Thomas Dimitroff: On Why Bill Belichick is Out of The NFL

Thomas dimitro former Patriots uh head of personnel former Atlanta Falcons head of personnel I'm just I I know those AR probably aren't the exact titles but yeah close enough right close enough joins us here was uh was of my sources indicate was going to be again the Falcons head of personnel if Bill bich got the job but that came up short so now he's sitting here with us on radio row am I speaking out of school no well no there's well I I was not I was not given that job I didn't even talk to them about the job I was watching it closely I think I was the only guy that really knew both of the those men as well as I do maybe Scott Pei did but Scott never worked as a GM with with Arthur of course and there are always nuances right when you're talking to head coaches and you're talking about how they're going to interact with an owner and Arthur Arthur is a great guy I really appreciate him that way and like anyone those what happened what what happened with Bill here look I I mean I had 9010 on my board every day I went to work saying it's going to happen uh if not even more I think in the very end you you have two guys who got along really well Bing Bill and Arthur meeting on the yacht first right beautiful yacht by the way I was there one time before I got fired where was The Yacht well I think it was down in the BVI somewhere I I don't really know but they were they were hanging out had some had some great discussions but in the end there was a there's an inner group in there right look anytime bill goes into an organization you would assume whatever your thoughts are about him he deserves the right to run it meaning if there's a GM there Terry Fondo you know Terry was going to stay but he was going to work with him but maybe maybe there was a group inside the building there who said who kept pushing back to to Arthur saying look we we you know look let's call it the way it is any organization wants to keep their world right presidents want to keep their world you saw the discussion about rich McKay right rich is very talented he knows a lot the fact that he and Bill would have to work together or not work together was something that wasn't wasn't probably going to happen and Arthur had made it pretty bold statement saying that was not an issue and and Bill had said that he was going to work ostensibly with Terry font no so that wasn't going to be an issue but I think everyone looks at it like yeah but when you get someone like this in there it's going to be it's going to be overhauled so Arthur sided with his people versus Bill bich basically I mean that's he had to make a choice I think in the end he has to make a choice and he has to make a choice about what he's looking for in the in the the approach to culture right and you know he he brings in ra Raheem Morris and I know Raheem well right raheem's gregarious he is smarter than a whip like he is on top of it if you guys ever had him uh interviewing he does not miss a Beat As far he's one of those guys that never stutters for some reason he's on top of it so he he's been there before Arthur brings him in as an optimist because that's what he is and so they go in now they go in with Terry fono and rahee working together closely they got to find a quarterback there and I think they felt like that was a group to do it uh you know yeah so how surprised are you that there wasn't more interest in Bill overall unfathomable to me I I swear to God I am I am blown away and I know there's and and if it's your narrative I I'm sorry there is a lazy narrative there that okay it's quarterback okay he doesn't bond with the players anymore I I can look at that and I would look at that if I was to be an owner or a GM that was working with my owner on potentially hiring him but I think there's so much more I mean he is a situational Mastermind tactical he has so much going for him that I've been around coaches who I really think highly of prior to being a GM even being a GM and I love Dan Quinn I'm so excited that he got another gig I think that's great for him but I I think most people would understand they're nowhere near that situational I'm saying as the season goes on during during training camp during game weeks during the games there are so few people that have that mental acuity that bill has that you can't just get any time okay people would say that well Bill's getting older and he doesn't respond to the players anymore like he used to I think if you get the right coaches around you I think you can take care of some of that and you continue to learn and understand about that I don't think that's it I if you're asking my opinion it's he's more trouble than he's worth and and I say troubl you've got to again this I'm exaggerating a bit for effect but you you have to blow up the building y you do you've got to pay out the nose you've got to accept that you're not going to get all the information in you know he's not the most communicative guy and the stories are notorious uh you know that line that was reported that when he did the final press conference with Robert Craft that's the first time he drew eye cont eye contact with him in three years I mean it's notor he walks down the hallway it's like he doesn't even know you like so like you've got to accept that you've got to accept the money you have to pay him did I mention that he's going to want to bring his own people at all levels of the organization it's going to be a little more insular you're not going to get communication like you once all and then in two or three years you have to start all over because is he really a fiveyear kind of plan so at the end of the day that situational thing you're talking about which I don't think he's as good as he used to be but I'll still give you he's better than most m is it worth all that and that's to me what I think stands in the way of him if you think that he's going to give you the best chance to get into the Super Bowl and make a run at it he that is worth it for so for some teams I think he makes sense more than others oh yeah yeah no it's