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
GO PACK GO
April 28th, 2011
11:52 pm
Can’t wait to see the Pack play the Falcons with a healthy roster. Bye-bye birds.
RYAN
April 28th, 2011
11:53 pm
kerry the defense isn’t horrible. bit it IS NOT top 15. And to get to the champ games, that is a MUST. Are you paid to post here to pump this pick? Sure seems like it
Yo Vince
April 28th, 2011
11:53 pm
You dumb homers think having a 2 time wrestling champ on 1 side and a freak that looks like the Terminator and runs 4.34 w/ a broke foot and played for a Real football team that beats the hairy smelly dawgs like a stepchild, is a bad thing. Stupid homers with NO football sence
kerryb
April 28th, 2011
11:54 pm
Correction, Ditka traded every pick in that draft. The Falcons did not do that. Just lost 2 picks in this draft. Just like the Saints needed a RB the Falcons needed a WR. They both got what they needed.
Tide Rising
April 28th, 2011
11:54 pm
Buford T. Pusser,
Julio disappears in big games? Really? You definitely haven’t watched much Bama football- especially the big games of which we only lost 5 in 3 years. If he doesn’t show up in big games then how did we average 12 wins a year the last 3 years?
5 draft picks for a receiver???
April 28th, 2011
11:54 pm
Are you kidding me? With that putrid defense? Wow. Sportscenter guys said WOW
Falcon Bob
April 28th, 2011
11:55 pm
kerryb the analysts got most of the draft wrong you douche. We are doomed without no defense you dumbass.
indianman
April 28th, 2011
11:56 pm
you got roddy on one side and julio on the other side the offense just got faster
Mike
April 28th, 2011
11:57 pm
kerry the saints gave up NOTHING for their pick you retard
bruce
April 28th, 2011
11:57 pm
ATL is looking towards free agency for DE Charles johnson Panthers
It's NOT five picks
April 28th, 2011
11:57 pm
It’s a two and a four this year and a one and a four next. We swapped first round picks this year.
UA Alum92
April 28th, 2011
11:57 pm
My older boy plays travel ball, so I just got home and heard this news. Jumped out of my chair! Ryan may now have the best receiver corps in the NFL with White, Gonzales and Jones. Julio is going to be a pro-bowler. I took my boys to their first Falcons game this year (where they kept asking when John Parker Wilson was going to play), but now may buy season tickets. At the last game, my nine-year-old kept asking, “Daddy, is this a dream?”
I know the defense needs a lot of work, but I trust TD and believe we can do quite a bit in the draft, in trades, and through the free agent market. My God, I hope we have pro ball this year.
kerryb
April 28th, 2011
11:58 pm
Ryan, No. Just think it was a bold pick that was needed. Don’t understand why some people don’t. We loaded up on defensive picks the last two years. They are young and will come around with experience. Apparently the Falcons are going to get some more experience on defense in free agency
Falcon Bob
April 28th, 2011
11:59 pm
Espn just said the Falcons gave up a lot of picks for one player kerryb so stop being a dumb retard
kerryb
April 28th, 2011
11:59 pm
Mike, what the he** are you talking about moron?
RYAN
April 29th, 2011
12:01 am
So if you draft defensive guys who turn out to be not what you expected, you should stop? I hope you are right on the free agent market. I was never a fan of the jerry pick and one other, i forget. Anyway, hope it turns out okay but it smells like jenkins part 2
kerryb
April 29th, 2011
12:01 am
Falcon Bob,I heard that too. I don’t believe they said it was a bad move. Yes it’s true, they gave up several picks. Sometimes thats not a bad thing. You dumb piece of **it.
Tide Rising
April 29th, 2011
12:02 am
4 1st round draft picks and 2 of the first 6. Roll Tide!
And a prayer to our long snapper Carson Tinker who was severely injured by the tornado that rampaged through Tuscaloosa. The tornado sucked him and his girlfriend out of his house and tossed him 50 freaking yards- he remains in stable condition in a hospital with a concussion,broken arm, and other injuries. His girlfriend died unfortunately. Prayers to her family. Life aint all about football.
Buford T. Pusser
April 29th, 2011
12:02 am
Watching the ESPN analysis of the draft as I type this and the “best trade of the draft” is the Houdini that Cleveland pulled on the Falcons. Only confirms what I already knew. How depressing. The next two days can’t get any better since the Falcons don’t have any picks.
The Sheriff has spoken,
Jeff (not Schultz)
April 29th, 2011
12:03 am
Terrible pick by Atlanta.
