‘Phenomenal’: Why Jessie Bates, Chris Lindstrom Believe in Falcons Coach Raheem Morris

The Atlanta Falcons haven’t done so much as take a snap under head coach Raheem Morris, but two of the locker room’s top leaders are already believers.

Atlanta Falcons safety Jessie Bates III / Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Shortly after the Atlanta Falcons named Raheem Morris their next head coach Jan. 25, Jessie Bates III looked down at his phone to a few missed calls and a text message from a Tampa area code.

“What, are you ducking me?” the message read. “This is Raheem Morris.”

Bates didn’t have Morris’s number in his phone. He said Tuesday in Flowery Branch he was skeptical the person on the other side of the phone was actually Morris.

“A head coach usually doesn’t say, ‘You’re ducking me,’ like that,” Bates said. “So, I had no clue it was him.”

This was Bates’ first interaction with Morris, his new boss. It was also the start of the next three years of his career.

Bates didn’t confirm the other number belonged to Morris until he was on the phone with defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake, who was hired four days after Morris.

During the conversation, Morris was sitting in the room and joked that Bates didn’t want to answer his phone calls.

For Bates, these moments were a fitting start to a strong relationship spearheaded by the energetically, endearing personality Morris has become to be known for.

“He’s a jokester, man,” Bates said. “And he knows the difference between going to work and having a good vibe and not being so uptight — that causes a lot of people to almost freak out sometimes and not perform at the highest level. So, Coach Rah, he’s great.”

Phone number aside, Morris has another card he always pulls on Bates — Super Bowl LVI. Morris, then the defensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Rams, helped orchestrate a 23-20 victory over Bates and the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Morris-led Rams defense held the Bengals scoreless in the fourth quarter. Bates has heard all about it.

“He talks about (how) he called a great game as a defensive coordinator; he brags about that all the time,” Bates said. “Just a great person. You ask anybody around this league, and I’ve heard nothing but positive things, and he’s shown it, day in and day out.”

Bates finds Morris brings a new energy to Flowery Branch; the reigning All-Pro safety said he experienced a different energy upon arrival last year when signing with the Falcons and head coach Arthur Smith. There’s again a new air in the locker room.

Still, Bates noted he wasn’t around for the years prior. Right guard Chris Lindstrom was.

Lindstrom, along with left tackle Jake Matthews and right tackle Kaleb McGary, were in Atlanta during Dan Quinn’s tenure. They were also present for Morris’s 11-game stretch as interim head coach in 2020, during which the Falcons went 4-7.

The trio stayed together during Smith’s three years at the helm and have now watched Morris resume his run as the top man — something Lindstrom feels fortunate to experience.

“He’s phenomenal,” Lindstrom said. “The energy Coach brings every single day, it’s amazing. He’s fun to be around and just the mindset of attacking every single day. When he got hired to come back, I was so excited and told so many different guys, it’s great.

“I can’t wait for this year. It’s exciting.”

Lindstrom’s comments back Bates’ fact-checking, resulting in an Atlanta locker room — headlined by its only two Pro Bowlers from last season — already bought into Morris’s tutelage.

Granted, the Falcons still haven’t experienced their first practice under Morris. Team meetings began April 2, and many players have been in the building over the past month, but the real work hasn’t yet begun.

And yet, Bates is right at home with Morris — especially now that he has his phone number.

“It almost feels like I’ve played him before,” Bates said. “With him coming in and setting the atmosphere for what we want to be as a team and the way he’s explaining everything, how he wants us to be football players, complete men.

“Just overall, all-around great people in this building.”

Bates and Lindstrom are both mid-tier veterans, players in their mid-20s who are now onto their second professional contract.

Bates has tasted winning, having played in seven postseason affairs with the Bengals. Lindstrom is still searching for his first playoff appearance.

The Falcons haven’t played meaningful football in January since the end of the 2017 season. Owner Arthur Blank, 81, wants to see a winner.

It’s why Atlanta fired Smith, who went 7-10 in each of his three seasons but only had one offseason with the capital to make splashy acquisitions, with a relatively short leash.

Change, Bates said, can be questioned — but this one already feels right to the 27-year-old.

“I think Rah’s doing it the right way of laying our foundation and what that looks like and how we attack it getting to that point,” Bates said. “So, very excited to have a leader like Rah lead us this year.”

Through his first three months on the job, Morris has drawn nothing but praise — from players and coaches both old and new.

Still, Atlanta’s ready to win more than just press conferences. Morris has been hired to do exactly that.

And Bates, through a short period of time with Morris’s phone number and an even shorter period working hands-on with him, is already a believer based on how Morris has conducted the spring thus far.

“I think it’s really good that you have the top of the top speaking about not just football, but being great people,” Bates said. “And I think that can go a long way with us having success this year.”