Jourdan Rodrigue joined Bleav in Falcons to discuss what Morris meant to the Rams and what Atlanta can expect from their new head coach and coordinators.
When the Falcons began their search for their next head coach, some of the most renowned coaches of the last two decades were viewed as top options. But they didn’t make Bill Belichick or Jim Harbaugh the next leader of their organization. Instead, Atlanta opted for a reunion with Raheem Morris, and it’s become increasingly clear why.
On the most recent episode of Bleav in Falcons, I sat down with Jourdan Rodrigue, who covers the Los Angeles Rams for The Athletic. My goal was to learn a little bit more about Morris’s time since departing the Falcons in 2021 after six years with the organization, the last of which was partially spent as interim head coach.
She had a lot of share about Morris and the two coordinators he’s bringing with him to Atlanta, and I’d highly recommend anyone interested to listen to the podcast. The clear highlight of our conversation was just how much Morris meant to Rams head coach Sean McVay.
After winning the Super Bowl in 2021, Morris’s first season with the team, the Rams embarked on a season marred by injuries and something of an identity crisis. McVay, who is as much the face of the franchise as any head coach in the league, was burned out and internalized the Rams’ struggles deeply.
“However he is, they are,” Rodrigue said of McVay. “He got so worried that he was bringing people down because of how he was feeling and how tired he was that it was like, ok, do you have to retreat into yourself a little bit? Do you have to recalibrate? If you’re a head coach, usually you can’t do that—unless you have Raheem Morris.”
Morris was essential in helping keep the spirits and energy in the Rams’ facility uplifted. When McVay retreated into himself, dealing with struggles related to matters on and off the field as Rodrigue reported for The Athletic, Morris was key in stepping up to fill that void.
He would host players from the offensive side of the ball in his office for film sessions. He’d speak directly with McVay, providing perspective and insights from his own coaching trials and tribulations. At one point, Morris was in McVay’s shoes. He was the youngest head coach in the league when Tampa Bay gave him their top job at the age of 32. Now 47, Morris contains an uncommon amount of wisdom and infuses it with his seemingly limitless enthusiasm.
Morris can command a room without the need for total control. He has earned an incredible amount of trust from a wide range of people in a profession dominated by egos and conflicting agendas. That’s part of the reason Morris is back in Atlanta.
Another reason he’s back with the Falcons is that he’s a damn good football coach. Perhaps no season better epitomizes that than his work with the Rams in 2023.
“I think the Rams asked something pretty unfair of Raheem, and I say that not as a negative thing, necessarily, but just structurally unfair. They gutted his entire defense for the sake of their salary cap, and they said, ‘Hey, we saw what you could do in 2022 when you helped keep us all intact.’”
Morris once again rose to the moment.
Among the players to leave the Rams during free agency in 2023 were Nick Scott and Taylor Rapp, the team’s starting safeties, veteran linebackers Bobby Wagner and Leonard Floyd, defensive linemen Greg Gaines and A’Shawn Robinson, and cornerback Troy Hill. On top of those departures, star cornerback Jalen Ramsey was traded to the Miami Dolphins.
Of the top eight players in terms of defensive snaps played during the 2022 season, seven were no longer on the roster for 2023.
Despite incurring heavy veteran losses, Morris’s unit improved in points per game allowed, third-down defense and sacks while holding steady in nearly every other category. While rookie Puka Nacua set the world on fire for the Rams’ offense, Morris helped first-year defensive lineman Kobie Turner lead the team with nine sacks and finish as a finalist for Defensive Rookie of the Year.
“You saw this with Raheem Morris’s defense in 2023, second-half adjustments were insane,” Rodrigue said.
“They had [five] half-shutouts, a couple in the first (half), but a lot in the second. You always saw the adjustments in part because they were always able to get freer, more flexible.”
The relationship between Morris and McVay allowed their respective areas of expertise to complement the other on Sundays, and that’s a quality Atlanta fans may notice this Fall. Offensive coordinator Zac Robinson and defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake were on the Rams’ staff last season, so they can help implement a similar identity and understand how Morris wants the interplay between offense and defense to look.
Rodrigue spoke about what fans can expect in Robinson and Lake, including a unique learning opportunity for Lake last season. But the future of the Falcons begins with Morris. He’s come a long way since his first stint as a head coach, and he’s seen as much as virtually any coach in this league. During his journey, one thing has remained abundantly clear: He leaves a mark.
“So many people were celebrating, internally, in Los Angeles but also, I got all of these texts like, ‘Holy cow, how are we ever going to replace his energy?’”
If you would like to listen to the entire interview with Jourdan Rodrigue on Bleav in Falcons, you can do so here.
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