This guy is a NO. 2 receiver… not even a No. 1 guy.
There were EIGHT DEFENSIVE ENDS selected in the first round (including two in our division, New Orleans and Tampa)… their defenses are getting younger while our defense is just a year older and more beat-up. Heck, there were THREE DEFENSIVE BACKS chosen that I would’ve liked to have.
Ok, great, now Atlanta will only lose to the Packers 48-38 since we have Julio to score three TDs for us, right? But we STILL LOSE.
Peterson would have been a GREAT pick — spice up the return game AND get what could be a superstar DB in a couple of years. Any of the top 3 or 4 DE that were picked would have helped us. Hell, I wouldn’t have been upset if we picked up Mark Ingram to replace Turner full time in 2012 or 2013. But nope, we draft a wideout. When we already have a few good ones (Roddy, Jenkins, Douglas, Meier back from injury, etc.).
If we needed a RECEIVER, why not just keep friggin’ Brian Finneran???
If we only gave up 2 draft picks, I MIGHT could live with this decision…. BUT FOUR DRAFT PICKS? Jiminy Christmas, we’re not gonna pick again until Friday night in Round 3… tell me what impact defensive players will be there at that point, Dimitroff?
The last couple of years, TD did a great job drafting… but this was definitely a REACH and it smelled of panic. Just because we couldn’t get AJ Green, don’t mortgage the future to get a guy who is a notch below AJ.
By the way, wanna see how to draft? Check out New Orleans… got a defensive player AND a stud running back in the first round, and they didn’t have to trade up 20 spots to do it?
Bad move… and before you Julio apologists call me a bandwagon fan, I’m a lifetime fan who has been going to games since 1979 and who has supported this team through the good AND the bad. But I have to be honest and call a spade a spade — this was a BAD MOVE and a WASTE of a first-round draft choice. And the ONLY way that I will recind that is if Julio is a perennial Pro Bowler who goes 70 catches-800 yards-12 TD’s a year, and if Atlanta stays above the 11-5 mark each season and actually WINS some playoff games.
Doing this and then going 9-7 and continually losing in the first round and continuing to struggle on defense is ABSURD. Good luck Dimitroff… you’ve got your work cut out for you, selling this to REAL Falcons fans.
Lemonlips
April 29th, 2011
12:04 am
How can ANYONE doubt TD??? The Falcons Crashed and Burned on a Hindenburg Scale in the playoffs – sure. Before TD and Smitty – they NEVER had consecutive winning seasons. You peeps are NUTS. I have season tix – do YOU??? Do u remember the agony of deciding whether or NOT to RENEW those EXPENSIVE tix??? REALLY – Isnt is A NO BRAINER NOW. If you dont want to renew, hey – I know many who will take you (lame a$$) place…..
Falcon Bob
April 29th, 2011
12:04 am
kerryb go out tomorrow and get your Julio Jones jersey you dumb retard and when he turns out to be another Michael Jenkins I will greatly burn it for you dumbass. Whats the reason we lost 48-21 last year??? Defense
Tide Rising
April 29th, 2011
12:04 am
kerryb,
Face it Kerry. Everybody on here is a draft expert and knows better than you or the Falcon general management who actually do this for a living. You’re not going to convince them.
cwltank
April 29th, 2011
12:05 am
How can the Falcons have no defense. The Steelers defense is great, and they could not stop the Packers. We just have to score a little more and play more zone.
Bill
April 29th, 2011
12:05 am
Thanks Dimitroff for great pick. Go Falcons…..
kerryb
April 29th, 2011
12:05 am
I’ve been a Falcon fan most ofime t my life. The thing I always hate about other Falcon fans is that they are the biggest whiners on the planet. Every time the team makes a move they think the sky is going to fall. Oh we’re doomed, we’re going to start losing again. Pick Matt Ryan over Glen Dorsey? What are the Falcons crazy? Most Falcon fans are complete idiots. You were wrong about the Ryan pick and your going to be wrong with this one.
whocares
April 29th, 2011
12:07 am
Falcons nation ur a fucin idiot. Dimitroff didn’t draft Jimmy Williams first of all clown, and Matt Ryan is one of best Falcons players ever already. Close ur mouth dummy.
Jeff (not Schultz)
April 29th, 2011
12:08 am
By the way, for you morons who say the Falcons will “address the defense during free agency”… helluva lot to bank on, especially if there IS no free agency, or if it comes the second week of August… doesn’t do Atlanta any good.
