FanHouse Tom Dimitroff

The Atlanta Falcons announced today that they have released cornerback Jimmy Williams, their 2006 second-round draft pick.

The release doesn't come as a surprise, considering that Williams never played up to expectations, and that his commitment to the game was questioned when he showed up to workouts weighing more than 230 pounds, or about 20 over his listed weight.

If the release tells us anything, it's that the new regime in Atlanta, headed up by coach Mike Smith and general manager Tom Dimitroff, doesn't think very highly of the players brought in by the old regime, headed up by general manager Rich McKay and coaches Bobby Petrino and Jim Mora.

Note: Two years ago, Falcons owner Arthur Blank said he was excited about building a nucleus of players from Virginia Tech. Now all five of the Hokies who were on the Falcons' roster at the time are gone.

On Saturday afternoon we noted Adam Schefter's report on NFL Network that the Atlanta Falcons had hired Patriots college scouting director Tom Dimitroff as their new general manager. By Saturday evening, just about every media outlet had picked up on the news.

But it's Sunday morning, and the Falcons have nothing to say. Their official web site makes no mention of Dimitroff. Does that mean the media jumped the gun?

No. What it actually means is that Falcons owner Arthur Blank is gun shy. Blank has been burned so many times this year, from Michael Vick to Bobby Petrino to Bill Parcells, that he simply wants to make sure that when his team makes an official announcement, every 'i' is dotted and every 't' is crossed. Contracts between NFL teams and their general managers are complex documents, and they take some time to sort through, and Blank isn't going to make anything public until he's sure the contract with Dimitroff is completely done.

And that's the right move. Blank is a nice guy, but in the last nine months his franchise has looked disorganized and, at times, foolish. Dimitroff has a proven track record of success, and he's the right person for this job. But the Falcons want to make sure he's actually in the job before they say anything.