Falcons: Raheem Morris’ excuses for poor clock management are even more worrisome

NFL: AUG 23 Preseason Jaguars at Falcons

In front of the entire country on Sunday Night Football, Raheem Morris displayed some of the worst clock management imaginable, not once but twice, at the end of each half. Every former coach, player, and fan — no matter their affiliation — recognized the miscues. Yet, the Falcons head coach still can’t seem to wrap his head around why his decision was so scrutinized.

Not only did Raheem Morris defend his decision in his postgame press conference, but he doubled down during today’s meeting with the media, providing a million words for an answer that should have been so simple.

The correct response only needed three words: “I messed up.”

There is no defending Raheem Morris’ decision. It was a simple one that he still can’t seem to grasp, and that’s the issue with the entire situation, which is much more worrisome for the Falcons future than the decision itself.

This isn’t Morris’ first rodeo. He’s been a head coach for four seasons in the NFL. He’s been an NFL coach in some capacity for two decades and has been around the game for far longer than that. If he hasn’t figured out time management yet, it’s not going to happen, and these words only magnify his lack of understanding when it comes to end-of-game situations.

There’s no scenario where Raheem Morris shouldn’t have taken a timeout following Michael Penix’s completed pass to Darnell Mooney in the fourth quarter. It would have saved nearly 20 seconds and allowed the Falcons multiple opportunities to get into field goal range. No matter how many ways Morris wants to spin it, the decision was grossly negligent.

However, the numerous excuses he’s come up with since the end of the game are even more discouraging.

Photographer: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswir

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