Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff was fired on Sunday to the delight of many Atlanta fans on Twitter.
Sunday was an eventful day for the Atlanta Falcons.
The rollercoaster began with a dip. They suffered a 23-16 loss to the Panthers, falling to 0-5 on the season.
Head coach Dan Quinn and GM Thomas Dimitroff paid the price for the win-less run this season and were fired once the sun went down. Depending on your perspective, that was welcome news.
Twitter had thoughts about Thomas Dimitroff being fired by the Falcons
Sunday night’s announcement didn’t follow the script laid out.
Reports: “Falcons could fire Dan Quinn as early as Monday or Tuesday.”
— lindsey ok (@lindseyyok) October 12, 2020
Falcons: “Nah, do it now and throw in the GM too”
But when your intentions to fire your coach have already been leaked, why not just pull the bandaid off by axing the GM as well.
Dimitroff had to know his clock was ticking.
https://twitter.com/PardonMyMeme/status/1315472522415165441
A lot of Falcons fans were totally on board with the changes.
BREAKING: Dan Quinn and Thomas Dimitroff have been officially fired.
— Everything Georgia (@GAFollowers) October 12, 2020
This is the Falcons first win of the season. pic.twitter.com/JWe1TUXKMg
For some fans, it is shaping up to be a great week in Atlanta.
Dan Quinn and Thomas Dimitroff fired
— Ryan Hill (@R_Hill_42) October 12, 2020
Braves in the NLCS all week
Georgia - Alabama on Saturday
Let’s ride baby
Media members were torn between respect for Dimitroff and an acknowledgment that his time was up.
I’ve defended Thomas Dimitroff. And I believe I was right in doing so. But the whole culture needs to change. And that means everyone has to go. 13 years is a hell of a run for any GM in this league. TD is still one of the best out there. #Falcons
— Mark Zinno (@MarkZinno) October 12, 2020
Dan Quinn and Thomas Dimitroff we’re fired tonight. Something had to be done the way things were going. But these two guys did a lot of good things and I have mad respect for both of them as football guys - but especially as men.
— Steve Wyche (@wyche89) October 12, 2020
Some fans were less split in their emotions on at least one of the pair.
I really do feel for Dan Quinn as a person. Great guy that the players really seemed to enjoy playing for and I t just didn’t work out for him.
— Jeff (@AlwaysOverPar) October 12, 2020
Now Thomas Dimitroff? I’ll help him pack up his house myself if it means him leaving Atlanta more quickly.
Dimitroff was brought in by the Falcons in 2008 after years in the Patriots organization. They hoped he could bring some of that New England magic to Atlanta.
Things started just fine. He hired Mike Smith and had a bunch of good draft picks like Matt Ryann. Smith made the playoffs four times in seven seasons in Atlanta but he only won one postseason game.
It was Dimitroff’s job to let go of the first coach he had hired and bring in someone new. He landed on Quinn.
As before, the match looked solid as Quinn took the Falcons to the Super Bowl in Year 2. However, his embarrassing loss to the New England Patriots after blowing a 21-3 halftime lead ultimately sent his tenure into a tumble. Since that loss, Quinn made the playoffs in just one of three seasons. He hadn’t managed a winning record since 2017 as the holes on the Falcons roster got bigger.