The Falcons finished the season 8-9, another sub-.500 record. Atlanta will begin their annual trip to Cabo while the rest of the league prepares for the NFL postseason, despite the incredible investment in the roster and a complete overhaul of the coaching staff. The failure has led me to wonder, what the hell does Raheem Morris provide as a head coach?
It’s a fair question. The Falcons didn’t get any better in any area under Raheem Morris, who now has a 29-48 record as a head coach. So, let’s talk about the five biggest decisions Morris made this year.
Coordinator Hires
Jimmy Lake would likely get a failing grade if this was a classroom, while Zac Robinson might barely be passing. At the very least, Raheem Morris needs to be held accountable for hiring his friend, who had no experience coordinating a defense. Lake will probably be fired, but Robinson will see 2025 if Morris is brought back. Neither makes Morris look like a competent head coach, though.
Overseeing Defense
Raheem Morris took a larger role in the defense during the bye week. For some of the games since the club’s Week 12 bye, the Falcons looked like they were turning a corner, pressuring opposing quarterbacks and proving to be a stingy group. However, it’s possible the competition was so poor it painted a false reality because, on Sunday, Raheem Morris’ defense was the reason the Falcons lost. Had the Buccaneers fallen to the Saints, I wonder what Morris would be saying this Monday morning.
In-Game Management
Does this one really need explaining? Raheem Morris’ in-game management has directly cost the Falcons games, most recently against the Commanders.
On the first play of their final drive, Michael Penix Jr. took the snap with 40 seconds left and immediately put the Falcons in a good position by completing a pass to Darnell Mooney for 25 yards. Mooney was unable to get out of bounds, and instead of taking a timeout, Morris, like a deer in headlights, watched as his offense scramble to get to the line of scrimmage.
By the time the clock stopped after the next incompletion, over 20 seconds had passed, leaving the Falcons with just 17 seconds remaining. Eventually, Atlanta was forced to attempt a 56-yard field goal to win the game with replacement kicker Riley Patterson, who went on to miss the kick by about five yards.
Motivation
Raheem Morris is a players’ coach, but the Falcons regularly no-showed to games on Sundays. Against the Saints, after they had just fired Dennis Allen, against the Broncos, and most recently against the Panthers, one or multiple facets of the Falcons team looked completely unprepared. That’s a direct reflection of Raheem Morris.
Kirk Cousins
Not only is Kirk Cousins’ contract a damning indictment of Raheem Morris, but the head coach’s refusal to accept that the veteran’s play was holding the team back contributed to the Falcons missing the postseason. Atlanta will now likely have to cut Cousins, taking on considerable dead cap. This will financially handicap them from building around Michael Penix. Essentially, a five-year rookie contract, which is the most valuable thing in the NFL right now, is shrunk to a three-year rookie contract.
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I’m just not sure what Raheem Morris provides as a head coach. He proved incapable in Tampa Bay, but even I wanted to see him succeed in Atlanta. He’s charismatic and inspired confidence; however, now it just feels like he’s a used car salesman with a silver tongue. The Falcons will continue to be held back if they don’t make the difficult yet necessary decision to move on from Raheem Morris.
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Photo: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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