Inside the Makings of an NFL Coaching Staff: How Falcons' Raheem Morris Hired Assistants
Jimmy Lake sat in his office at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers headquarters, his heart full of disappointment.
It's January 2007, and Lake, then the Buccaneers' assistant defensive backs coach, was days removed from losing out on a promotion to head defensive backs coach.
Lake heard a knock on the door and looked up to an unfamiliar face.
“He comes into my office, shakes my hand,” Lake begins, “and says, ‘Hey, Jimmy. My name is Raheem Morris. I know you wanted this job, but we’re going to do this thing together.’”
That was Lake's first interaction with Morris, now the Atlanta Falcons' head coach ... and again the boss of Lake, who's Atlanta's defensive coordinator.
The sorrow Lake felt before Morris entered the room had dissipated. A strong relationship, which still persists, was created - and is now the root of the Falcons' new defensive era.
“Right from that point, we were a bond,” Lake said. “He took me under his wing. Showed me all of the ropes of how he and Mike Tomlin ran that room since 2002. The amount of information that I learned from him was just invaluable.
“Really from that point on, we’ve had a strong bond off the field, but also on the field of how he handled that and his wealth of knowledge of defensive football.”
When Morris began assembling the coaching staff for his first season back in Atlanta, he prioritized familiarity, bringing seven assistants with him from the Los Angeles Rams' staff.
Lake was one of them. Leaving Los Angeles for Atlanta was hardly a decision for Lake, one of Morris's biggest hirings and a believer in the future of the Falcons' organization under new leadership.
“Just the human being, he’s one-of-one,” Lake said. “There’s nobody like him. There’s nobody that will ever be like him. The energy that he brings, the vibe that he brings. He’s never had a bad day in his life, but then also the football knowledge.
“It’s incredible. He’s one-of-one.”
Little did he know, but Morris began building his 2024 coaching staff on that early January day, some 17 years before he was hired for another stint in Atlanta.
Feb 5, 2024; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot pose for the media after Morris was introduced as the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
Priority No. 1 for Morris after accepting the job offer from Falcons owner Arthur Blank was addressing the quarterback position.
But first, he needed an offensive coordinator capable of building a system that prohibited success and maximized the talent of Atlanta's young playmakers.
Again, Morris went back to who he knew - Zac Robinson, a former professional quarterback who was the Rams' quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator.
But for Morris, recognizing Robinson's abilities started much earlier.
Morris spent four years - two with the Falcons, two with the now-Washington Commanders - coaching alongside Kyle Shanahan, the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers and one of the game's brightest offensive minds.
Similarly, Morris shared coaching staffs in both Atlanta and Washington with lower-level assistants Mike McDaniel and Matt LaFleur, both now NFL head coaches.
During his final few years with the Falcons, Morris was around Dirk Koetter, once the head coach of the Buccaneers, and Steve Sarkisian, who led the University of Texas to the College Football Playoffs this past season.
After departing Atlanta for Los Angeles, Morris was around Rams head coach Sean McVay, another offensive guru, for three years.
Morris saw a young Shanahan develop into a play-caller who's orchestrated some of the NFL's top offenses. Morris saw an even younger McVay do the same.
Now, Morris believes Robinson's next.
“I see Zac Robinson, and I see him in the same light,” Morris said. “I see him growing, developing, bringing his timing and rhythm and his balance to our offense that we can go out here and play. And whatever it looks like, it's going to be fast.
“Those are the things that really just lit me up and made me ecstatic to have an opportunity to bring a guy like Zac Robinson to be a part of this.”
After hiring Robinson, the Falcons kickstarted their search for filling out the rest of the staff - but they didn't have to look far.
Atlanta retained several assistants from the previous staff, including a trio of lead offensive position coaches in offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford, running backs coach Michael Pitre and receivers coach T.J. Yates, who's now transitioning to work with the quarterbacks.
Ledford received interview requests from other teams with offensive line vacancies. Atlanta denied those requests, hoping to retain Ledford on its new staff.
After one film session, Robinson was sold.
“All you’ve got to do is throw on the tape with Ledford and see how those guys play,” Robinson said. “Getting to talk to him, like I said, the tape speaks for itself. How those guys played together and how they played for him was incredible.
“So, there was really no decision. We knew right away that that’s what was going to happen.”
Morris, when asked what stands out about the roster he's inheriting, immediately pointed to the offensive line.
Unsurprisingly, Atlanta brought back Ledford's right-hand man, Shawn Flaherty, with eyes towards building on the group already established.
“He’s been with Ledford for a long time and provides a ton of value,” Robinson said of Flaherty.
Neither of those decisions took much time. The same is true for Atlanta's retention of Pitre, who's spent the last two seasons with the Falcons and overseen record-setting rookie seasons from Tyler Allgeier and Bijan Robinson.
