Atlanta Falcons fans have plenty of reason for a healthy level of skepticism when it comes to head coach Raheem Morris. After a great start to the 2024 season, the Falcons completely collapsed and simply were the complete opposite of clutch. The Falcons found ways to choke away games that were begging to be won. A lot of this blame falls squarely on the shoulders of Kirk Cousins.
The quarterback admitting he was playing hurt reflected poorly on Morris and the Falcons. Still, there is reason to believe in Morris and the ability to improve in year two. With this in mind, here are the three improvements Morris must make to be able to be a long-term answer.
1. Change Atlanta's hiring process
This one is already off to a bit of a rocky start with the hiring of Jeff Ulbrich. The league is like any other job with hiring often being driven by who you know and relationships. This resulted in Morris making poor decisions on his staff that could have helped prevent the team's late-season slide. Atlanta needs to look at the best possible fit and not simply who you know.
Steve Wilks is a clear example of a better suited fit that Atlanta ignored in favor of Ulbrich. Morris needs to learn from the team's 2024 failures and be willing to hire outside of his comfort zone if he is going to be an answer long term.