The Falcons are moving forward with Raheem Morris as head coach following an extensive interview process that took many turns, including a belief that it was Bill Belichick’s job to lose.
Morris reportedly impressed the search committee with his plan and enthusiasm, but it was Belichick’s unwillingness to give up power that eventually forced Arthur Blank away from his top target.
According to Albert Breer, the Falcons owner wanted Belichick “the head coach” and not all of the other hats he wore in New England. As the Patriots’ de facto GM for two decades, Belichick became accustomed to running the ship his way without answering many questions from his superiors.
In Atlanta, that wasn’t going to work, and it eventually resulted in Blank turning away from Belichick and toward Raheem Morris, who has a challenging task ahead of him to get the Falcons back in the postseason.
With plenty of cap space and the 8th overall pick, Terry Fontenot should be able to put together a playoff-caliber roster for Morris, but there’s still the question of quarterback. Regardless of who the Falcons hired, the most significant move of the offseason was always going to be the direction at signal caller.
Nobody could’ve succeeded with Desmond Ridder last year, and it eventually cost Arthur Smith his job. He never had even average quarterback play during his tenure in Atlanta, but it was his own doing.
He held Ridder in high regard, which is a damning indictment of his judgment, so that should certainly be held against him. Smith paraded the third-round pick around in the offseason as the organization’s next franchise quarterback. It couldn’t have gone worse.
Ridder’s play held the Falcons back, and he constantly cost the club games and his head coach his job. If the Falcons had signed someone like Baker Mayfield, they would’ve run away with the division. The potent Titans offenses in Tennessee didn’t just call themselves, though; I believe Arthur Smith can coordinate a successful offense with a good quarterback.
That was the exact pitch he gave to Arthur Blank to convince the team’s owner to give him a fourth season. “Part of former head coach Arthur Smith’s pitch for a fourth season in Atlanta was his belief that acquiring a new quarterback would unlock an offense with the potential to be the league’s best, according to league sources,” Josh Kendall of The Athletic writes.
I truly believed that he would get a fourth season because of that fact… until the late-season collapse. The Falcons lost to the 1-12 Panthers because of Ridder’s sixth red zone turnover, which led the league. Then the Falcons fell in embarrassing fashion to the Saints in the finale. The writing was on the wall. Arthur Smith made his bed by putting his eggs in Desmond Ridder’s basket, and he had to lie in it.
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Photographer: David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire
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