This pick stinks all the way around it… the only happy people will be UA Alum 92 at 11:57 p.m…. he and his boys should have great seats, since the Falcons will be going 6-10 now and not selling out the Dome… plenty of good seats still available.
Unbelievably bad draft choice for the Falcons… it’s like Rankin Smith is in charge all over again… “Ooo, there’s a big strong wide receiver out there, let’s mortgage the future to get him.” Sheesh. Anybody remember Aundray Bruce? Enough said.
GTBob
April 29th, 2011
12:08 am
Our offense should be a little better but our defense is going to be as bad as it was last year and we really don’t have many picks to try to improve that. If TD makes a big free agent move then I will feel a little better about this. I would still rather have Bowers + 4 other draft picks then just Julio.
kerryb
April 29th, 2011
12:08 am
Kurt Warner just said he loved this pick. He said that gives Atlanta a lot of firepower. He said yea teams may score some on them but they are going to have to try and stop Atlanta from scoring which is going to be tough. Jim Mora didn’t like. Who cares what he things anyway.
Timbo
April 29th, 2011
12:08 am
love the pick…
Gatorman
April 29th, 2011
12:09 am
This has to be a two year plan by taking one of the two top receivers. I guess they figured they could do this again next year, oh wait they gave next years first rounder to. Cleveland got rich with 4 picks, hopefully the defense will improve based on these players getting more experience together or they intend to go after some defensive players when free agency finally gets is available. I like the pick, but only time will tell whether they paid too much to get him.
Jay
April 29th, 2011
12:09 am
I always thought that the Falcons should have targeted Patrick Peterson (we all saw that Packers game, right?), but Julio is a weapon on the outside which will prevent teams from being able to double-team Roddy. Perhaps a little expensive for a receiver, but this could become the best tandem in the league. Ryan, White, and Jones vs Vick, Jackson, and Maclin in week 2. Wow.
Jeff (not Schultz)
April 29th, 2011
12:10 am
To further break it down:
Terrible pick by Atlanta.
This guy is a NO. 2 receiver… not even a No. 1 guy.
There were EIGHT DEFENSIVE ENDS selected in the first round (including two in our division, New Orleans and Tampa)… their defenses are getting younger while our defense is just a year older and more beat-up. Heck, there were THREE DEFENSIVE BACKS chosen that I would’ve liked to have.
Ok, great, now Atlanta will only lose to the Packers 48-38 since we have Julio to score three TDs for us, right? But we STILL LOSE.
Peterson would have been a GREAT pick — spice up the return game AND get what could be a superstar DB in a couple of years. Any of the top 3 or 4 DE that were picked would have helped us. Heck, I wouldn’t have been upset if we picked up Mark Ingram to replace Turner full time in 2012 or 2013. But nope, we draft a wideout. When we already have a few good ones (Roddy, Jenkins, Douglas, Meier back from injury, etc.).
If we needed a RECEIVER, why not just keep friggin’ Brian Finneran???
If we only gave up 2 draft picks, I MIGHT could live with this decision…. BUT FOUR DRAFT PICKS? Jiminy Christmas, we’re not gonna pick again until Friday night in Round 3… tell me what impact defensive players will be there at that point, Dimitroff?
The last couple of years, TD did a great job drafting… but this was definitely a REACH and it smelled of panic. Just because we couldn’t get AJ Green, don’t mortgage the future to get a guy who is a notch below AJ.
By the way, wanna see how to draft? Check out New Orleans… got a defensive player AND a stud running back in the first round, and they didn’t have to trade up 20 spots to do it?
Bad move… and before you Julio apologists call me a bandwagon fan, I’m a lifetime fan who has been going to games since 1979 and who has supported this team through the good AND the bad. But I have to be honest and call a spade a spade — this was a BAD MOVE and a WASTE of a first-round draft choice. And the ONLY way that I will recind that is if Julio is a perennial Pro Bowler who goes 70 catches-800 yards-12 TD’s a year, and if Atlanta stays above the 11-5 mark each season and actually WINS some playoff games.
Doing this and then going 9-7 and continually losing in the first round and continuing to struggle on defense is ABSURD. Good luck Dimitroff… you’ve got your work cut out for you, selling this to REAL Falcons fans and not just Alabama supporters.
