Raheem Morris: Atlanta Falcons’ Secondary Guru?
By John Buhler
Raheem Morris comes to the Atlanta Falcons in 2015 with a great deal of coaching experience as a 38-year-old. I mean he’s younger than our placekicker Matt Bryant for crying out loud. But don’t let Morris’ youthfulness get in the way of what he is very good at: coaching defense, especially defensive backs.
-= Related: Leonard Hankerson: What to Expect in 2015? =-
Morris has spent 9 years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers organization, including a three-stint as the Bucs Head Coach (2009-11). He has also been a Defensive Coordinator at Kansas State University (2006) and Defensive Backs Coach for the Washington Redskins (2012-14).
Live Feed
Blogging Dirty
Atlanta Falcons HC Dan Quinn decided to bring Raheem Morris to Atlanta to not only be an Assistant Head Coach but also act as the team’s Defensive Passing Game Coordinator. While many still remember his lackluster tenure as the Head Ball Coach in Tampa (17-31 in 3 seasons), this was a great move made by the Falcons organization to have Morris be a part of the new regime in Flowery Branch.
The Falcons have many talented players in their secondary, especially at cornerback. Desmond Trufant is well on his way to becoming an elite shutdown corner in this league. Coach Quinn praises Robert Alford‘s tenacity and ballhawking ability on the outside. Quinn and Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff even decided to use the team’s second round pick on a long, physical SEC corner in Jalen Collins. The Atlanta staff envision Collins has the potential to play corner like Richard Sherman, a former 5th rounder out of Stanford who leads the Seattle Seahawks’ Legion of Boom.
But can Raheem Morris get the most out of his secondary in 2015? I don’t think he has to worry so much about Trufant as he is already a Top 100 player in the League. Nor does he have to fret over seasoned veteran safety William Moore who is Pro Bowl caliber when healthy. But it’s the other defensive backs that will decide if Morris can get this leaky Falcons’ secondary over the hump in 2015.
Both Morris and Quinn have elected to move second-year player Ricardo Allen to free safety from cornerback. This is a great move since Allen was 4th on the Falcons CB depth chart behind Trufant, Alford, and Collins heading into the offseason workouts. Instead Allen gets the opportunity to win a starting job in the Atlanta Falcons secondary at free safety. Though it is still considered a work in progress for Ricardo Allen, the defensive staff does believe that Allen has potential staying power at free safety for the Falcons.
More from Atlanta Falcons
- Atlanta Falcons Yet Again Making a Terrible Move Signing Matt Schaub
- Atlanta Falcons Must Make This Off-Season Move
- Dan Quinn’s Press Conference Was Filled With Notable Moments. Here’s Some Highlights.
- Atlanta Falcons Re-Sign Kicker Younghoe Koo In Solid Move
- Atlanta Falcons: Is Devonta Freeman’s Time With Falcons Over?
It’s not just Allen that can improve under Raheem Morris this fall. Robert Alford though delightfully aggressive still gets burnt in man coverage far too often to merit starting in a good defensive backfield, which Atlanta still is not. Getting Robert to play more within himself and at a higher speed will only bolster the third-year player’s performance in DC Richard Smith‘s system.
Fortunately for Raheem Morris, he does have a very young secondary to shape and mold in 2015. While the Atlanta Falcons did have the worst pass defense in the entire National Football League last year, I do believe that the team will improve drastically in the secondary due in large part to the coaching and player development of Raheem Morris. It’s the Falcons secondary that I sense will lead the way for the defense should it get back to being decent here in the next couple of seasons.
Next: Atlanta Falcons: Top 5 Players Heading Into 2015
More from ATL All Day
- Atlanta Braves: Felix Has Already Shown Enough to Win a Rotation Spot
- Atlanta Braves Implode Late To Phillies, Cole Hamels Remains Sidelined
- Kyle Wright Shines As Folty Struggles In Atlanta Braves Loss To Red Sox
- Atlanta Hawks Sweep Back-to-Back Games Over Weekend
- Atlanta Braves: Grapefruit League Play Check Up