Falcons pick right time to make big move, get Julio Jones
Julio Jones will help the Falcons open up their offense after averaging nearly 15 yards per catch at Alabama.
(Originally posted: 9:13 p.m. Updated: 10:30 p.m)
FLOWERY BRANCH – Last week, I had a private conversation with a general manager (guess who?) of an NFL team (duh) about his team’s draft plans. Because of what just happened, I feel safe in concluding that the Falcons’ Thomas Dimitroff won’t mind if elements of that conversation now go on the record.
Me: “Go get A.J. Green. He’ll probably have the greatest impact of any player in the draft.”
Dimitroff: “How do you think people would react?”
Me: “More than half will love you. The rest will think you spent too much and should draft for defense. But I’m guessing you won’t do it.”
Dimitroff: “Why not?”
Me: “You won’t want to trade that much for one player. You’re conservative.”
Dimitroff: “Hah! So what you’re saying is, if I make a trade, you’ll write that you goaded me into it.”
Me: “Yeah, probably.”
We laughed, and I eventually hung up the phone believing Dimitroff would stay at 27th, at best moving up five picks for a defensive player he liked. I was wrong about Dimitroff. He’s not conservative. He rolled the dice and made a move that, while expensive, was a risk worth taking. The Falcons dealt a boatload of draft picks to Cleveland Thursday night to jump up 27th to sixth in the first round, where they took Alabama wide receiver Julio Jones.
The Falcons needed to make a splash after the January playoff beatdown by Green Bay. Sports franchises that believe they’re on the verge of something big have a window in which they feel they can make this move. This was the Falcons’ window.
“Our feeling was where we are on the draft, where we are as a team, where we are on our roster … we felt we needed to make a bold statement as far as an impact type of player,” Dimitroff said.
Dimitroff will face some criticism for sacrificing so much for an offensive player after the Packers shredded their defense in the 48-21 playoff game. But there wasn’t a defensive player in this draft, save Texas A&M linebacker Von Miller, he viewed as a difference-maker. Dimitroff’s focus has been on Green or Jones for several weeks.
“I’ve been very open about the fact that we needed to add explosiveness on the defensive side or the offensive side,” he said. “In our mind, the explosiveness we were going to get with a player like Julio outweighed what we were going to get on the defensive side. We’ll never get away from the idea that if we see something we want, we’re going to jump up and get aggressive and go after it.”
That is the attitude you want a team to have.
Dimitroff made a significant statement about the franchise’s goals and expectations. He attempted to swing a deal for a pick as high as No. 2, ostensibly to get Green. But he has known for a few days they would end up at six or seven.
The cost of moving up: steep. A No. 1, 2 and 4 this year and No. 1 and 4 next year. But Jones is a playmaker. He’s a burner. He ran a 4.39 at the NFL scouting combined despite having a fractured foot.
Alabama coach Nick Saban praised Jones, Dimitroff said: “Julio embodies what Nick coaches – hard-nosed, competes on every play, goes up for the ball, sacrifices the body and plays to the whistle.”
It doesn’t fix the defense? But it enables the Falcons to open up the offense and take over games when they couldn’t in the past.
The Falcons still have time to add pieces to the defense. But understand: It’s not like they’ve ignored building that half of the depth chart. Since taking over as general manager in 2008, Dimitroff has invested heavily first- and second-round picks and free agency on defense: Curtis Lofton, William Moore, Peria Jerry, Dunta Robinson and Sean Weatherspoon. Compare that to four early picks or acquisitions on offense: Matt Ryan, Michael Turner, Sam Baker, Tony Gonzalez.
Dimitroff and the organization, still somewhat hung over from the loss to the Packers, realize they are at the point where people are going to start focusing more on the team’s postseason results (0-2) than the regular season (33-15). “That’s what adds to some of my drive at this year’s draft,” he said.
It drove him to make a big move. It was a risk worth taking.
By Jeff Schultz
♦
Last few posts
– NFL draft: Playoff hangover driving Dimitroff, Falcons
– NFL draft: Cam Newton will succeed, Tim Tebow won’t
– Hawks need more from Joe Johnson (whether-he-likes-it-or-not)
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812 comments Add your comment
bascogcjs
April 29th, 2011
10:02 am
AWFUL trade.
Worst trade for falcons since Favre.
Repeat of Herschel Walker cowboy- viking deal.
