Falcons news broke today they have agreed to sign Raheem Morris as their new head coach. I had to take a few hours to process this news after it came across my timeline as at first it was a mixed reaction. I’ve always liked Raheem Morris, but is he the guy to get it done? Was the 4-7 interim time paired with his time in Tampa Bay indicative that he’s better suited a step below head coach? While many knew Morris was going to be truly considered and not just a Rooney rule filler, much of the fans and media alike were surprised to see a deal done so quickly. Falcons had multiple interviews lined up with multiple candidates for another round in the coming days and signs pointed to it being wide open. Then the reports come out mid-afternoon that Morris had a really good interview and impressed Falcons brass. Within hours the deal was done and Schefter/Pelissero broke the news.
How did we get here? Atlanta fans have known Morris, and he was a well liked member of the organization. He was in contention for the Falcons job after completing his stint as interim head coach, and many fans wanted to see Morris retained. However, this did not happen and it may have been best for both parties for multiple reasons. There’s no way to predict the future, but getting hired this cycle is better for Morris on multiple fronts
Roster: The Falcons roster is in a much better position going into 2024 than they were going into 2021. In 2021, the team was hamstrung at QB and WR with aging stars. They had other large contracted players who had declined for varying reasons such as age or injury. The state of the roster was low and the team knew an overhaul was needed. Looking to the 2024 roster, the Falcons still have some holes, namely QB and Edge rusher, but the overall state of the roster is leaps and bounds better than 2021. Lockdown cornerback, All Pro free safety, young talent in the front 7, Top 10 picks at wide receiver, running back, and tight end all amount to a much better starting point before getting to the off-season and salary cap
Salary Cap: The Falcons salary cap situation in 2021 was horrendous. Matt Ryan and Julio Jones were aging and eating 40% of the cap. Add on other fading stars like Deion Jones also eating substantial cap space and the Falcons were in a position of needing to take a hit to move forward. For Morris, he got the benefit of Arthur Smith coaching the franchise with one hand tied behind his back. Whereas Morris will walk into 2024 with plenty of cap space and aforementioned roster with talent. Morris won’t have to wait or go to the clearance aisle to start signing his guys. This puts him at a distinct advantage versus taking this job in 2021. Oh and to boot, he’ll have an extra 2nd/3rd to work with from the Ridley trade. With this starting point will also come higher expectations from day 1. Morris will not have the same excuse Arthur Smith did going 7-10 his first two seasons.
Experience: Morris worked with Shanahan, Sarkisian, and now McVay. In 2021 Morris had developed experience working with Shanahan on the offensive side of the ball. Quinn wanted Morris to get more experience with that side until the wheels began to fall off defensively and Quinn moved him back. Morris getting that experience, then an opportunity to go to LA working as an assistant with McVay, winning a super bowl and his continued path to get invaluable real world experience puts him as a coach in a better position to lead. All that bodes well for him as hes built a more well rounded understanding of the game and should be able to apply lessons from his time in LA and working with Shanahan to what he does in Atlanta.
Opportunity: Morris will be given every opportunity to prove he is ready to be a NFL head coach and can lead a franchise. He’s got experience and he’s been itching for an opportunity since he was let go as the Bucs head coach a decade ago. All those experiences should help him this go around, and there’s no argument he wasn’t given an opportunity to prove it now. Arthur Smith you could argue never had a full chance to prove himself given he spent the first two seasons just positioning the team where it is today. However, Morris won’t have to deal with those two seasons of being hamstrung. It’s actually a wide open opportunity. There’s a competitive roster needing a few upgrades and a head coach who can lead them. He’s got cap space, talent across the roster, and draft capital to boot. He has options Arthur Smith could of only wished he had in 2021. That puts a high bar for Morris and he’s going to have to find success early or expect the great to turn up quickly. Blank showed with firing Smith, he does not have time to wait and see. Blank wants results now.
For the Falcons, its hard not to listen to takes around the league by respected peers and consider that as well in factoring is this the right time? Take Mike Tomlin being very candidate in his thoughts Raheem Morris was a top 32 coach in the NFL in 2022:
You also have Jalen Ramsey, an all time corner who also very candidly shut down talk of Raheem “Rah” Morris struggling or being an issue for the defense. You can hear the genuine tone in their voice as they speak on him that this isn’t some scripted thoughts. They truly believe he’s one of the brightest minds they’ve been around in their careers. That should speak volumes to Falcons brass, fans, and media alike. Raheem wasn’t given the job. He’s earned it and he’s got something to prove.
https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxYwAs8RTzgfM-IiHNICPVpJEIhDsgEknn?si=Vg19U-RBuZu8oU6F
In closing, Morris is actually benefitting from being passed up in 2021. While at the time he wanted this job and would have happily taken the challenges the team and franchise faced, the fact he will get a full on opportunity to prove himself is what he truly needed. Morris time in Tampa Bay did not go well and it’s taken him over a decade to shake the stain from his failed time there. This is likely his last chance to prove his chops as a head coach and you want to see guys be given a real opportunity to succeed. For Morris, he has it this year. The roster isn’t perfect but it’s only a few pieces away from being competitive. Can he add those pieces and build the coaching staff to maximize everything? For Falcons fans, they can only hope. For Morris, his head coaching career likely depends on this being a successful winning stop on his resume. He could not have predicted in 2021 he’d be back 3 years later as the actual head coach, but if asked to take over the 2021 Falcons or 2024 Falcons, nobody is going for the former. There’s a quiet optimism that this timing is right and everything has been building to this point. Hopefully Morris only propels that optimism to success on the field and complete the comeback proving first stop failures don’t define a man’s career.
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