Bill Belichick coaching the Falcons was once assured. It wasn’t. The Falcons disclosed Monday why they picked Raheem Morris over Belichick.
It appeared Bill Belichick will coach the Atlanta Falcons after leaving the Patriots after 24 seasons. NFL sources said it was “Belichick or bust” for the Falcons, but everything fell apart day by day until Raheem Morris was signed.
In four seasons as interim and full-time head coach, Raheem Morris has three losing records whereas Belichick has six Super Bowl wins. If a championship is the aim, choosing the more experienced Belichick seems obvious, right?
As for what happened? Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated explains why Morris was hired over Belichick.
Reasons Falcons Didn’t Hire Belichick
Fans of New England football know Belichick loves control. His desire to touch everything is why the Falcons didn’t hire him.
Breer says Falcons owner Arthur Blank’s associates worried about Belichick’s hiring. From the start, Blank wanted to recruit the 71-year-old, but the “amount of change” was too unclear to continue.
Blank became concerned about the cost of employing Belichick. Consider that that much change may only get him two years of Belichick.”
Belichick won’t last 24 seasons. I doubt he has five at his age. Since the Falcons are young, it doesn’t make sense to pull down everything for Belichick just for him to leave/retire in two or three seasons.
Morris, 47, is young enough to communicate with Atlanta’s younger players and might stay for years. Belichick would’ve given the Falcons a greater opportunity to win now, but Blank is focused on the franchise’s future.
As Super Bowl LVIII approaches, only the Washington Commanders and Seattle Seahawks need head coaches. Belichick’s next coaching employment may not be announced until 2025 due to those clubs’ lack of Super Bowl potential.
