The following press release comes courtesy of Sporting News Magazine:
January 28, 2009 – New York – Sporting News Magazine has named Thomas Dimitroff, General Manager of the Atlanta Falcons, the 2008 NFL Executive of the Year. Dimitroff was chosen for the annual Sporting News award by a panel of 40 coaches, general managers and personnel from around the NFL for his ability to turn the struggling and fractured Atlanta franchise into a strong NFC South contender during his first year on the job. He becomes only the third man in the last 15 years to win this honor in his first year with a new team.
“We are pleased to recognize Thomas Dimitroff as our NFL Executive of the Year,” said Jeff D’Alessio, Editor in Chief of Sporting News Magazine. “It is not often that we give this award to a first-year general manager but he has done a tremendous job with the Falcons following a particularly tumultuous period in the franchise’s history.”
Dimitroff’s year was highlighted by a number of key personnel and roster moves that accelerated the resurgence of a strong Falcons team. “We wanted to make sound, unemotionally driven, calculated decisions,” Dimitroff told Sporting News. “We wanted guys more apt to take on the rebuild, take the hard knocks and be resilient. … We want to create as clean a slate as possible.”
His decision in January 2008 to hire new head coach, Mike Smith, was driven by their shared focus on player evaluation and scouting. “At the top, it was incredibly important to have a harmonious and respectful relationship,” Dimitroff told Sporting News. That focus translated into two key player signings, running back Michael Turner and kicker Jason Elam as well as two key draft picks, quarterback Matt Ryan and left tackle Sam Baker.
Overall, Dimitroff targeted 11 players in the ’08 draft and got eight of them. “We were fortunate to get quite a few of them,” he told Sporting News. “All the players we were looking at were top-tier leaders within their own teams, respectively. All leaders, all team guys.”
The full story appears in the February 2 issue of Sporting News Magazine, on sale January 29. Sporting News Magazine can be purchased at all Barnes & Noble, Borders and Hudson Retail outlets.
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