Spreading wings as Falcon

GM Dimitroff credits his Patriot experience

As Thomas Dimitroff begins his tenure as Falcons general manager, he will lean on his experience the last six years with the Patriots.

Dimitroff joined the Patriots as a national scout in 2002 before spending the last five years as director of college scouting, working under vice president of player personnel Scott Pioli, and to a lesser degree coach Bill Belichick. In his first week on the job in Atlanta, he touched on some of the valuable lessons he learned in New England.

"One of the biggest things was sort of this tacit understanding of high expectations, sort of higher than I've ever been around," the 41-year-old Dimitroff said from his Atlanta office. "It wasn't like anyone was breathing down your neck to say, 'You need to do this, this, and this.' It was just expected and there was a tone set, a benchmark, and if you weren't to reach that level, then I knew - and everyone else knew - that you wouldn't be around for long.

"I think that's a great feather in Bill and Scott's cap, because they don't need to be breathing down your neck, yelling at you, it's just understood. I had always prided myself on my work ethic, but working there, I learned to expect more out of myself because of those two men."

Dimitroff also touched on what he called "the idea of indisputable role understanding."

"I think we all have within us the thought of wanting to do a number of things," he said. "Everyone wants to stand out and star in their area, but you come into New England and that's not the approach.

"It's the basic tenets of teamwork and team - do your role to the best of your ability. It's expected from the custodial staff all the way up to the general manager or the head coach or whoever. I think that is really driven home there.

"Don't try to do other people's jobs, don't water down your focus by fiddling in this department, or that department, or this area. Do the job, do your job, and do it to the best of your ability, and we all have a chance if we do that to be successful."

In his role as director of college scouting, Dimitroff reported directly to Pioli. In addition to scouting players - he spent more than 200 days per year on the road - he also managed the scheduling of other scouts and helped with the team's scouting budget. Those are management skills he believes will serve him well in the new role. During training camp, he'd co-chair meetings with scouts when "we all kind of came together and discussed our team, the grading scale, and our scouting manual and how it applied to our team."

Dimitroff felt those scouting seminars were invaluable because they ensured that everyone was on the same page. Now, he's hoping to create a similar unified environment with the Falcons. One of his first big decisions will be deciding on a coach.

"I know it's an overused phrase, the idea of changing the culture and environment, but I believe that's truly what you have to do," Dimitroff said. "We, with the emphasis on we, have to bring this together as a team approach. That is something I learned from New England, really and truly believing in the team concept and one common goal, and that is ever forward toward excellence.

"Again, it's indisputable role understanding so everyone knows where they fit. Let's not have any surprises here. Let's be communicative, let's be positive, let's be passionate, let's be persevering. I believe if you have those types of people around you, this can be a good journey."

Dimitroff, who is married with a seven-month old son, was based in Boulder, Colo., while scouting for the Patriots. His hiring in New England came as a result of a connection he had made with Pioli in the early 1990s, when Pioli was working in the Browns personnel department and Dimitroff, a native of Barberton, Ohio, was performing various part-time jobs at the facility (one of his responsibilities was to help line the playing fields).

The two kept in touch through the years, as Dimitroff ascended the scouting ranks, working for the Chiefs (1993), Lions (1994-97), and Browns (1998-2001).

When Dimitroff joined the Patriots, he envisioned having a chance one day to move into a top job in a personnel department. The team's success put him on a faster track.

"I understand by virtue of being involved with the Patriots it's opened up doors," Dimitroff said. "It starts with the Kraft family and working for Bill and Scott, the leadership and direction they've given me, the insight on many, many different issues as it pertains to personnel, leadership philosophy. I can't stress it more that it's helped so much in my development as a football man."

Assistants getting their due

When the Cowboys retained offensive coordinator Jason Garrett - he decided against pursuing head coaching opportunities in Baltimore and Atlanta - the move sent ripples across the NFL in reshaping the market for assistant coaches. Garrett's deal is for $3 million per season, according to ESPN, which easily makes him the highest-paid assistant in the league.

The news was met favorably by Larry Kennan, executive director of the NFL Coaches Association.

"I've always said, if a team is going to pay a left guard $3 million per year, why not pay a coordinator $3 million?" Kennan said. "I think you could certainly argue that those positions are worth the same number."

As one of the catalysts in creating the NFL Coaches Association in the 1990s, Kennan hoped to provide a resource for all coaches in the league regarding salary information and contract issues, while also targeting health care and pension benefits.

The organization was backed by the NFL Players Association, which provided office space to Kennan in Washington, D.C., that he still occupies today.

Not every coach is part of the NFL Coaches Association - dues are optional, as it is not a union - but more and more seem to be tapping into the resource. Kennan tells a story from last year when an agent called because his client, a coordinator, had just been told his team wanted to retain him by offering him the highest salary in the league for that position.

In past years, that number might have been tough to pinpoint.

"I coached for 32 years and I can honestly say that I never knew what other coaches made," said Kennan, whose last job was with the Patriots, as Pete Carroll's offensive coordinator in 1997. "But once we started collecting the data, the numbers have gone up considerably."

Kennan noted that the highest-paid coordinator last season made $2.6 million.

"One of the things the association has done is put a value on coaches," Kennan said. "I think what we're seeing is that they're extremely valuable."

An early heads-up on Sparano's qualifications

The now-defunct Boston University football program was in transition in 1990 and the school's longtime sports information director, Ed Carpenter, remembers one person going out of his way to keep it afloat.

That's when Carpenter first realized that Tony Sparano, then the Terriers' offensive coordinator, had it in his DNA to be a head coach.

