As the Falcons complete their exit interviews after another frustrating season, it doesn’t feel as if a major shakeup is coming. Despite delivering a losing record in all four years as Falcons GM, Terry Fontenot’s job appears safe, and it would be shocking if Arthur Blank even considered moving on from Raheem Morris after just one season.
It appears as if the Falcons will run it back with the same guys in charge; however, there could be some smaller shakeups. In his press conference on Monday, Raheem Morris alluded that all coaches will be evaluated for their performance, and decisions will be made in the near future.
“We got to evaluate all of our coaches. We got to evaluate all of our players. … That’s the process that happens now. There will never be anything that’s the same in the National Football League,” Morris said.
The one name everyone will be keeping a close eye on is Jimmy Lake. After taking a giant step forward as a defense under Ryan Nielsen, despite an overall lack of talent, the Falcons invested heavily in that side of the ball during the offseason. However, the unit took a massive step in the wrong direction under Jimmy Lake, who was clearly in way over his head.
There were whispers following the Falcons bye week that Raheem Morris began having a heavier hand in the defensive game plans, which resulted in a pretty significant turnaround until the Week 18 performance against the Panthers. Why it took Morris so long to get more involved is a head-scratcher, given he is a defensive coach. Regardless, there’s little reason to believe Jimmy Lake is the right man to lead the Falcons defense.
It would be relatively surprising if Raheem Morris did not decide to move on; however, this is the Falcons we are talking about. Accountability is optional from the top down.
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Photo: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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