You might notice a level of animosity on ESPN's "Manningcast" for "Monday Night Football" with former head coach Bill Belichick in the booth to cover Eagles vs. Falcons.
Belichick was once considered the clear favorite to fill Atlanta's head coaching vacancy this offseason before the franchise elected to go with current head coach Raheem Morris.
The Falcons' hiring of Morris over Belichick stunned the NFL world, leaving one of the greatest football minds in league history without a coaching job in his first year after departing the Patriots.
Why did Atlanta go with Morris instead of Belichick? The Sporting News revisits the Falcons head coaching search below.
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Why didn't Falcons hire Bill Belichick?
When the Patriots decided to part ways with Belichick, his name didn't heat up on the head coaching market the way you may have expected.
Belichick was coming off a disappointing 4-13 season with New England — his worst record in over two decades with the organization. His defense was still as stout as expected but the Patriots' offense finished tied for last with the Panthers for the fewest points in the NFL.
Seven teams (excluding New England) had head coaching vacancies but Belichick was only ever tied to the Falcons, Chargers and Commanders. Los Angeles elected to go with reigning Michigan national champion head coach Jim Harbaugh and Washington chose Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn instead.
Atlanta was the only team with which the future Hall of Famer interviewed.
Belichick and the Falcons seemed like the perfect match from the beginning of the head coaching carousel. He reportedly crushed his first interview on Atlanta owner Arthur Blank's yacht, "showing no signs of rust," according to an ESPN feature on the situation,
"I think Blank came away from the boat thinking [Belichick is] my guy," ESPN wrote.
But as the process went on, the Falcons' front office grew concerned that hiring Belichick would hand over too much power to the 72-year-old.
"... The Falcons realized that if you hire Bill Belichick, you hire all of him, an entire philosophy and ethos stemming from one man’s ethic and ingenuity," ESPN reported.
"In the end, his assurances failed to persuade Blank and team executives. 'He was essentially voted off the island,' a source close to the Falcons’ hiring process said."
ESPN also mentioned that Belichick's former colleague, Patriots owner Robert Kraft, gave a "stark assessment of Belichick's character," which also led to the Falcons passing on the legendary coach.
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Why the Falcons hired Raheem Morris
Atlanta's search quickly took a turn when they brought in Morris, who eventually won the job.
Morris was a familiar face within the franchise, serving a variety of coaching roles for Atlanta from 2015-20. He was even promoted to interim head coach during the 2020 season.
Morris was coming off a stint as the Rams defensive coordinator under head coach Sean McVay. With Morris in that role, the Rams won the Super Bowl in 2021.
He reportedly "blew away his interview and energized the organization with his enthusiasm, ideas and deep football knowledge, both in terms of personnel and strategy," per ESPN.
In the end, the Falcons went with a younger, more energetic voice in the 48-year-old Morris.