"He was basically running the team, keeping things moving forward, and you could see the qualities within him that said 'head coach,' " Carpenter recalled last week after Sparano was hired as the Miami Dolphins' new sideline boss. "I remember being impressed with his organization, how he was able to keep things together like that when it all seemed to be in a state of flux."

At the time, BU was seeking a head coach after Chris Palmer departed for the Houston Oilers. Dan Allen eventually was hired, but until he took over, it was Sparano's show.

"That was also during recruiting time and he had to show that there would be stability in the program," said Carpenter, who retired as SID in 2006 after 29 years. "Kids were wondering, 'What is going to happen to me? Is my scholarship going to be honored?' With him being there, I think it created a comfort zone for them. They responded to him."

Sparano was BU's offensive line coach in 1988 before serving as offensive coordinator from 1989-93. He also played a leading role as a recruiter, landing dynamic quarterback Robert Dougherty, who directed the Terriers to an undefeated season in 1993.

Sparano later was hired as head coach at the University of New Haven, a position he held from 1994-98. He then moved on to the NFL, hooking back up with Palmer, who had been hired as coach of the Browns. He landed with the Cowboys in 2003, and his work under Bill Parcells led to his current opportunity, as Parcells is the Dolphins' executive vice president of football operations.

When Carpenter saw clips of Sparano's introductory news conference in Miami last week, the first thought that crossed his mind was "same old Tony."

"The people at BU who remember him," Carpenter said, "couldn't be happier for him."

Etc.

Last April, the Browns were panned by some for trading a 2008 first-round draft choice to the Cowboys for a 2007 first-round pick. The Browns used the selection, 22d overall, on Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn. At the time, the move looked like a stroke of genius by Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, as the Browns appeared headed for a bad year, which could have given the Cowboys a top-10 pick. But the Browns surprised by going 10-6. As it turns out, the pick heading to Dallas will be in the same spot, 22d overall.

Jeff Fisher's decision to fire offensive coordinator Norm Chow last week was unexpected in Tennessee, and now the question is how quarterback Vince Young will take to new coordinator Mike Heimerdinger. Chow was more reserved than the sometimes fiery Heimerdinger, and the feeling among some in Nashville is that Young could use someone with a bit more bite to prod him along. Then again, it won't matter much if the Titans don't surround Young with more weapons, specifically a playmaking receiver.

The Packers are closing in on a contract extension for coach Mike McCarthy, who led the team to a surprising 13-3 record in his second season. McCarthy's success is another reminder that you don't necessarily have to have off-the-charts statistical success as a coordinator to be a good head coach. Consider that when McCarthy was tapped for the job, he had been serving as 49ers offensive coordinator and his unit ranked 32d in yards per game, 30th in points scored, 32d in first downs per game, and 32d in third-down efficiency during the 2005 season. Some owners might have looked at those numbers and wondered how they could sell the man to their fan base. But credit the Packers for realizing there is a lot more to picking a coach.

A frustrating season for former Patriots receiver Deion Branch in Seattle looks as if it will carry into next year as well. Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren said last week Branch would undergo surgery to repair a torn ACL in his left knee, and estimated Branch will miss at least nine months. That means Branch, who battled various injuries and finished with only 49 catches and four touchdowns in 11 games this season, won't be ready for training camp and might not be on the field by the time the 2008 season begins.

In hiring former Raiders and University of Nebraska coach Bill Callahan last week, the Jets are hoping their running game receives a boost. Callahan's official title is assistant head coach/offense, but coach Eric Mangini will lean on him heavily to get the team's ground game on track. The Jets thought they addressed the run game last year - their big move being a trade for running back Thomas Jones - but they ranked 23d in yards per carry (3.8). That was still an improvement from the year before, when the team was 30th, averaging just 3.5 yards.

Staffs for the Raiders and 49ers are coaching at the Senior Bowl this week in Mobile, Ala. The Senior Bowl is for top players entering the NFL draft . . . The Browns and representatives for coach Romeo Crennel are expected to meet at the Senior Bowl to hammer out a contract extension for Crennel, who has two years remaining on the five-year contract he signed in 2005 . . . By tomorrow, the Colts are expected to know whether Tony Dungy will return as coach. Dungy wanted to take a week and talk things over with his family before making a decision, and owner Jim Irsay already has declared that assistant head coach Jim Caldwell would succeed Dungy in the event of his resignation . . . The University of Virginia football program has an opening on its staff at defensive coordinator with Mike London leaving to become coach at Richmond, and Patriots defensive line coach Pepper Johnson has been mentioned as a possibility . . . Bengals coach Marvin Lewis reiterated last week that receiver Chad Johnson, who suggested in an ESPN Radio interview that perhaps he should be traded because he feels unappreciated, wasn't on the block. Johnson is signed through 2011 . . . One reason the Chiefs hired Chan Gailey as offensive coordinator is his preference for a power running game, which is aligned with what coach Herm Edwards likes. Gailey now needs to fill out his staff, as the Chiefs are looking for assistants at receiver, running back, and offensive line. Bob Bicknell, son of former Boston College coach Jack Bicknell, is a candidate to be promoted from assistant offensive line coach.

Chargers general manager A.J. Smith, who grew up in Warwick, R.I., was a part-time scout for the Patriots from 1978-80. In 1976, he was coach of the Rhode Island Kings of the Eastern Football League.

Mike Reiss can be reached at mreiss@globe.com; material from personal interviews, wire services, other beat writers, and league and team sources was used in this report.