a it's a great point they and and then you start thinking about the GM right it like and I've been back in forth on this having been in the league as 13 years in that GM role if I had an opportunity to acquire a coach that had power about him and I've kind of already been there done that having the role and and being 53 total control guy and I realized that this guy was going to be the dude that was going to take us to potentially get us to the Super Bowl instead of like flipping around with let's try this new you know 32y old head coach don't get me started there I'm not saying there aren't some young good coaches but let's keep it in perspective it's kind of like you looking at data right you're like oh my God don't talk about data right I sometimes think that about some of the young coaches like I want to go in there as a GM who has experience and say let's work together and let's put our egos in well let me put my ego in check and let's let's roll on it but you did say if he was surrounded by the right coaches then he would be able to relate to players do you think re relatability is Bill's this is the hang-up why guys GMS look at him and say like he's just too old and no I don't I think I think no I think there's I think Bill relates to certain this is my always been my take he relates to certain players who put their asses on the line can I say that yeah of course you could say worse no F no F no no not that no okay I did that with Fel one day and Scotty forell wanted to kick me off the set I'm thinking of all people Scott forell is gonna kick me off the set but I but Bill I think because because he he respects the person that's going to put their butts on the line all the time it's the same with the coaches that he doesn't get along with not saying you know if you come to the table and you deliver as you're supposed to deliver then I believe there's more collaboration but but by Nature that's he's not the guy that's glad hading everyone Rank and file Rank and file players I think he's okay with quarterbacks STS you know Stars egos players with big contracts I think he's going to have a harder time with those I don't think that's gotten better over the years and so you know yeah the the hardworking you know uh Team first kind of tough player yeah he connects with great what coach doesn't it's those other things I think he has uh trouble with the the thing about him being collaborative in terms of with the GM and whatnot something I've always pushed back on Thomas and I know that you've said it I know you've done books with my friend Michael Holly who I do did TV with on a night basis Michael Holly says it all the time that Bill wants to be challenged he wants push back he willing to take other opinions and Factor them in I've always said I say to Mike's face all the time I don't believe you if if Bill belich showed you that in a Personnel meeting once it was just for effect it was just so you'd put it in your book I don't believe at the end of the day that bill really wants that I think Bill at the end of the day follows his own his own instincts on almost most important cases and shuts out those around him and that's been the reporting here at the end that he lost a lot of Scouts lately in the last several years because they didn't feel their input was being valued well look I someone who's been in there so you tell me yeah no look he was very mindful of me during those times I was there only there for six years in the scope of it all right guys like Scott Pioli he listened to a lot I don't know if you've talked to Scott about that a lot I mean that was a really important part of of of the organization's growth right Scott and and Bill talking a lot at a lot of levels Scott would keep it in check at times and I thought he did a really good job with that of course I moved away in in '08 they continued a little bit more my interaction with Bill during my time there all the way back to certain players we'd throw up on the board and he would listen to me he was never disrespectful to me at that point why I'm I'm you know I'm not sure did he follow your suggestions sometimes give me a player who you wanted who he shot down oh God no shot down come on give me a good player give me a good player I well I mean listen no look I'll the story's famous that he said you should draft Baldwin instead of Julio you didn't that was after you that was that was after right how about in New England I remember going there when I first got to New England and I'm looking up at the board and we're doing we're looking at all the players and what we did is we folded in all of our players with all the draft players so there's lawyer Malloy up there and I'm like I'm thinking this is my first time Scott tells me hey you're going to be doing the safeties man and you know that's Bill's position I'm like oh my god this is my first time coming in here to really work here so I go up there and I'm thinking okay and that's not my I'm never I've never been I wasn't raised that way my dad was a football man was like you you deliver what you deliver if you doesn't like it then whatever but I'm looking up there I'm going Lori M man you know I start being positive about Lor and he's was like wait a minute and he just stopped me dead BL I won't use the words but basically run but yeah basically it was like No And I'm it was kind of one of those www moments for me it was my first delivery there as the new National Scout and I and I try to pump a guy up like Lor Mallo and he basically said no absolutely not we're on our way on this you know and then of course we ended up moving on from him but we had moments like that but we also had moments when he was like Thomas I really appreciate whether it was Eugene Wilson I'm make sure I'm getting the names right eug some good players Asante there were players like that that he was you know very very good about listening Sant was your guy well not I'm not going claim he was my guy but he he you know I SP I spent time look I love the secondary I spent a lot of time on the safeties and corners and and all of that but but yeah so so Terence