drafting teams in the entire league. Who gives a shyt if their last few drafts haven't been that great?

Dimitroff is a clown. He's been with this team for 8 years and only has one playoff win to his name. We have an older QB whose starting to look funny in the light and a team with holes all over the place. He can't have a DECENT draft without Pioli holding his hand. This team is not in a good situation and fans are supposed to be content about this man keeping his job?

 

[Steezy]

I'm still disgusted by these guys...dont wanna think about falcons til after draft