Falcons hire Morris as coach, pass on Belichick

ATLANTA — The Falcons are going lend a hand to their past to check out to solidify their future.

Atlanta hired Raheem Morris as its coach on Thursday, making him the first outdated NFL head coach owner Arthur Blank has hired in his 20-plus-year tenure. He is furthermore the first paunchy-time Black head coach in the franchise’s history.

“This will be a historical day for the Atlanta Falcons,” Blank talked about in a observation. “We’re extremely happy to welcome Raheem Morris lend a hand to Atlanta as the crew’s recent head coach. … Raheem emerged from a discipline of good candidates and is the real leader to steal our crew into the future.

“His time in LA has given him an enhanced level of view on every thing from personnel, crew operations, game planning, working with an prominent offensive workers and a great deal of different issues that has helped him compose into an even more ready coach in all sides of the game. I mediate his leadership abilities like grown and his working out of what it takes to love a extremely collaborative one-crew custom are in actuality at a unparalleled elevated level.”

Morris’ hire comes after an intensive search that featured 14 candidates, including outdated New England Patriots coach Invoice Belichick, ex-Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel and outdated Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh, who become as soon as hired Wednesday by the Los Angeles Chargers.

Morris become as soon as one of 4 coaches who had 2nd interviews with the club. The others were Belichick, Houston Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik and Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero. The Falcons are the entirely crew Belichick is identified to love interviewed with — and they’ve determined to hump in but another direction.

This marks a return to Flowery Branch, Georgia, for Morris, who become as soon as Atlanta’s meantime coach for 11 video games in 2020 after it fired Dan Quinn midway by the season. Morris went 4-7 however become as soon as no longer given the paunchy-time job. As a change, the Falcons hired Arthur Smith.

Now, after Smith become as soon as fired on Jan. 8 after going 21-30 in his three seasons, the crew has determined to hire Morris as its paunchy-time coach.

“I’m extremely happy for the change for my household and I to reach lend a hand to Atlanta as the Falcons head coach,” Morris talked about in a observation. “We know from firsthand expertise what a fundamental-class organization Atlanta is and what this crew technique to its metropolis and its followers. I’m incredibly appreciative of Arthur Blank for his leadership and for this entire organization for putting its trust in me to abet lead this crew.”

Morris, 47, spent the past three seasons as the Los Angeles Rams‘ defensive coordinator, successful a Expansive Bowl in 2021.

This may maybe be his 2nd stint as a paunchy-time NFL head coach, having beforehand led Tampa Bay from 2009 to ’11, going 17-31 over the three seasons.

Morris then went to Washington as the defensive backs coach from 2012 to ’14 sooner than his first stint with the Falcons — first serving as defensive pass game coordinator in 2015 and then receivers coach from 2016 to ’19, whereas furthermore being Atlanta’s assistant head coach.

He become as soon as named the Falcons’ defensive coordinator in 2020 and become as soon as promoted to meantime head coach after Quinn’s firing.

“Like it! Comprise entirely factual memories with Rah at the helm,” Falcons fullback Keith Smith talked about in a text to ESPN. “Maintain his rapport with the org is an earnings to spin and play.”

Morris inherits a defense featuring 2nd-crew All-Pro safety Jessie Bates IIIcornerback A.J. Terrell and defensive lineman Grady Jarrett. He furthermore gets proficient avid gamers on offense, including tight dwell Kyle Pittsreceiver Drake Londonworking backs Sesame Robinson and Tyler Allgeier and two offensive linemen who were there right by his last stint with Atlanta — left address Jake Matthews and proper guard Chris Lindstrom.

“I’m beyond infected to work aspect-by-aspect with Raheem in bringing a championship to Atlanta,” similar outdated manager Terry Fontenot talked about in a observation. “… Raheem is the real match for our crew, custom, and shared vision for achievement in Atlanta, and I will no longer wait to initiating working with him and like his energy in our constructing.”

Fontenot and Morris will document straight away to Blank, rather then to CEO Wealthy McKay, as become as soon as the case with the prior construction. McKay will remain in his situation with AMB Sports actions & Entertainment, representing the crew in league issues and on the NFL’s competition committee. Greg Beadles stays the crew president, handling day-to-day industry operations.

Throughout the Jan. 8 data convention to affirm Smith’s firing, it become as soon as talked about that McKay silent had day-to-day enter even supposing many notion he now no longer did. McKay talked about he spoke with Smith and Fontenot “25 events every week.”

On Thursday, Blank talked about McKay will “now no longer be involved in day-to-day soccer operations,” however that his role within Blank’s total companies will gain bigger, including turning into an accomplice director on the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation board.

Morris grew up in New Jersey and then performed college soccer at Hofstra in Long Island, New York, where he started his instructing profession as a graduate assistant. He went to Cornell as a defensive backs coach in 1999 sooner than returning to Hofstra as the defensive backs coach from 2000 to ’01, then had his first stint in the NFL as a defensive assistant with the Buccaneers.

After Morris settles on his workers, his first project will be figuring out the quarterback discipline. Taylor Heinicke and Desmond Ridder remain on the roster, however Blank referred to as the crew’s quarterback play last season “unfortunate,” and it become as soon as one of many factors that ended in Smith’s firing.

Rams quarterbacks coach and pass-game coordinator Zac Robinson will be a high candidate to become Morris’ offensive coordinator in Atlanta, league sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Morris will presumably opt to communicate to multiple coaches about the O-coordinator job, however Robinson will be a stable candidate.