Thomas Dimitroff: “Soft souls” have no place on the Atlanta Falcons roster

The Atlanta Falcons have assembled a dynamic, dangerous football team. Come Sunday, they will face a tough test, one they’re actually preparing for as I type this. But don’t worry, because it’s a test they saw coming, long before Saturday’s victory over the Seattle Seahawks. It’s actually a test they started studying for around this time two years ago.

You see, when Dan Quinn was hired as the Falcons head coach in February 2015, Arthur Blank had something in mind. He wanted a tough, hard-nosed football team; one that would compete and never back down. He was willing to keep general manager Thomas Dimitroff on board, as long as The Comrade could emphatically join in that vision. Fast forward two seasons and the Falcons have the roster of their dreams. (Credit to Pro Football Talk’s Josh Alper for the quote.)

Look, we all enjoyed watching Mike Smith coach the Falcons. (Correction: at some point, we all enjoyed watching Smith coach the Falcons.) But there was something missing under his watch, particularly toward the end. No matter what happens Sunday, we have to give Blank credit for executing his vision, because that’s exactly what he’s done.