Former Atlanta GM explains why Belichick didn’t get Falcons job
On Monday’s Felger & Mazz radio program, former Atlanta Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff joined the program to explain why Bill Belichick is without an NFL coaching job.
What Happened w/ Falcons & Belichick?
Parts of conversation abbreviated for clarity.
Thomas Dimitroff: I was watching [the Bill Belichick job search] closely. I think I’m the only guy that really knows both [Belichick and Arthur Blank] as well as I do. Maybe Scott Pioli does, but Scott never worked as a GM with Arthur.
There are always nuances. Right? When you talk to head coaches, you’re talking about how they will interact with an owner in Arthur. Arthur’s a great guy. I really appreciate him that way.
Felger: But what happened with Bill in Atlanta?
Thomas Dimitroff: Look, I was 90 percent sure it would happen every day I went to work. It’s going to happen. You have two guys who got along really well, Bill and Arthur. They met on the yacht first, beautiful yacht, by the way. I was there one time before I got fired.
Felger: Where was the yacht?
Thomas Dimitroff: Well, I think it was down in the British Virgin Islands, but they were hanging out and had some great discussions. But in the end, there was 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 the program.
Maybe there was a group inside the building that kept pushing back against Arthur about the potential hire. Let’s call it the way it is. Any organization wants to keep its world right. Presidents want to keep their world.
You saw the discussion about Rich McKay, right? Rich is very talented. He knows that he and Bill would have to work together. And Arthur had made a bold statement saying, basically, “That would not be an issue.”
And Bill had said he was going to work ostensibly with Terry Fontenot. So that wasn’t going to be an issue. But I think everyone looks at it like, “Yeah, but when you get someone like Belichick in there, it’s going to be it’s going to be an overhaul.”
Felger: So Arthur sided with his people versus Bill Belichick?
Thomas Dimitroff: 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 the approach to culture.
Full Interview
Ryan Beaton is a producer for 985thesportshub.com. You can follow Ryan at @ry_beaton on Twitter.
Listen to Felger and Mazz from 2-6 every Monday-Friday on 98.5 The Sports Hub, with hosts Mike Felger, Tony “Mazz” Massarotti, and Jim Murray “Big Jim”. You can listen live in the Sports Hub App and subscribe to their podcasts here. Follow @FelgerAndMazz on Twitter to keep up with the show!
Patriots Super Bowl-winning running back announces retirement
Jan 20, 2019; Kansas City, MO, USA; New England Patriots running back Rex Burkhead (34) runs against Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Anthony Hitchens (53) in the AFC Championship game at Arrowhead Stadium. Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
Former New England Patriots running back Rex Burkhead announced his retirement on Monday. Burkhead played 10 years in the NFL, including four with the Patriots.
“I’ve been blessed to be able to play the game of football for 26 years and looking back there are many people I would like to thank,” Burkhead, 33, wrote in a post on Instagram Monday afternoon. He thanked his family, friends, former coaches and teammates, fans, and others.
READ MORE:
—How the Patriots quarterback situation hurt Bill Belichick
—2024 Senior Bowl standouts
—Patriots pre-draft meetings from the Senior Bowl
Burkhead was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the sixth round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He spent four years in Cincy primarily as a special teams player, then signed with the Patriots as a free agent prior to the 2017 season.
In New England, Burkhead was a jack-of-all-trades playing a key rotational role on offense as a backup for both early-down and passing-down backs. He also filled multiple roles on special teams.
Over his four years in New England Burkhead recorded 253 carries for 1,026 yards and 11 touchdowns, and caught another 96 passes for 856 yards and seven more scores. He also had 11 special teams tackles in that time. After the 2020 season Burkhead was a free agent, and signed with the Houston Texans. He finished his career out with two years in Houston, and was out of the league last year.
During his four years in New England Burkhead won one Super Bowl, and was part of a number of other key moments. Here’s a look back at his biggest plays as a Patriot…
