When the Atlanta Falcons announced the departure of Arthur Smith, I was quick to see what options that they had in front of them. Some of the obvious candidates were Bill Belichick, Jim Harbaugh and Eric Bieniemy.
Candidates
Bringing in Harbaugh from Michigan was something that would have a notice on other teams that the Falcons were serious about the future of their franchise. His time in San Francisco was short-lived, but he was able to lead them to a Super Bowl during his tenure. He also had a wildly successful coaching career at Michigan. Coming off of a fresh National Championship with the Wolverines, he had shown that he could build a culture within a team.
Eric Bieniemy seemed to be a natural fit in Atlanta. The Falcons already had a defense that kept them in games, they just needed the offense to put up points. Bieniemy made a firm impression on GMs around the league during his time as offensive coordinator with the Kansas City Chiefs. Add in that the Falcons are looking for a quarterback, and this seemed to me like a no-brainer for both sides. Yet the Falcons didn’t even interview him.
Then came the last resort for the Atlanta Falcons to land a big name head coach: Belichick. After widely being considered one of the greatest coaches of all time, Belichick and the New England Patriots parted ways in the offseason. Any team with a head coaching vacancy was chomping at the bits for him. The Falcons were the only team up until the Morris hire to Interview Belichick twice.
It seemed to be a for sure thing that the Falcons would go in the route of offering a big contract to one of these three guys. Or so I thought.
The Decision
However, the Falcons sent their fans in a tailspin by hiring Raheem Morris. The name should sound familiar to Falcons fans. Morris served as the interim head coach for the Falcons in 2020 after Dan Quinn was fired. Before being named interim coach, he was the teams defensive coordinator.
Falcons being cheap
So after all the coaching searches, I have to ask myself: why did the Falcons choose Morris? I think the biggest reason was finding someone that wasn’t going to break the bank. While details on the contract haven’t been sent out yet, he will surely cost a lot less than any of the coaches mentioned. Atlanta has never been one to make big moves, and this was no different. To get quality people around an organization, it costs money. However, owner Arthur Blank shows time and time again that he will not pay it.
Look at free agency and how the Falcons have done there in recent years. Jessie Bates is the only big free agent that they have gone after since Tony Gonzalez in 2009. Signing veterans to team friendly deals are good, but where is the star power? The offense in Atlanta has way too much potential for someone to take over and not use it correctly. With Morris being a defensive-minded coach, I can not trust that he will.
Belichick wanted too much power over Falcons
Belichick wanted too much power in the organization for Blank to give him the money he was asking for. I understand this point because Belichick is about to be 72 years old. With retirement right around the corner, this would have been a band aid solution to the team for the next two to three years. Belichick could have been a good head coach in Atlanta. However, we can not let one person have that much power in the organization.
Was Morris the right guy for the job?
With the available options, I wish that the Falcons could have waited out and seen what other coaches were interested. It still baffles my mind that Bieniemy didn’t get interviewed. I really do hope the best for Morris in Atlanta and will support this team in whatever direction they go. However, Morris has a lot to prove to me before I can say this was a good hire.