Falcons eye Pats' model

INDIANAPOLIS -- With former Patriots director of college scouting Thomas Dimitroff now serving as Falcons general manager, it's no surprise that Atlanta is looking to adopt a New England-like model in its team-building approach.

Falcons coach Mike Smith hopes that the Patriots' style brings positive results in Atlanta.

"We've talked philosophically about how they approached the draft and how we're going to approach the draft, and I think it will be very similar," Smith said. "He comes from a good line."

Smith has enjoyed the early parts of his working relationship with Dimitroff.

"Thomas is a super-intelligent guy and a great guy to communicate with," he said. "We've spent a lot of time together. We try to make sure we have a sitdown at the beginning of the day, and a sitdown at the end of the day and kind of review what's taken place. I've learned a bunch on the personnel side over the last month."