We are just days removed from Black Monday, a day in which many head coaches and general managers were fired, a day Falcons fans have become intimately familiar with over the years.
Just last year, Arthur Smith got the axe after an embarrassing collapse to end the season. Before that, Dan Quinn suffered a similar fate.
While there was some speculation Raheem Morris would be relieved of his duties in Atlanta, it seems the Falcons head coach will return in 2025, but he’s also shared similar experiences to Quinn and Smith. All three were fired at some point, and Quinn and Morris offered insight into their respective experiences with Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.
Following a 10 game losing streak to end the 2011 season, Raheem Morris was fired. Like many of us when things get low, Morris confided in a friend with the help of an adult beverage.
“The first phone call Morris answered came from his friend, Nikki. She asked Morris if he wanted to stop by the Wooden Door, a since-closed local bar, for an afternoon beer.
“Yep, sure do,” Morris said, chuckling as he recalled the moment.
“It was all over the news,” Morris said. “[The coaching carousel] is fun for everybody else.””
Nikki, the friend, ended up becoming his wife, and Raheem Morris had one goal since being fired — get another opportunity.
“I was so driven to just work,” Morris said. “And I wanted to be around people that I wanted to be around and choose those people. The bounce back was even more satisfying, almost, than that championship,” Morris continued. “That moment is the moment, ‘Yes, I’m ready to deal with all of those factors that come along with being a head coach.”
Similarly to Morris, Dan Quinn’s response wasn’t to sulk but to respond, which is probably a consistent theme among these men. They’re alphas. They aren’t going to be shut down by one failure, and Quinn’s goal was the same as Morris’ — another opportunity.
“I wasn’t going to be the blame person or a victim,” Quinn said. “I was like, ‘I’ve got to gain something from this.’ At the time, I didn’t know there was this silver lining, honestly, to getting fired in October. It’s lonely and it sucks, but I wouldn’t have done as much because I had this time and space to dig in.”
Quinn would coordinate the Cowboys’ defense until the Commanders came calling. It was the perfect situation. Dan Snyder was out, and Jayden Daniels came with a new ownership group. Washington is back in the playoffs, and Quinn is back where he belongs.
Both situations should teach us all a lesson.
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Photographer: Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire
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