Raheem Morris hired as head coach by Falcons, who pass on Bill Belichick

Photograph: Kyusung Gong/AP

The Atlanta Falcons hired Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris as their head coach on Thursday, capping an exhaustive search that included six-time Super Bowl winner Bill Belichick.

The 47-year-old Morris is a familiar name in Atlanta, having served as the Falcons’ interim coach for the final 11 games of the 2020 season after the firing of Dan Quinn. He previously coached the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for three seasons.

Morris was hired by the Falcons after 14 candidates were interviewed, with Belichick the most notable among them.

Earlier Thursday, the team conducted a second interview with Houston Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik. In the end, the Falcons decided to go with an experienced coach who has been in the league all but one season going back to 2002, including a stint in Atlanta from 2015 through 2020.

Morris becomes the first non-interim Black coach in Falcons history and joins general manager Terry Fontenot, who also is Black, in leading a franchise that hasn’t had a winning season since 2017.

The hiring ensures there will be at least nine minority head coaches to start the 2024 season, the most ever.

“This is a historic day for the Atlanta Falcons,” owner Arthur Blank said in a statement. “Raheem emerged from a field of excellent candidates and is the right leader to take our team into the future.”

After being passed over for the Falcons job following the 2020 season in favor of Arthur Smith, Morris moved to the Rams. He spent three seasons as that team’s defensive coordinator, a tenure that included a Super Bowl championship in his first year.

Smith was fired by the Falcons shortly after their final regular-season game. He went 7-10 in each of his three seasons.

Morris was just 33 years old when he got his first head coaching job with the Buccaneers in 2009. He lasted three seasons, finishing with one winning season, no playoff appearances and a record of 17-31.

During his previous time in Atlanta,…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/raheem-morris-hired-head-coach-222001191.html

Author : The Guardian

Publish date : 2024-01-25 22:20:01

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