Raheem Morris Delivers in Return to HC Role

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdqCebl9UWA

Once upon a time, Raheem Morris led the 2010 Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 10-6 record. He did it with Josh Freeman at quarterback and the 20th-ranked offense in football. Because they missed the postseason — crazy when you think about the NFC East in 2020 — it’s largely forgotten about. And because they followed up with a 4-12 record in 2011, Morris didn’t stick.

That was the last time he was a head coach in the NFL, serving as an assistant post-Tampa Bay, including the last six years in Atlanta. When Dan Quinn was axed after an 0-5 start, he was finally given another shot to have ‘head coach’ in his job title and he delivered. Morris, the interim head coach who was in his first year as Atlanta’s defensive coordinator, led Atlanta to their first win of the 2020 season, beating Minnesota 40-23. The score looks closer than how the game actually played out; Atlanta led 33-7 with four minutes to go in the game.

It’s only one game, sure, but the Falcons’ defense entered as the 31st-ranked unit in points and yards allowed. Whether it be post-Quinn energy or something different Morris actually did with them, both units showed up, and they did it on the road to boot. Matt Ryan was flawless, throwing four touchdowns and zero picks; the defense picked Kirk Cousins off three times and allowed just 32 yards on the ground.

“I can’t worry about where it’s been, I have to worry about where it’s going,” Morris said after the win.

Morris got somewhat of a raw deal a decade ago, so it’d be something if Atlanta could string some wins together and boost his stock. He was given the game ball after the game — that says something about how he’s looked at and valued.

I keep going back to that 10-win season; it was something to behold. It wasn’t like they were loaded with talent or anything; the Morris-led defense played great (ninth in points allowed) and carried the load while Freeman and the offense took care of the rock. The following year, neither of those things happened, but 2010 is enough to make he think he’s worth another look. The team was so inconsistent under Quinn, they were hard to take serious. Morris is a little more straight-forward and that’s perhaps what this team needs. Scoring hasn’t been the issue, it’s a defense and vibe thing. They corrected it in Week 6 and I’m eager to see if it was a one-time deal.

Atlanta hosts Detroit in Week 7 at 1pm ET on FOX.