Falcons’ Raheem Morris may be the worst new head coach.
Falcons: Raheem Morris, Terry Fontenot, Arthur Blank
Atlanta chose Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris after weeks of interviews and rumors, as with every head coaching search. Indeed, “settled” fits the hire.
After Arthur Smith was sacked 24 hours after the last regular-season game, the Falcons had 14 interviews in the past two weeks to fill his head coaching position. The Falcons interviewed almost every head coach candidate, including Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh, former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, and Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik. After the “extensive” investigation, owner Arthur Blank and general manager Terry Fontenot seemed familiar with the group.
Why did Raheem Morris help the Falcons now but not in 2022?
Four years ago, the Falcons sacked Dan Quinn after five games into his sixth season and replaced him with Raheem Morris, Atlanta’s then-defensive coordinator.
Morris was rumored to be named Falcons head coach after going 4-2 in his first six games as interim coach. After Morris and the Falcons lost their last five games, Blank promptly began rebuilding the organization, including selecting a new head coach.
Morris was interviewed in 2020, maybe as a courtesy to appease the NFL Rooney Rule. Instead, the Falcons hired Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, a rising coach.
Unlike in 2020, when the Falcons at least attempted to hire a rising star who could have become one of the league’s best head coaches, they hired a retread who had little success in his last stint.
Morris coached the Buccaneers from 2009 to 2011. According to Pro-Football-Reference, he finished 17-31 (.356) in three seasons, hitting 10-6 in his second year but missed the playoffs. As indicated, his brief temporary stint with the Falcons in 2022 was 4-7.
In most NFL head coaching searches, coordinators with recent success are given first looks. Morris did. He helped the Rams win a Super Bowl in 2021 with a top-half scoring defense that allowed 21.9 points per game.
In 2022, the Rams struggled offensively as well as defensively. Morris led a youthful defense that finished 20th in yards allowed (337.9 yards per game) and 18th in scoring defense (22.3 points per game) in 2023, helping the Rams return to the playoffs. That convinced the Falcons to employ him as their 15th head coach.
The NFL and head coaches are unpredictable. That’s not saying much, but Morris may be the Falcons’ finest coach ever. History shows that second-chance head coaches are mixed. Jack Del Rio and Rex Ryan for every Belichick and Reid. Even those instances had less experience than Morris in his first job.
Raheem Morris’ résumé didn’t deserve another head coaching gig.
Raheem Morris head coach record
Most head coaches who receive a second shot win 45% of their initial games. Morris lacks that. Only a few coaches have earned a second shot after a losing record, and they typically did worse.
Pete Carroll, the most renowned, is an exception. In 1994, he played one season for the New York Jets, winning.375. Still, he had a.565 % in three years with the Patriots in his second job.
The Cleveland Browns’ Romeo Crennel from 2005-2008 had a.375 winning percentage in his first position. His Kansas City Chiefs career was significantly worse, winning just over 20% of his games and leaving after two seasons.
The latest are Josh McDaniels and Dennis Allen. Years later, the Las Vegas Raiders gave him another chance following his disastrous first two seasons with the Denver Broncos, when he won under 40% of his games. He quit after two seasons with a.360 winning percentage.
Since his first Raiders head coaching position, Allen has a.222 winning %, lower than Morris. He is an anomaly since he replaced Sean Payton in New Orleans after the experienced coach took time off. His winning % has increased to.471 in two seasons, but he may be limited next season.
What convinced the Falcons Morris was the ideal fit? Fontenot said in his press conference that Morris is “the right fit for our team, culture, and shared vision,” (Falcons Wire), but it doesn’t explain why the former Rams defensive coordinator wasn’t in 2020. This doesn’t mean Belichick, who many thought would be the Falcons’ next coach last week, was right. I think Belichick supported Morris in the worst employment possibilities. At least his resume was better.
Falcons needed offensive-minded coach
In an offensive-oriented league, the Falcons’ choice of a defensive coach is troubling. Defensive coaches are still effective head coaches, as shown by the Texans’ DeMeco Ryans, but the Falcons needed to develop Desmond Ridder or draft a new quarterback, so hiring an offensive-minded coach seemed preferable. Morris must now succeed with his offensive coordinator hire.
Raheem Morris was hired for locker room presence.
Blank and the Falcons’ choice seemed to boil down to Morris’ locker room presence and team-building skills. In contrast, previous head coach Arthur Smith lost the locker room near the conclusion of his career, which was one of the many reasons he probably lost his job.
Winning a locker room is different from winning games. Morris must demonstrate both.