Bill the Kid
April 29th, 2011
12:11 am
ESPN don’t know crap compared to Dimitroff and staff’s needs. What is espn’s record and whats the Falcons record the last three years with this staff. The Falcons will now work n D with late picks and free agents. They want to win more than fans because its money in there pockets. All you experters need to get a grip. This is not the OLD FALCONS…..This group know what they need and now to win. Peace!
Saints R.E.A.M.
April 29th, 2011
12:11 am
The Falcons have just gone a long way to rebuilding the CLEVELAND BROWNS!!! Great pick.
TimeWillTell
April 29th, 2011
12:12 am
You never really know how players will pan out. But the move by the Falcons is questionable at best. Too many picks given up. As the experts have said the Browns made the best move in the draft. @ Tide rising – saw that the Bama long snapper was injured, sorry to hear that. Didn’t know his girlfriend was killed, very tragic. Thoughts and prayers to both families. Kerryb – you will be sooooooo disappointed this football season. Julio is a good player, just not worth what was given up, trust me.
Jeff (not Schultz)
April 29th, 2011
12:13 am
kerryb at 12:08… hey, I love Kurt Warner, but remember his background… playing for finesse, high-powered offensive teams that couldn’t stop a JV girls team on defense (St. Louis and then Arizona). The Cards did have one hot streak to get to teh Super Bowl that year, but usually, they’d score a ton and give up a ton. I don’t want Falcons football to look like that. The blueprint should be the Giants and Patriots — win with a running game and defense.
Falcon Bob
April 29th, 2011
12:13 am
attention blog kerryb is the dumbest idiot on the blog. Only the NFL network is saying the trade was good, everyone else is saying they gave up to much with the needs on defense retard. Try looking at what we need instead of riding julio’s nutts
Hawks winners
April 29th, 2011
12:15 am
How about them Hawks.
Love the pick, Falcons
Lemonlips
April 29th, 2011
12:15 am
The price for JJ WAS VERY STEEP. Butt…. you dont move up 21 spots in the FIRST ROUND for Chump Change. TD – like all good GMs has confidence in his evaluation of talent in the middle rounds. Didnt they burn Dean Smith in effigy?? He worked out OK
oldbird
April 29th, 2011
12:15 am
Good point Tide Rising, life ain’t about football. My hometown got hit hard last night. Amazing how tornadoes work, the house I lived in until 2006 was in the path and the devastation around it was heartbreaking, especially since there were two fatalities nearby. I only live 1.5 miles from that neighborhood, and when I went out this morning, it was a beautiful day; you would have thought we had a nice spring rain. My old neighborhood looked like the middle of a warzone.
Gatorman
April 29th, 2011
12:16 am
Green Bay made a terrific run doing everything right, but don’t forget Atlanta beat them when they didn’t do everything right so be careful believing GB will make a similar run this year. However, their drafting can’t be challenged, having built their team with draft picks. I think getting that big stud defensive lineman from Miss State was fantastic, lifting MissState to their best record in a long time.
kerryb
April 29th, 2011
12:17 am
Time will tell, What did they give up? 2 picks this year. 2 picks next year. Not like they gave up every pick they had. Everyones talking about the defense. They were 17th in total defense, 11th against the pass 4th in interceptions with a relatively young defense that will only get better. Thats not a horrible defense. Like I keep saying. You don’t win 13 games with a horrible defense.
SR
April 29th, 2011
12:17 am
Nope, nope, no, cannot agree, horrible move. Mortgaging the future for a freaking wide-out with this team that didnt even show up in the biggest game of their lives??? R u kidding me? Desparate, desparate move that defies logic. No way….
Billy the Kid
April 29th, 2011
12:18 am
Sorry to hear that oldbird. My prayers are for you, your friends and family. God bless.
Lemonlips
April 29th, 2011
12:18 am
Hey Jeff not Shultz – are you REALLY saying the Patriots win with a running game and defense?? I’m CERTAIN Tom Brady would have a lil’ chuckle at THAT
SEC FAN>
April 29th, 2011
12:19 am
he’s a burner that drops a lot of passes….horrible move by the falcons..
FACTS
April 29th, 2011
12:19 am
Told all these haters TD had to upgrade the offense,Bowers nor Ayers even went in the first round. Gave up a lot to get the guy, but we could have had Dez Bryant last year & our defense did not improve last season. TD wants that first playoff victory under his belt at all cost. Picking another JA98 would have been a wasted pick,I look for him to fight hard in FA for that other DE this year!
Falcon Bob
April 29th, 2011
12:19 am
Gatorman don’t forget half of Green Bay’s team was on IR and they still won the Superbowl