Pitre is a respected voice and proven talent developer whose character, above all else, first stood out to Robinson.
“What a great guy,” Robinson said. “I mean, you’re around Michael Pitre and just in my limited interactions, I’m excited to work with him and knowing the relationship that he’s built with those backs in that room.”
Robinson has a much longer track record with Yates; the two first met as college quarterbacks in 2008 when they were at a Manning passing camp.
Both Robinson and Yates spent time on NFL rosters as quarterbacks, the latter for a longer period of time than the former.
Still, they stayed in touch over the years. Yates said the two often talked football together, even when they weren't with the same organization.
Robinson valued the trust and chemistry he'd developed with Yates when making the final call on the quarterbacks coach, a particularly crucial role for a franchise that's battled problems under center for the last two years.
“I know I see it through the same lens as T.J., so that’s definitely some comfort for me coming into this knowing that the QB spot with that position is so vital,” Robinson said. “He’s a communicator. He’s a great guy. He’s super smart. Obviously, he’s got some great experience in the receiver room.”
Yates, who spent seven years as an NFL quarterback, worked with receivers for the past two years, a particularly eye-raising decision from former Falcons head coach Arthur Smith.
Now back at the position he specializes in, Yates said he's more comfortable - which is the theme of Morris's staff signings.
Replacing Yates as receivers coach is Ike Hilliard, who was a Buccaneers wideout while Morris and Lake were defensive assistants, and Hilliard later served as the now-Commanders' receivers coach while Morris worked in the secondary.
Morris continued adding familiar faces on the offensive staff, with pass game specialist Tim Berbenich, quarterbacks assistant KJ Black and offensive line assistant Nick Jones all following suit from Los Angeles to Atlanta.
Only one primary position coach - tight ends coach Kevin Koger, who was the final offensive position coach hired after being unretained by Jim Harbaugh and the Los Angeles Chargers - came with no prior ties to Morris or Robinson.
But Koger said the Falcons are built to win and have a nucleus of talent that he's excited to be a part of - another common theme with Atlanta's assistants.
Morris, a defensive-minded head coach, needed to build a strong offensive staff, especially considering the recent struggles that ultimately played a critical role in Smith's firing.
He responded by placing an emphasis on the quarterbacks room while blending new and old faces together into one cohesive unit with a clear goal: improving on last year's 26th-ranked scoring offense.
“We’re just excited to work all collectively together,” Robinson said.
As Lake began watching film of the defense he was inheriting, he reached for his phone and sent Morris a text.
“Woah,” Lake said. “We’ve got some pieces to work with here.”
That text was quickly followed by another, this one more personalized from Lake, who played defensive back at Eastern Washington University and spent nearly two decades coaching the secondary at both the college and professional level.
“These DBs are coached up,” Lake said. “They know how to play with technique. They know how to leverage the ball. They know how to attack the ball.”
Similar to how Robinson knew he wanted to keep Ledford, Pitre and Yates after watching tape, Lake reached the same conclusion with assistant head coach/defense Jerry Gray and senior defensive assistant Dave Huxtable.
Gray oversaw development in the secondary. Huxtable worked with the defensive line. In the days following his arrival, Lake told both multiple times how great of a job they did last year.
Huxtable was initially reported to be following Atlanta's former defensive coordinator, Ryan Nielsen, to the Jacksonville Jaguars' coaching staff but instead stayed on board.
Gray, conversely, was thought to have other suitors, one agent who represents a Falcons defensive back told SI's Falcon Report.
Still, citing due diligence, Morris and Lake interviewed a plethora of coaches, particularly for Gray's role.
But Gray knocked his meeting “out of the park,” Lake said, which ultimately led to Atlanta's decision to retain the veteran coach on its staff.
“I’ve got tremendous respect for Jerry Gray, everything he’s done in this league as a player and a coach,” Lake said. “So, we’re very, very excited that he can continue to run that room and continue to build off what he’s done here.”
Unlike the offensive staff, Morris and Lake dipped outside the Falcons' pool to round out their coaching staff - yet familiarity remained key.
Inside linebackers coach Barrett Ruud, then still a player, first met Morris, then the assistant defensive backs coach, in 2005 with the Buccaneers.
Morris left to be the defensive coordinator at Kansas State University for the 2006 season but returned a year later. He and Ruud were together again from 2007-2010.
During their final two years together, Morris was Ruud's head coach - an experience highlighted by a 10-6 record in 2010. They created fond memories, and at least for Ruud, an itch to reunite again someday.
“I was extremely excited,” Ruud said of receiving the offer from Morris. “First of all, to work with him again - because last time we were together, we had some success, then we went our separate ways in the NFL. It was always kind of a goal to get back and work underneath him as a coach.
“Now that I have a chance to do that, I'm thrilled.”
Gray also has prior ties, as he was Ruud's defensive coordinator in 2011 with the Tennessee Titans.
