While much of the focus will be put on Zac Robinson, the Atlanta Falcons new offensive coordinator, and rightfully so, as he'll be in charge of a unit that underperformed last season, the new staff led by coach Raheem Morris and his defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake will look to build off this past season.
Lake may be a new name for many Falcon fans, as before this past season, when he was the assistant head coach with the Los Angeles Rams, he hadn't coached in the NFL since 2011. Which, as you can probably guess, was when Morris was the coach in Tampa Bay.
"I go so far back with Jimmy Lake, talking about our Tampa days," Morris said, "our core beliefs, some of the things we believe in, like-mindedness, his ability to go call it in college, really have a real tenure in college where you climb the ladder of the defensive coordinator, going to a head coach, having the ability to go through hard times, fighting through some things."
During his decade away from the NFL coaching scene, Lake made a name for himself at the college level. After leaving the Buccaneers in 2011, Lake took the defensive backs coaching job at Boise State in 2012, where he'd spend two seasons before following head coach Chris Petersen to Washington.
After spending two seasons in the same role, he was promoted to the co-defensive coordinator for two years before becoming the lone signal-caller for the 2018 and '19 seasons.
Following the 2019 season, Lake was promoted once again, this time to head coach, as Petersen retired. It was a position Lake would hold for only two seasons, as he was fired nine games into the 2021 season. Lake's firing came a week after he was suspended for shoving a player out of the way of a brawl.
Then, after a year away from football, Lake got his first chance back in the NFL last season, serving on Sean McVay's staff as he reunited with Morris.
Now, the pair of longtime friends will look to build on what previous defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen built in Atlanta. Last season, the Falcons went from having one of the worst passing defenses to ranking No. 8 in yards allowed per game.
Given the 47-year-old's extended experience coaching the defensive backs, he could be a good fit for maintaining one of the league's top secondaries.
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