EPISODE · Apr 14, 2021 · 52 MIN
Ep. 47: Thomas Dimitroff (Part 1)
from Pass It Down · host Thomas Dimitroff, Natalie Silver, Mike Silver
Dimitroff shares vagabond stories from his scouting days, recalling how his VW van came in handy in the wake of 9/11--and how his dying father’s advice convinced him not to get caught up in being overly conventional. He explains the aggressive mindset that fueled his 2011 draft-night trade for wide receiver Julio Jones, and he revisits quarterback Matt Ryan’s choppy first year with offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan and the relationship-repair efforts that fueled the Falcons’ Super Bowl LI run. Dimitroff then relives the horror of that evening in Houston during which his team blew a 28-3 lead, botched a chance to kick a game-securing field goal and watched Tom Brady lead the New England Patriots to an incredible comeback that still haunts the franchise.
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What this episode covers
After an unconventional scouting career during which he camped in a VW Van between college visits--and a Skype interview for the Atlanta Falcons’ vacant general manager job in 2008 that reflected his underdog status--Thomas Dimitroff surprisingly landed the gig and ascended to the upper echelon of his profession. During his 13-season tenure, which ended with his firing last fall, Dimitroff built the Falcons into a consistent winner and took the franchise to the verge of its first championship before an unfathomable Tom Brady comeback spoiled Atlanta’s Super Bowl LI experience. In a wide-ranging conversation with a journalist he knows well (and that journalist’s counterculture-embracing daughter), Dimitroff takes us on a journey that includes a Hole In One at Augusta National, an epic (and possibly wine-fueled) zip-line mishap and the infamous “counseling sessions” that bridged the relationship divide between Kyle Shanahan and Matt Ryan.
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Ep. 47: Thomas Dimitroff (Part 1)
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