Secondary coach Justin Hood had no previous experience with Morris but was plenty familiar with Gray, as the two shared a coaches room with the Green Bay Packers.
For two years, they worked alongside each other - Hood as a defensive quality control coach, Gray as the defensive pass game coordinator.
Hood said he's excited to work with Gray again, but he's similarly eager to get to know Morris and Lake.
Morris initially reached out to Hood and then put in a slip, setting up the interview. Morris and Lake, a pair of veteran secondary coaches, interviewed Hood together.
“Things went well, and shortly after, they offered me a position here,” Hood said. “My wife and I, we had a chance to sit down, weigh the pros and cons, and we saw ourselves here and the great opportunity with the roster and the people we're going to be working with. So, we're excited about it.”
Outside linebackers coach Jacquies Smith was a late hire, joining the staff Feb. 22. He spent 2012-2018 bouncing around NFL rosters, including a stint in 2013 when he was on the Buffalo Bills' practice squad while Hilliard was the receivers coach.
Smith was slated to be Nevada's defensive ends coach before Morris and Lake came calling, presenting an offer he couldn't decline.
Like Smith, defensive line coach Jay Rodgers had no direct ties to the organization or the new staff, but it didn't take long for him to find comfort.
Rodgers, previously the Chargers' defensive line coach who was fired alongside head coach Brandon Staley on Dec. 15, decided Atlanta was a strong fit after conversations with Morris and Lake.
"Raheem had a lot to do with it, Jimmy had a lot to do with it,” Rodgers said. "I felt like this is a great place to live. I was really excited to get back into the NFC, NFC South too, and so I'm really excited to be here.”
Marquice Williams interviewed for the New England Patriots' special teams coordinator vacancy, a request that came when his future in Atlanta was still uncertain.
On Jan. 26, Williams declined an offer from New England. The next day, he was hired by Morris to stay on staff in the same role he's held each of the past three years.
Williams was also requested and eventually granted permission to interview with the New York Giants, but he let the situation play out in Atlanta.
Upon taking the head coaching job, Morris quickly identified Williams as an asset he needed to keep through conversations with trusted colleagues who've been around and employed Williams.
And so, two days after being hired, Morris made his first move: retaining Williams.
“You're talking about a young, dynamic coach that you can bring and keep a part of your staff,” Morris said. “I thought that was really impressive to me, and I thought that was really important for me to be around the right people.”
The Falcons' special teams room is largely the same at the top. Williams is back, as is kicker Younghoe Koo, punter Bradley Pinion and long snapper Liam McCullough.
But there's something new throughout the whole building: energy, which Williams feels is sparked by Morris.
“He’s a multiplier and I believe that leaders build leaders,” Williams said. “Any opportunity to work with a coach, a professional and a Super Bowl champ like Coach Morris, those are opportunities that you can’t pass up.”
Still, Williams had other motives.
He and his wife, Elizabeth, have four children. In an ideal world, he said he doesn't want to move them much. It hasn't always worked out that way.
Since entering the coaching industry in 2010, Williams has made stops in Minnesota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, California, Michigan and now Georgia.
The constant flux is merely a byproduct of professional coaching, a warning label slapped on every contract right above the dotted line.
But this time, Williams, with the help of Morris, had a say - and between the familial aspect, his long acquaintanceship with Morris and his respect for the organization, the 38-year-old decided he had enough evidence to justify bypassing another move.
“If there were an opportunity to stay, those were things that we were going to highly consider as a family and myself as a coach growing as a professional in this business,” Williams said.
The Falcons are six years removed from their last playoff appearance, a soul-snatching 15-10 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Divisional round.
Morris has been brought in to change that. He and general manager Terry Fontenot believe the Falcons' roster is ready-made for contention, an idea only made stronger by the signing of quarterback Kirk Cousins.
Yet uncertainty persists.
Is Morris, who has a career record of 21-38 as head coach, capable of breaking his past trends? Are Robinson and Lake, two first-time professional coordinators, prepared and able to call plays in the NFL?
What about assistants such as Ruud or Hood, neither of whom have been NFL position coaches? Or Rodgers, who was let go from his last job? Atlanta's offense trudged through last season - why not clean house?
For Morris, for Fontenot, for those who are a part of the day-to-day process, such doubts weren't in the picture.
Instead, it's been confidence, collaboration and a strong start to what all parties hope will be a fruitful relationship.
“It's been outstanding,” Fontenot said. “It's been really collaborative. We've had a lot of meetings - about our roster, the free agents, the college process - and it's been outstanding. The collaboration isn't just with me and Raheem.
“It's top-to-bottom throughout the entire building and Raheem put together a really, really good coaching staff.”
From familiar faces in prior stops to staff holdovers, from loose ties to former players - the Falcons' search to fill a coaching staff was extensive, but ultimately netted a group both Morris and Fontenot feel is fit for a team ready to contend.