weatley were you gone I was gone who can I blame you for who can you blame me for um Delta O'Neal did you did you do pro stuff H I didn't do Ellis Hobs there's one I did Ellis Hobs I did HS yeah can you blame me for what did we get out of he was all right he was okay he was all right and that was he the third rounder tell me it sounds right middle of the dra was good call yeah those are good calls okay Thomas trov join us former Personnel head here in Atlanta are you still doing the analytics thing so still working with Sumer Sports yeah is that analytics it's analytics yeah you want to defend what happen l so let's go okay the analytic commit Community loved what Dan Quinn did uh two weeks ago how'd you feel about it uh or last tug Dan Campbell Dan Campbell I'm sorry Dan Campell Dan yeah um so I'm a big believer in looking at it but I'm also a big believer in that person saying given all the scenario here you go with the damn football decision so my point is I mean personally I wouldn't have gone with the the data decision but my guy Eric eager if you guys talk to Eric PhD in math man sit down every day yeah he doesn't play ball yeah but he did play at small school he's a mathematician but he's a mathematician but he did say to me he said I I was all for it I'm saying I I wasn't but that's okay I can be even though I run a data company I'm a big believer in it's not black box it is man and machine in that mode you have to realize there's other things around that you look at it and you say man yes no yes no give this situation I'm going to do this I'm going to kick the damn ball so yeah I wasn't for it but hey there's a lot of things that go around sometimes on the on the analytic side that I'm not for there's a lot of things though that it augments well that I think wow if I would have had that in in Atlanta I might not have done ab and C or X Y and Z and that is the honest of God truth not just because I'm coova company trying to make it successful but the first one almost bothered me more than the second one You' gone back up three scores right said 22 minutes ago in the game that seemed like the logical place to kick it yeah but that that aside y well can can I can I get one more on this go ahead do you think the calls are actually made upstairs do I think the calls are made upstairs yeah I got the sense the one so he kicked it at the end of the second quarter right and he had the offense on and then late they changed and that one smelled a little fishy to me almost like he got it from upstairs and you're referring to one of his coaches or his analytic whatever it is yeah it comes down that the analytics team is on the set is on the headset yeah the analytics or or whatever coach that is what does it say I mean Dan Quinn used to come to the I mean we used to have the guys come to the building and every week we would get a book this big remember our analytics by the way just so you know we are focused on optimization it's about team building we're not in that world about making the coach's decisions decisions no I I mean I understand they're important they're a whole bunch of other companies there are very few third parties that are doing what we're doing and ours is about making sure that we're trying to make the right decision whether it's in free agency or the draft so I do uh I do understand what you guys are talking about that's not our role that's not our role so yeah analytics well no I mean what I do it's GM analytics it's team building yeah yeah yeah I lump all the analysts the Nerds together so that that's me I profile on on that end but but real quick do you think those guys make calls in game the Nerds yes propeller heads yes yeah I do well I think they make them and then the coach has to say yay or nay on it but but they're involved like when they're fourth and goal at the end of the second quarter the nerd has a say in there he's he's somewhere in the mix yeah and by the way I say it lovingly because most of my guys are self professed nerds and they love it but they are in the mix they're in the mix they're not making the final call they're in the mix sure they are today's world Brandon s you don't think he had someone in his oh my God definitely so okay real quick they're they're telling you just just one more so do you have a uh third third overall pick what do the your analytics say about that third overall pick talking about here the draft yep Jaden Daniels is that a no-brainer I don't know if it's a no-brainer I love it because the guy's athletic the guy can the guy's competitive all the well we can talk about that you guys can get me on when we when we're talking about the draft you going to be at the combine we'll do it no but but but maybe we'll have you on anything have me on you we have you yeah as we're getting as we're getting close to that I I'm excited there's five interesting ones right I was just talking to our buddy Tom KR he's like no they should be drafting back and I'm like gosh I my nickname was Trader Thomas in Atlanta I I didn't have a real uh track record of trading back I probably would do it now now that I'm in data I'd be like the analytics say Thomas thanks for coming by I appreciate it good to see you again good to see you haven't had any contact with anybody in Fox have you about their were opening I have not good good question is a very good question I was watching closely in Atlanta I thought I'm just around the corner I can go over there and well no I heard you well I heard if Bill got that job D well I'd place the call if I were you yeah just ask what the hell see what they say think and then let us know don't you guys have some good I mean you have Elliot wolf it would be help if it would help if you were being paid by somebody else then I think you're in like they love those guys Thomas thanks for coming by see you guys thank you

Channel: 98.5 The Sports Hub

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Keywords: 98.5 The Sports Hub, Patriots, Falcons, Bill Belichick, NFL, Mac Jones, NFL head coach

Id: iJXnSRmSZdY

Length: 15min 23sec (923 seconds)

Published: Mon Feb 05 2024