Why Falcons hope to mimic Rams’ McVay-Snead relationship

It’s not a hot take to say that the time he spent in Los Angeles under Sean McVay and Les Snead benefited new Falcons head coach Raheem Morris more than the time he spent in Tampa Bay as the Buccaneers head coach.

The experience Morris took from working for one of the best head coaches and general managers in football is one he hopes to take to his new organization. Morris spoke about the relationship between McVay and Snead, specifically how he wants to have that type of relationship with Terry Fontenot.

“When I got there, one of the first things I told Sean — just noticing how we moved through daily rhythm and routine and things that we’ve done — was, ‘Man, I am jealous of you and Les Snead’s relationship.’ I said, ‘To watch you guys collaborate and move in silence, be able to have your communication ongoing, have your communication consistent, honest, open — all of those thing you guys do with each other — that is the next step…To me, it was the shared vision that they had on the ultimate collaboration because of the communication. No. 1 thing about those guys: They were good listeners, and they were good communicators. The communication has to be open, honest and ongoing,” Morriss said via Terrin Wack of atlantafalcons.com

The Falcons tried the collaboration route with Arthur Smith and Terry Fontenot, but there was obviously some miscommunication or something because they ended up with a third-round pick in Desmond Ridder as the primary option in 2023.

The roster has some issues, but none are more pressing than the quarterback position. The new duo in Atlanta will be tasked with figuring out the solution this offseason, whether that be for the short term or long term.

The rest of the roster isn’t perfect, but it’s in good shape. The Falcons could use a couple of wide receivers, cornerbacks, and pass rushers. It will be Raheem Morris and his staff’s job to communicate their needs to Terry Fontenot and his staff, so the front office can acquire players the coaches need and want.

From what we’ve seen so far, it looks like a blossoming relationship from the introductory press conference.

“I think Terry and I are developing this relationship that we’re trying to get right now, that’s the most important part. It’s not just the communication part. But it’s also the listening part,” Morris added.