Naming Scott Pioli Assistant GM is "a terrific move by the Falcons" because he gives the team "one more set of eyes in the personnel department they clearly needed," according to Jeff Schultz of the ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION. Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff "worked under Pioli as a scout" when both were with the Patriots. Pioli and coach Bill Belichick "co-built the Patriots into one of the NFL's premier organizations." Pioli then worked as Chiefs GM, "where he had both hits and misses in four seasons before being fired." His friendship with Dimitroff "has a lot to do" with his new position with the Falcons (AJC.com, 1/22). ESPN.com's Vaughn McClure wrote there "won't be much of a power struggle" between Pioli and Dimitroff. The Falcons "obviously need another eye for talent, especially someone like Pioli with a strong background in discovering impact offensive and defensive linemen" (ESPN.com, 1/22). In K.C., Sam Mellinger wrote, "I actually think it’s a great fit for Pioli." As the Assistant GM, "he can't bully or intimidate or control the message the way he did in a disastrous four-year run with the Chiefs." Pioli is "back to being more of a grunt worker than organization leader, a better fit for his personality and occasionally debilitating insecurities." If Pioli "has designs on being a GM again someday," it will be "good for him to see the inside of an organization that thinks on its feet and isn’t bound by a Bill Belichick playbook that doesn’t work without Belichick and Tom Brady." Dimitroff is "doing Pioli a significant favor," as this is a "great opportunity, one that sets up to maximize Pioli’s strengths and cover up or correct his failures" (K.C. STAR, 1/23).
FLYING SOUTH: Pioli said the decision to join the Falcons had a lot to do with his relationships with Dimitroff and team Owner Arthur Blank. He said, "It was just the right fit, the right time." Pioli spent the last year on NBC's "Football Night In America," and he said of his time as a member of the media, "Everyone was willing to help me understand some of the things that I didn’t understand previously, understanding the relationship and the reliance between the two parties, meaning the NFL and the media. Pioli: "I’m a bit of an old-school football guy, and at times, didn’t realize that sport has become entertainment.” He added, “Idon’t know if it was naïve or ignorant, but there was certainly learning that I needed to do from my end” (“PFT,” NBCSN, 1/22).
