'Jealous!' New Falcons Coach Raheem Morris Analyzes Rams' Sean McVay, Les Snead Relationship
When Raheem Morris concluded his tenure as Atlanta Falcons interim head coach in 2020, he knew he needed to grow - but he didn't know exactly where.
During his ensuing three-year stint as Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator, Morris opened his eyes ... and received the answer he was looking for.
The Rams won the Super Bowl in Morris's first season, watching firsthand the collaborative effort between head coach Sean McVay and general manager Les Snead.
Morris, who was also the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2009-2011, was no stranger to the head coach-general manager relationship.
But the ones he'd experienced were entirely dissimilar to the congruence between McVay and Snead.
"When I got there, one of the first things I told Sean just noticing how we moved through daily rhythm and routine and things that we've done was, 'Man, I am jealous of you and Les Snead's relationship,'" Morris said Monday.
Why?
"I said, 'To watch you guys collaborate and move in silence, be able to have your communication ongoing, have your communication consistent, honest, open, all of those things you guys do with each other, that is the next step,'" Morris said.
Nov 26, 2023; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium.
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
The 47-year-old Morris was introduced to Atlanta media Monday, 11 days after his hiring as the team's new head coach was made official.
Morris boasts a career record of 21-38 as head coach, including a 4-7 mark as an interim with the Falcons in 2020 during which he lost the final five games.
This past season, Los Angeles' defense was largely middle of the pack, ranking No. 19 with 22.2 points allowed per game, No. 20 with 337.1 total yards allowed, No. 20 with 231.1 passing yards allowed and No. 12 with 106.8 rushing yards allowed.
But Morris has drawn praise for his infectious energy, passion and leadership; he has the intangibles many feel are needed to win as a head coach.
Now, he's equipped with what he believes is the missing ingredient to his success.
"The maturity level that you get from that (communication)," Morris said, "and being able to watch that and also talking to one of your really good friends while you're winning a championship, having the ability to go through some hard times that following year.
"Having to get a start with a really young team and start with your fundamentals, start with your physicality, start with controlling the ball, starting with some of those pillars, I thought was a really cool process. It was a really cool learning experience for me."
Morris used the phrase "collaborate" 15 times during his introductory press conference.
His relationship with Fontenot is expanding - so much that he'll send texts at 5 a.m., and the two frequently FaceTime. Prior to Morris's first Zoom interview on Jan. 20, he and Fontenot had never met.
But Morris now understands the relationship between he and Fontenot will be critical to getting Atlanta back to the postseason for the first time since 2017 ... and he owes much of his newfound perspective to McVay and Snead.
"It was no more fun than helping one of your best friends in the world, one of the people you care about, win a championship with an organization," Morris said. "Having a chance to take all of those lessons learned, being able to listen, being able to communicate, and now bringing it back here to the Atlanta community to go out here and win, what we need to do.
"I've got a lot of confidence that we can do that with the people that we know are here."
Morris and the Falcons aren't scheduled to play the Rams until 2025 - when Morris will get a chance to get the better of his ever-impactful mentor.
