Benefit of the doubt isn’t a birthright. We afforded it to the Falcons of Thomas Dimitroff and Mike Smith for a simple reason: They won big from the start. They took a 4-12 team that had seen its quarterback go to jail and its coach head for the Ozarks and went a giddy 11-5. For one of the few times in this franchise’s pockmarked history, believing was easy.
Trading for Tony Gonzalez? Yes! Moving up for Julio Jones? Risky, but in Dimitroff we trust(ed). Signing Ray Edwards? A fine idea at the time. (It became less fine after watching him play.