If the Atlanta Falcons are truly determined to turn their franchise around, Raheem Morris seems like the perfect man to help accomplish that.
In case you are unaware, Morris has a storied history with the Falcons dating back to 2015 when Atlanta initially brought Morris in, before letting him go in 2020. Throughout his five-year tenure on the staff, he performed in various roles including wide receivers coach, defensive coordinator, and interim head coach.
Falcons owner Arthur Blank gave Morris a shot at redemption this offseason when Blank hired Morris to become the team’s new head coach in late January. When Morris was hired, there was an outpouring of ‘congratulations’ and ‘well-deserved’ comments from players and coaches around the league.
Although the 2024 season hasn’t begun just yet, Morris has made it clear what his goals are for this team moving forward: Win a Super Bowl
Shortly after Morris was hired back by Atlanta, he spoke about the pain he still feels from the teams’ Super Bowl collapse against the New England Patriots – Morris was Atlanta’s wide receivers coach at the time.
“That 2016 loss, it stings as bad as any one I’ve ever had,” Morris explained. “actually the worst I’ve had.”
Morris noted how special it is for him to return to Atlanta and have some “real cool redemption.” Morris continued by saying he wants to watch Blank hoist the Super Bowl trophy and he will do everything to make that moment happen for the owner, the organization and the city.
Atlanta’s locker room has done a complete 180° in terms of morale since Morris was hired. Players such as Drake London, Jessie Bates III and Grady Jarrett have all voiced their support for their new head coach, noting Morris’ energized persona.
Running back Bijan Robinson joined the breakfast table on “Good Morning Football” last week and expressed what it’s like to have a coach of Morris’ style:
“That dude is one of the best dudes that I’ve ever met,” Robinson exclaimed. “He just brings so much positivity into the building every single day. Having him here, and having to learn from him and all of his experiences…I think this is the perfect fit for him right here just for this team, being a little younger.”
In a recently aired episode of “The Pivot Podcast”, hosts – and former NFL players – Fred Taylor, Ryan Clark and Channing Crowder were joined by Morris. At one point in the interview, Clark debated that Atlanta’s defense isn’t where it should be, noting that the casual audience only knows of three players – Bates, A.J. Terrell and Grady Jarrett.
Coach Morris had a very salesman-esque response:
“We got dudes that I’ve got a lot of belief in…if you give a guy a role, and he owns it, and he takes that thing and he runs with it, then people start to know him and they become household names, and that’s what we want. I’m gonna breathe this belief into my guys, I promise… pic.twitter.com/uPyOmsOsPk
— Bryce Lewis (@Bryce_Lewis86) July 30, 2024
While Clark makes his point that Atlanta’s defense doesn’t have a ton of ‘marquee stars’, Morris also conducts a good sales pitch as to how he feels that those underrated players can make a name for themselves on this defense.
Last year when Morris was with the Los Angeles Rams as their defensive coordinator, he helped rookies Byron Young and Kobie Turner have magnificent seasons up front. Young and Turner combined for a total of 17 sacks in 2023. While Morris isn’t fully in charge of the defense in Atlanta, he still will play a big part in helping a handful of players develop.
All offseason long, fans have clamored for the team to add a stud pass-rusher and a reliable starter at cornerback opposite Terrell, with the team essentially refusing to do so. Both Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot have continuously conveyed their trust in the current unit on Atlanta’s defense.
Fans could see players like Arnold Ebiketie, Bralen Trice and Zach Harrison become those household names that Morris talked about and truly emerge to where Atlanta could finally see some sort of a reliable pass-rush — something they haven’t had in a handful of years. How Morris and his staff achieve that, however, remains to be seen. It could cause a lot of distress next offseason if this experiment were to fail.
With all of this said, however, this is a new era for the Falcons and Morris exudes the passion necessary for this team to be able to steer the ship in the right direction. Morris said it best: He ‘breathes belief’ into this franchise and into this fanbase.
Will he succeed?