Julio Jones / Around the NFC West: Cardinals’ wise choice | Sporty Twits
April 29th, 2011
10:02 am
[...] Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog)Julio Jones: Julio Jones expected to contribute from Day 1Rotoworld.comFalcons GM Thomas Dimitroff confirmed that Julio Jones is expected to take on a major offensive role as a rookie. "Our expectation with this move is we believe Julio can come on to the football team and contribute from Day 1," Dimitroff said. …Falcons make bold move to get Julio JonesAtlanta Journal ConstitutionCleveland Browns: NFL Draft grade, pollPlain Dealer (blog)Falcons trade up 21 spots to choose WR Julio JonesUSA TodayMiamiHerald.com -Washington Post -The Falcoholicall 945 news articles » [...]
SEC4Life
April 29th, 2011
10:03 am
@ TreeTop -
EXACTLY!!!!!!!!!! I agree 300%. Our offense didn’t have anything to do with the loss to GB. It was our secondary bending over and taking it with no lube that lost the game. If anything, our offensive play calling could’ve been better, but that’s an Off. Coor. issue, not a personnel issue. Don’t get me wrong, adding Julio is definitely an upgrade. What people don’t realize is that during his years @ ALA, he never had a QB who could really go deep. Greg McIlroy was a game manager in every sense of the word possible. Not only that, but he had Ingram and Richardson in the backfield so we’ve really only seen a portion of what he can do.
But the Birds need a defensive upgrade in the worst way possible.
JONESBORO SLIM
April 29th, 2011
10:05 am
Hey everybody I’m inside the Falcons war room…..wait a minute I’m pulling a speedy RB name off the board and right now I’m telling TD that we can get a DE from FA….Oh and by the way everyone it was me who suggested to “Pony” up the board and get JJ….DOL since you can’t get in here I’ll keep you informed on whats going on
Character Counts
April 29th, 2011
10:05 am
You got to love the inbred fans on here who are slamming the Falcons pick and the Saints pick just because they are from a rival program in the SEC. Once you get to the “real paying level”(not like the one Auburn runs under the table) the issue is taking players that will impact your team and players that will provide multiple years of service, character and the ability to be a teammate.
Jones is going to be a winner in Atlanta, just like he was a winner in Mobile, and Tuscaloosa. The character of a player who plays hurt, goes to class, ( who by the way after 3 years at Alabama is only 7 hours away from graduating) and one never hears a bad word out of his mouth. He makes the players around him better.
If you are a Falcons fan, then congratulations you got a heck of player. If you are just a UGA fan who thinks all UGA players are better than everyone else, think again and get a real life. Spend your focus on the Junkyard Dawg Blog.
RambleOn84
April 29th, 2011
10:06 am
“honest_abe,”
You are (partially) right. I made a mistake…my point still remains though. Yes we did play 4 games against a very weak NFC West division. However, we played 6 games against the NFC South. Though the Panthers stink, that’s 4 very tough games. They cancel out. And our other non-division games were actually quite tough, lest you forget Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Cleveland (who was better than expected), and Green Bay.
I thought we had also played Chicago, but alas I was wrong.
Alphare
April 29th, 2011
10:06 am
Green has the greatest impact of any player in the draft?
Jeff, you are wrong. If you watch Green, you should know he always runs, turns back and jump catches the ball. He does that almost every time I watch him playing. That kind of catch can be a sure catch in college level, but can you translate it to the pro level? I don’t think so. You don’t have the luxury of time to do that way.
On another hand, Julio is more of a pro style catch. Most UGA homers cannot tell the difference between a good player and a great player. I am disappointed you would follow the UGA crowd.
Name
April 29th, 2011
10:08 am
Alphare….they still think Mark Richt is a championship-caliber coach. That should speak volumes.
The Walrus
April 29th, 2011
10:09 am
Just curious – all you folks clamoring for defense, who at 27 would’ve been worthwhile?
I agrgee defense is still a need, but there simply wasn’t anyone at 27 who was going to make a difference.
honest_abe
April 29th, 2011
10:10 am
ya don’t jump on someone until you read correctly and you get YOUR facts straight.
RambleOn84
April 29th, 2011
10:11 am
Your initial comments were confusing…I won’t apologize for “misreading” your poorly worded comments.
I do apologize for my own mistake.
RambleOn84
April 29th, 2011
10:13 am
You said we “played the worst division in football” without any further clarification…while it is true that we played the NFC West, we played fewer games against them than in our own division, which is a very strong division.
