Falcons fans got their first taste of Raheem Morris on Monday, and by the reactions on social media, it went well.
The hire was met with universal praise among the top coaches and players in the league familiar with Morris, and it seems the fans received him the same way. He was charismatic, energetic, direct and transparent during his introductory press conference.
It was a breath of fresh air after three years of Arthur Smith, who is by all accounts a good coach and man but doesn’t radiate the same energy as his successor.
The fans and city are buzzing, as well as his former players. Matt Ryan, who spent time playing against Morris and for him, spoke on CBS Sports about his excitement about the direction the Falcons are headed with Raheem Morris.
“He connects with his players, guys are going to love playing for him. He’s got the ability to make it known he cares about his guys but at the same time can hold them accountable, and really that’s the key, showing love and then being able to push them.”
I have yet to hear a negative thing said about this man. The Falcons new head coach has received nothing but praise from former players, coaches, members of the media, etc. I don’t know if it’s recency bias or what, but it feels like there’s never been a hire met with such widespread approval.
However, it’s more than just playing politics. Coach speak will only get you so far in a results-oriented business, but as Ryan went on, another strength is leaning on those relationships to build out an All-Star staff.
“The thing I’m most excited about for Raheem Morris though is the staff he’s starting to put together. And I think that often gets overlooked is, ‘Let’s hire this head coach and he’s going to be great and do this.’ Well, who is going to work with him? Who is actually going to call the plays on both sides of the ball? I think he’s putting together a nice staff. It’s a mix of kind experience and youth and energy.”
It is often an overlooked aspect of being a head coach. Offensive playing calling head coaches have it a little easier because they only need to make one coordinator hire, but a CEO-esque head coach needs to make two, and Raheem Morris knocked at least one of them out of the park.
Zac Robinson was the most coveted offensive coordinator candidate of the hiring cycle, and Morris knew he’d follow him wherever he ended up. The jury is still out on Jimmy Lake, but he deserves the benefit of the doubt.
However, regardless of who the Falcons hired, the quarterback position needed to be fixed. Bill Belichick, Morris, or anyone else wouldn’t get far with Desmond Ridder, and Matt Ryan knows it.
“I think most importantly he’s gotta stabilize the quarterback position. It really was the thing that held the Falcons back this last year.”
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