Falcons Coach Raheem Morris Reveals Jon Gruden Advice

Raheem Morris coached under Jon Gruden with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during their Super Bowl run.

The Atlanta Falcons have their new coach in Raheem Morris, who isn't all that new after all.

Morris, 47, has been in the NFL for over 20 years and has been part of two Super Bowl winning teams, including one from his first year in the league back in 2002 with the NFC South rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers. At his introductory press conference on Monday, Morris shared some advice his former boss Jon Gruden gave him when he first entered the league.

Feb 5, 2024; Atlanta, GA, USA; Raheem Morris is introduced as the new head coach of the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium / Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

“All of those things and all of those factors that you build throughout the process help you learn and grow, and if you don't get -- I learned a long time ago in Tampa Bay from Jon Gruden," Morris said. "I took my first job in 2002, the first time Rich McKay hired me, and Jon always told us, you either get better or you get worse. I've been in the process of getting better since those days and that moment leading up to this right now.” 

Morris took that advice all the way through his promotions, which included becoming the head coach in Tampa Bay from 2009-11 when he was just 32 years old.

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Morris returned to the assistant ranks when he was fired after his third season, and spent over a decade "getting better" for his next opportunity. It's now come in a return to the Falcons, where he spent six seasons under Dan Quinn.

Learning under Gruden, Quinn and then Sean McVay with the Los Angeles Rams has Morris uber-prepared for this Falcons job where he will continue to "get better" and the team can follow him along that journey.