3 winning seasons in a row
April 29th, 2011
10:15 am
Dimitroff
knows more about the NFL draft than all you critics put together.
isproab
April 29th, 2011
10:16 am
Wow, I’m amazed at all the former NFL GM’s on this site that have clearly made so many good transactions and know a bad one when they see it. News flash, just b/c you get to weigh in doesn’t mean your thoughts matter.
TD made his decision, if you are a Falcons fan, then roll with it. If you don’t like it, don’t watch.
GTBob
April 29th, 2011
10:16 am
Character Counts, I love Julio, and he will be a great Falcon, but he wasn’t worth what we gave up for him. We could have moved up slightly to get a quality DE, and then taken a deep wide receiver threat like Jon Baldwin or Titus Young later in the draft. Then we would have had much more left to work with this year and next year. Unless we have significant free agent plans on defense then this move doesn’t make much sense. We traded 5 draft picks to possibly upgrade our number 3 receiving option.
Navigator
April 29th, 2011
10:17 am
If JJones is as good as advertised, then the Falcons jump up another level with an offense similar to Green Bay’s. However, GB has a lesser running games and the reason the Falcons didn’t score more against GB’s defense is because they held the ball for 2/3 of the game. In the first game the Falcons held the ball and won. Now maybe we’re seeing the value of JJones.
mcgdawg
April 29th, 2011
10:18 am
TreeTop and Honest Abe….PREACH IT !!!!
After our great hi-octane offense scores, we still have to be able to STOP the other team!
RambleOn84
April 29th, 2011
10:19 am
“GTBob,”
Really harsh assessment there…you really think Julio isn’t an upgrade over Jenkins? Have you and Justin Houston been partying?
inside info
April 29th, 2011
10:20 am
from a former team mate from Bama…”.I’m Surprised Julio didn’t wear a floral print dress to Radio City Music Hall.”…Also Known As= Light in the Loafer Syndrome ..Julio rallies under the Rainbow Flag..Three Dollar Bill Disease….you heard it here first
RambleOn84
April 29th, 2011
10:21 am
For the record, defense is totally overrated in the NFL. Every year, they add 2 or 3 more rules to hamstring the defense. Pretty soon tackling will be against the rules.
Beef up the offense if you want to win a Superbowl in today’s NFL.
Greg Mendel
April 29th, 2011
10:22 am
The Falcons aren’t rebuilding. They’re tweaking. Yes, they gave up a lot for Julio, but the odds are that they’ve gained a whole lot by doing it. They still have picks left this draft and next. Quality free agents will be available who are more likely to have a bigger and more immediate impact on defense than betting the house on a rookie who could turn out to be the next Tommy Nobis or the next Jamal Anderson. TD and the Falcons know that, which is probably why they made the move.
Last year’s defense played well enough to make the playoffs. A couple of key FAs can add to that. An offense with Ryan, Gonzo, Roddy and Julio is going to be dangerous. Add Turner to that, and it’s an intimidating offense. Add a yet-to-be acquired young, fast RB, and a good 2010 team is going to be fearsome in 2011. If things turn out that way, the 2012 draft won’t be that important anyway.
John
April 29th, 2011
10:23 am
People comparing Julio to bust receivers are crazy. His work ethic sets him apart from everyone, as does his toughness. Dmitroff would not have made this trade if he was not an incredibly hard worker. They though so much of him that I don’t even think they interviewed him. He is unlike nearly every other receiver. He is not a diva and brings a lineman’s attitude to the position. He wants to punish DBs. His toughness is similar to Hines Ward and Anquan Bolden.
RambleOn84
April 29th, 2011
10:25 am
My last point and I’m done:
IF Dimitroff had stayed put at #27 the only guy who would have been available who would have offered a similar impact on defense that Julio will bring on offense would have been Da’Quan Bowers.
But we ALL know how you crybaby wannabe GMs would have reacted to that one:
“ANOTHER injury risk?”
“We need a corner!!!1!”
“We need offensive help!!!”
“Ryan has a noodle arm!!!!!!”
“Bring back Vick!!!”
Some of you are just pathetic.
