ATLANTA -- The Atlanta Falcons hired Scott Pioli as assistant general manager on Wednesday, reuniting him with GM Thomas Dimitroff. Bill Walton Blazers Jersey . Pioli was director of player personnel for the New England Patriots from 2000-08, including six seasons with Dimitroff, who directed college scouting. He was the Kansas City Chiefs general manager for four years before leaving by mutual agreement in January 2013. Pioli, 48, will join the Falcons on Feb. 3, after he completes his contract with NBC Sports and SiriusXM Radio. Pioli began his NFL career in 1992, when he was hired by Bill Belichick as a scouting assistant for the Cleveland Browns. Pioli was made the New York Jets director of pro personnel in 1997 before joining Belichick in New England. Falcons owner Arthur Blank said Dimitroff initiated the push to bring in Pioli. "This move was made as a result of Thomas competitive drive to build the best personnel team in the NFL, and the addition of Scott to his team certainly reflects that," Blank said. Dimitroff said Pioli is "one of the most respected and adept talent evaluators in the NFL." "We have worked together well in the past and been friends for more than 20 years," Dimitroff said. "We have had the opportunity to experience a lot of success together, and I am very pleased that he has agreed to join our personnel team so we can work together again." The Falcons were 4-12 in 2013 after five straight winning seasons. "We have made the commitment to improve every aspect of our organization this off-season, and with the addition of Scott to our personnel department, we have taken an important step to enhance our scouting staff," Dimitroff said. Custom Portland Trail Blazers Jerseys .com) - Robert Upshaw made a putback jumper to put 17th-ranked Washington ahead with 1:27 remaining in the game and the Huskies held on to beat Eastern Washington 81-77 on Sunday. Anfernee Simons Jersey . At quarterback, all agree that Andy Dalton has been a wonderful surprise, but to truly progress he has to play his best in the playoffs. The two losses in the wildcard rounds keep the evaluation on Dalton open -- just like it did for Peyton Manning many years ago and Matt Ryan until last year. http://www.blazersteamofficial.com/Clyde-Drexler-Blazers-Jersey/ . Rodgers was ruled out on Friday by Packers head coach Mike McCarthy. Matt Flynn will make his second consecutive start for the Packers. PRETORIA, South Africa -- Oscar Pistorius was not suffering from a mental illness when he killed girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp and was able to understand the wrongfulness of what he had done, according to psychiatric reports submitted Monday at the Olympic athletes murder trial. The conclusions by a panel of experts, read aloud by chief prosecutor Gerrie Nel, appeared to remove the possibility that the double-amputee runner could be declared not guilty because of a mental disorder, which would result in his being committed to a mental institution. The court-ordered evaluation was conducted during a one-month break in the trial, after a psychiatrist testifying for the defence, Dr. Merryll Vorster, said that Pistorius had an anxiety disorder that may have contributed to the shooting in his home in the early hours of Feb. 14, 2013. Pistorius said he feels vulnerable because of his disability and long-held worry about crime, Vorster noted. Nel had requested an independent inquiry into Pistorius state of mind, suggesting that the defence might argue that the athlete was not guilty because of mental illness. The examination was conducted at a state psychiatric hospital by a psychologist and three psychiatrists. On Monday, Nel announced the findings when the trial resumed. However, he quoted only briefly from the conclusions, and the entire reports were not publicly released, raising questions about what else they contained. Pistorius has testified that he fired through a closed bathroom door, killing Steenkamp, in the mistaken belief there was a dangerous intruder in his home. The prosecution has alleged that Pistorius, 27, killed 29-year-old Steenkamp after a Valentines Day argument. Pistorius faces 25 years to life in prison if found guilty of premeditated murder, and could also face years in prison if convicted of murder without premeditation or negligent killing. HHe is free on bail. Damian Lillard Blazers Jersey. Later Monday, defence lawyer Barry Roux called surgeon Gerald Versfeld, who amputated Pistorius lower legs when he was 11 months old, to testify about the runners disability and the difficulty and pain he endured while walking or standing on his stumps. Pistorius was born without fibulas, the slender bones that run from below the knee to the ankle. At Rouxs invitation, Judge Thokozile Masipa and her two legal assistants left the dais to closely inspect Pistorius stumps. The athlete was on his stumps when he killed Steenkamp, and his defence team has argued that he was more likely to try to confront a perceived danger than to flee because of his limited ability to move without prosthetic limbs. Versfeld testified that Pistorius disability made him "vulnerable in a dangerous situation." During cross-examination, Nel questioned the surgeons objectivity and raised the possibility that Pistorius could have run away from a perceived danger on the night of the shooting. He also said Pistorius rushed back to his bedroom after the shooting and made other movements that indicated he was not as hampered as Versfeld was suggesting. Roux, the chief defence lawyer, also called acoustics expert Ivan Lin to testify about the challenges of hearing something accurately from a distance. Neighbours have said in court that they heard a woman screaming on the night Pistorius shot Steenkamp, which could bolster the prosecutions claim that the couple were arguing before Pistorius opened fire. The defence, however, has suggested the witnesses were actually hearing the high-pitched screams of a distraught Pistorius after he realized he had shot Steenkamp. At times during the trial, Pistorius has sobbed and retched violently, prompting the judge to call adjournments. On Monday, Pistorius was calm and took notes during testimony. ' ' '