As we distance ourselves from the Falcons hiring of Raheem Morris, more is revealed about the process that led Atlanta to him instead of Bill Belichick. According to Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports, Belichick wanted similar powers he enjoyed with the Patriots.
“The crossroads, according to a source familiar with the Falcons and Blank, was the element of realignment that would’ve needed to take place inside the Falcons to maximize a Belichick hire. While Blank and Belichick apparently never discussed a detailed plan of how a linear chain of command under the head coach would work, the source said meetings with Blank crystalized Belichick’s continued belief that the full scope of football operations, personnel and coaching should be under his decision-making umbrella.”
Moreover, Albert Breer added that internal pressure and ramifications of bringing him in forced Arthur Blank to go away from his top target.
“My understanding is Blank went into the process wanting to hire Belichick as coach,” Breer writes. “But those around the owner, fearing what that could mean for them, nudged him in different directions. After a while, the amount of change hiring Belichick could require weighed on Blank. Especially when taking into consideration that making that amount of change might only get him two years of Belichick.”
A lot has been learned about what turned the Falcons away from Belichick but not much about what turned them toward Raheem Morris, until now. Albert Breer shed light on what led to Arthur Blank hiring the former Falcons interim head coach and defensive coordinator. The Sports Illustrated pundit began by giving his two cents, a “home run” of a hire, before adding what sold Blank.
“The Los Angeles Rams’ defensive coordinator is still just 47 years old, and he will have had a dozen years of experience in between his head coaching stints, going to Super Bowls with two teams along the way. He’s coached on both sides of the ball, he’s always had the leadership traits necessary, and everyone vouches for him. All of which played into the decision that Arthur Blank made to hire him last week.”
Literally, every coach or player that has come into contact with Raheem Morris has nothing but great things to say about him. It’s not just assistants and role players; it’s stars like Jalen Ramsey and some of the best head coaches the league has to offer.
“For Blank, really, the path here started with those ringing endorsements from people like Sean McVay, Mike Tomlin, Kyle Shanahan, Matt LaFleur and Mike McDaniel, each of whom have been with Morris at different points. And within those endorsements was something pretty interesting. All of them (save for Tomlin, who became a head coach before Morris did) explained that Morris helped them by being open about his own experience and showing a deep humility about how his three years in Tampa Bay went.”
Head coaches and players vouch for their friends. It’s not a new trend. However, when every single notable figure in the NFL is rejoicing over Raheem Morris getting the job, it’s notable. Breer then went into even more detail about his interviews and what really stuck out.
“Morris showed a real capacity to keep growing, and that was reflected in how his defense changed, first from his Tampa-2 roots to fit what Quinn had run in Atlanta, and then to where the Rams were in a Vic Fangio–centric scheme in Los Angeles.”
Morris’ experience under Dan Quinn, Kyle Shanahan, and Sean McVay has certainly had profound impacts on his understanding of the game as a whole, not just the defensive side of the ball, but his ability to lead a group of men is what he’s best known for.
“Everyone knows Morris’s ability to galvanize, but having him in the room showed just how much he could connect with people from all walks of life, and how he could build key relationships to manage a team in the tough moments.”
As mentioned above, everyone loves Raheem Morris, so it was expected that he would be able to parlay those relationships into building a great coaching staff and leveraging the relationships in free agency.
“The Falcons knew Morris would also be able to attract an all-star staff, with people like Los Angeles’s sought-after pass-game coordinator Zac Robinson on his list (who is already on board).”
Zac Robinson was the hottest offensive coordinator candidate of the hiring cycle, and Raheem Morris convinced him to come with him to Atlanta. Outside of the quarterback position, it was the single most important vacancy to fill this offseason.
The Falcons will likely have to go through hiring a new offensive coordinator in a couple of seasons if Robinson is as good as everyone thinks because he’ll garner head coaching interest, but Morris has clearly already demonstrated that hiring coordinators is a strength.
Not only did coaches and players around the league love the hire, but the Falcons’ own players also took to social media to share their enthusiasm. Breer finished with Morris’ ability to coach “everyone” on the roster as the straw that broke Belichick’s back.
“Anyone, the thought went, could coach Jake Matthews or Chris Lindstrom or Grady Jarrett. But Morris could do a lot more than that, able to get in the weeds at any position with his experience coaching both sides of the ball.”
The Falcons seemingly got a great head coach, who wasn’t even Arthur Blank’s top target. Next will be what Raheem Morris does at quarterback.
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Jordon Kelly/Icon Sportswire
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