Do me a favor: when Atlanta wins the Superbowl, don’t bother showing up to the parade.
cccc
April 29th, 2011
10:28 am
I have no favorite SEC team(from Cali) but since moving here love SEC football and watch everyone GA, Bama, LSU, Auburn etc.. from an unbiased opinion Julio is a beast with the most NFL ready body and speed. Aj is skinnier than Sydnet Rice and is going to get killed in the NFL unless he packs on pounds. Anyone who watched LSU/Alabama game last year watched Julio school Patrick Peterson the whole game. He is going to be a really special played for Atlanta and was worth it. Roy take a breath and say Go Falcons Caaaaaaaaaa Caaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
juvenal
April 29th, 2011
10:28 am
bet the Pats take Bowers……
Jimmy
April 29th, 2011
10:30 am
99% of the folks whining about this pick are idiotic Dawg fans that don’t like Julio, because he owned their ass in their stadium. Julio is a more physical and complete player than AJ, and blocks great on the edge. He fits perfectly in Atlanta’s offense. Get over it Dawgy fans.
"explosive" choice
April 29th, 2011
10:31 am
`
The Falcons
will have an explosive and punishing offense with Julio.
Character Counts
April 29th, 2011
10:32 am
GTBob,
I agree, the Falcons needed more help in the Defensive Secondary and another Pass Rusher. I hope Dimi, has a game plan for bringing in some major help. The current secondary is pourous and will get us beat in this tough division.
I was more amazed at the characterization of a couple of folks who think UGA first, everyone else second when talking NFL.
Brendan
April 29th, 2011
10:34 am
Jeff, loved the article. Way to goad the GM into making a big splash on draft day. Can we get a better definition of “a boatload of draft picks?” I was listening to 680TheFan this morning, and they also didn’t list, clearly, what was given up. Without knowing what the cost is, I’m delighted with this trade. The Falcons just got better. There’s a triple threat of Jenkins, White and Jones now. Matt Ryan has to be pleased. Mike Smith has to be pleased.
What’s the rule, Jeff? Coaches coach. Managers manage. Players play. And Fans cheer when the team wins, and criticize when they lose, often citing how they could do a better job of running the team.
UGA83
April 29th, 2011
10:34 am
Horrible, terrible, stupid trade. Give up five draft picks for one for a guy who might be Jerry Rice or might be Harry douglas! One huge, glaring oversight made with this deal. Okay our O is missing the deep threat, but we’re still missing the deep threat because Ryan can’t throw the deep ball accurately!!!
honest_abe
April 29th, 2011
10:35 am
jonathon baldwin? he’ll be as good or better than julio.
28dunnfalcons
April 29th, 2011
10:36 am
Go falcons. You made your move and like a true and die heart Falcons fan. I’m behind you all the way. from the bottom to top. All these bandwagon fans are first time falcons lover. Could you all please move to a new team. We the true falcons fan can do without you. Like I said bad or good move i’m behind you ( Falcons ) all the to the superbowl. GO FALCONS…..
oldbird
April 29th, 2011
10:38 am
how will Julio Jones fit in the clubhouse when the rest of the team knows that we gave up two drafts to get him? Can we even sign him after paying such a price? JJ’s agent must be salivating about the potential for this contract.
mcgdawg
April 29th, 2011
10:39 am
Hey Jimmy…this “idiotic” Dawg fan would be saying the EXACT same thing had the pick been AJ instead of Julio at the same cost. SELAH!
biz
April 29th, 2011
10:40 am
First!
trey
April 29th, 2011
10:40 am
Juliet will be a good WR for Falcons, maybe even great. But what most of you pointed heads don’t understand is that the PRICE to get him was ridiculously stupid.
GTBob
April 29th, 2011
10:42 am
RambleOn84, so you wouldn’t trade Julio Jones right now for Da’Quan Bowers and 4 other draft picks? I’m pretty sure that if we knew Bowers would drop that far we wouldn’t have made this deal.
cccc
April 29th, 2011
10:46 am
We just got better!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I still cant belive how many little spoiled girl acting falcon fans are out there. Grow some balls , We are going to be bad ass!!!!!!!!
Falkor
April 29th, 2011
10:46 am
Peyton Manning is Peyton Manning, but having Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne has benefited him and certainly helped win the SuperBowl. We needed another great wide reciever, and Julio is as good as we were going to be able to get.
Julio has 2008-Harry Douglas explosive athleticism with Michael Jenkins size, all in 1 player…I’d say it’s a win!
