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Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2008

Difference easy to see with Falcons

On the first day of training camp, it was obvious that there was something different.

The difference, however, wasn’t one that could be measured by counting the plethora of new faces dotting the field. Instead, the difference was intangible. It had to be felt.

Inside the first few minutes of the July day that signifed the start of a brand new NFL season, it was obvious that the dark black clouds of Bobby Petrino and Michael Vick had been lifted.

This process started months earlier when, amid strong criticism, Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank hired a young upstart general manager in Thomas Dimitroff and demoted his veteran, proven team president Rich McKay. While the consensus pointed toward many fans being in favor of McKay taking a lesser role in the franchise — perhaps even being fired — it became clear that fans weren’t interested in an experiment that might duplicate the disappointment and embarrassment felt just a season earlier.

Dimitroff was doubted from the start, and when he played a big part in hiring a head coach who had no prior experience in the position, the apprehension built even further.

Then the draft came in April, and the outcome left many scratching their heads, wondering what exactly would be the direction of the team that had become the butt of bad jokes because of the exploits of a couple of bad people.

At the time, it seemed the unwillingness of fans to buy into all the changes was justified since there were very few tangibles to measure from the new regime and new players brought into the franchise.

But while uncertainty reigned in the months leading up to the season, Blank, Dimitroff and new head coach Mike Smith were busy putting together the components and casting aside the cloud of gloom that would ultimately allow for the success the Falcons have achieved thus far.

It might seem premature to crown this season a success considering there are still three games left, but think for a moment about where the Falcons were just a year ago.

Just a few days from now will mark the one-year anniversary of Petrino stealing away from Atlanta in the middle of the night, sleazily leaving the Falcons behind with merely a note of apology and a cheap explanation at each player’s locker. Later that same day, Petrino resurfaced in Arkansas, accepting the head coaching job with the Razorbacks after leading the Falcons to a 3-10 record and into what was thought to be a certain, long, depressing rebuilding period.

While many in the front office will contend that the Falcons are still deep in a rebuilding period, it certainly hasn’t been depressing and it doesn’t look like it will be all that long before it’s over.

That’s a direct result of the men at the top. What Blank, Dimitroff and Smith have done is fortify a team that looked like it couldn’t be fortified. They have electrified a team that looked like it couldn’t hold a charge. They have done what was unprecedented and unheard of, taking a team completely demoralized by the escapades of its former quarterback and the antics of its childish former head coach and turning it into one that is in contention for a playoff spot with an outside chance at winning the division.

While it may have been tough to see the trees through the forest a few months ago, Blank, Dimitroff and Smith have, in short time, turned what was unseen into the seen and the intangible into the tangible.

Contact Jay Adams at 744-4401 or jadams@macon.com