5 signs of life from the Atlanta Falcons in their win over the Saints

5. Dan Quinn and Thomas Dimitroff must go.

None of the positives we saw Sunday suggest Quinn be allowed to retain his position. The fact that none of them were evident this season until Sunday is indicative of Quinn’s weaknesses. He lacks vision and a sense of urgency and has wasted almost two seasons being the player’s buddy instead of winning football games.

Can he learn and develop on this? History suggests not, and there is no reason to waste time or careers on that low-percentage proposition.

Building on this game will only be possible if Quinn is gone.

I’m less critical of Dimitroff. He’s been a decent drafter and tried to work in tandem with his head coach. He’s not afraid to trade up or make a move, which is where we got Julio Jones and Grady Jarrett. He’s hardly a flashy free-agent GM, but he has picked up some useful pieces. That there is considerable talent on the field says something for the job he’s done.

But he’s too committed to a “best-case scenario” philosophy. He traded up for Sam Baker, who spent chunks of his college career injured, then signed him to a long-term deal after Baker’s one decent year, only to see him spend more time in the trainer’s room than on the field. He whiffed wildly on high round picks like Peria Jerry and Peter Konz, and took chances on players with known issues like Jalen Collins, Ra’Shede Hageman, and Prince Shembo.

The signings of Ray Edwards and Tyson Jackson as pass rushers suggest a GM who doesn’t grasp certain key football concepts.

The front office needs a new perspective. Twelve years is a long time, and keeping Dimitroff in his current position comes with more risk than potential.

Let ’em both go, and bring in someone who can tweak and maximize what’s in place, rather than flog excuse after excuse at the post-season presser.