The Atlanta Falcons finally introduced Raheem Morris as the 19th head coach in franchise history on Monday afternoon. Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot laid out their vision for the Falcons in 2024 and beyond during an hour-long press conference.
While they didn’t get specific about their plans for the quarterback position, Morris did give some background on his two coordinator hires. Former Rams QBs coach Zac Robinson will take over the offense and Rams assistant head coach Jimmy Lake will serve as the defensive coordinator.
Some wondered whether or not Morris, who spent the last three years as the Rams defensive coordinator, would handle the defensive playcalling duties in Atlanta. During Monday’s press conference, Morris said Lake would call the defensive plays.
Falcons HC Raheem Morris said DC Jimmy Lake will call the plays.
Morris said he wants to be able to be able to be with both sides of the ball.
— Michael Rothstein (@mikerothstein) February 5, 2024
Former Falcons head coach Arthur Smith was essentially the offensive coordinator for the last three seasons and the results were underwhelming, to say the least. Morris has previous head-coaching experience, which should give him an advantage over some of the other, less-experienced candidates.
As someone who was hired as the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the age of 32, Morris should be able to avoid a lot of the missteps that other young coaches make.