We also have Free Agency in what will likely be another uncapped year. You think Arthur is willing to spend to win a SuperBowl??
mars
April 29th, 2011
10:47 am
Bold choice, we’ll see what happens. My big surprise is for all those using this as a forum to bash Robinson. He was on the field most of the time last year, and we never heard from him, true. Remember Charles Dimry? If memory serves, his name came up in games constantly back in the day as he got burned over and over. Robinson is not producing because he IS doing his job. If he were as bad as you people say, quarterbacks would be taking him apart regularly. Not the case. His addition frightened opposing QB’s, who have elected to keep the ball the hell away from him. They picked on Brent Grimes instead, who thankfully rose to the challenge and became a star. You can bet that this year QB’s will challenge Dunta more because of this. We have 2 excellent corners, folks. If one of the coaches can get into Chris Owens head, then we’ll have 2 excellent corners and a good nickel (see Green Bay loss, no nickel D). Case closed. For God’s sake, shut up!
mcgdawg
April 29th, 2011
10:48 am
Dan Patrick and Phil Simms just finished BLASTING the pick of Julio at the cost the Falcons gave up. Phil made the comment that it is VERY RARE that a team thinking they are one key player away and goes ALL IN for that player works out.
Falkor
April 29th, 2011
10:50 am
This is not a UGA vs Alabama topic of conversation, but not the least bit surprising that’s what 90% of the comments imply
texaspch
April 29th, 2011
10:51 am
Enter your comments herepeople the draft isn’t over!!
Falkor
April 29th, 2011
10:58 am
Anyone saying this isn’t the Championship way a la Steelers, Pats, etc but actually it is:
You build the Team’s core through the draft, and you add pieces through Free Agency.
Thanks to the Labor Dispute, this year’s Free Agency is going to be very quick. I see us resigning our own key Free Agents and added other pieces such as a veteran pash rusher before the season starts.
Overall, this team is young, very talented, and already having the most success in Franchise history.
HGN
April 29th, 2011
11:00 am
I like the trade……………I didn’t at first because I , like many others , thought that we gave up way too much for Julio Jones. But once I thought about it , it does make sense. There was ONLY two(2) opening day Game Changers in the draft………. Green and Jones. Julio Jones has the size and spped to change the Falcons fortunes. He opens things up for Roddy White , Tony G. , and Micheal Turner. He’s EXPLOSIVE. You have to give up something to get something.
We gave up a lot , but I think we got a lot in return……………..Only time will tell.
honest_abe
April 29th, 2011
11:01 am
harrison was drafted 19th and wayne 30th. and they didnt’ trade away a million picks to get either guy.
Falkor
April 29th, 2011
11:12 am
It’s 5 picks, and 2 are in the 4th round at which point the chances of the player making a significant contribution, especially immediately, are greatly reduced.
It was expensive, I can’t deny that, but it is logical that 2 late first round picks and a late 2nd round pick are worth one of the best players to come out this year.
Everyone wants a great pass rusher on this team, but I could not get excited over the prospect of getting “the guy with a degenerative condition in half his upper body,” or someone that “really doesn’t fit the 4-3,” or someone that dropped b/c of questionable character, drug problems, etc.
I can get excited over finally having the 2nd WR to go with our ProBowl #1WR and Hall-of-Fame TE.
We may not have a Championship Defense, but we have a Championship Offense, and my point was that worked for Peyton Manning and the Colts, it can be done…
Time for Falcons to open offense (and defensive fix coming) | Jeff Schultz
April 29th, 2011
11:12 am
[...] there’s a gamble element to the move. But as I wrote last night, I like it for two reasons: 1) This team needs a few more playmakers — and, yes, that includes the offensive side of the [...]
PMC
April 29th, 2011
11:13 am
Only 53 guys can be on the roster at once. They’ve been drafting defense and depth for 3 years. They are devoid of play makers. They got their man.
They didn’t give up the whole draft folks. Just a few high picks this year and next.
Instead of drafting a few average guys they got one they feel is elite. Great. Scoring more points will help the defense.
Obviously they will find a DE somewhere and a OLB. They may entertain a CB for Nickle but I think they like where they are in the secondary for the most part. It’s really not as bad as many people think. Grimes is a ball hawk. Robinson is solid, last year was a transition year. Jerry is on the clock clearly.
You can’t change everything all at once. They need play makers to win in this division and this league….they went out and got one.
stephen
April 29th, 2011
11:17 am
Julio Jones is a better receiver than AJ, period. Faster, stronger, can jump higher and played in every game in his career. He also won a National Championship. This was the perfect move people! C’mon, are you all ever satisfied? Ryan pro bowler, Turner pro bowler, Tony G probowler/Hall of Famer, Roddy Pro Bowler and now another elite receiver. That is an insane offense. You all say “time will tell”, please. This guy is ready to go now. We have Ryan’s receiver for the future as well. TE or Running back in the third.