'Clear-Cut Goal': Falcons Coach Raheem Morris, GM Terry Fontenot Eye Early Success
Arthur Blank wants to win.
It's all the Atlanta Falcons' 81-year-old owner thinks about, according to general manager Terry Fontenot, who said he receives calls at all hours of the night to discuss the topic.
How serious is Blank about winning?
He fired his last head coach, Arthur Smith, after three consecutive 7-10 seasons - only the last of which came with legitimate expectations. He moved one of his closest friends, Rich McKay, out of the CEO role. He oversaw a thorough head coaching search in which 14 candidates were interviewed.
Blank ultimately decided on Raheem Morris as Smith's replacement. Morris knows his owner wants to win. He also knows he has Blank's full support.
There's pressure, Morris admitted - but it's pressure he and his staff feel they're built for.
So, expectations?
Feb 5, 2024; Atlanta, GA, USA; Raheem Morris address the media after being introduced as the new head coach of the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
Morris said the league is too hard to make predictions - but his mission is to help Atlanta get into yearly Super Bowl contention, a battle that starts with winning the NFC South in 2024.
“The clear-cut goal for us is obviously to win the South,” Morris said. “If you can win the South, you can qualify to get into the playoffs. If you can get to the playoffs, anything can happen. ... The last thing with that is, why not us? Why not?”
During his stint as Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach from 2009-2011, Morris issued a quote that stuck with a young Fontenot, then an assistant in the New Orleans Saints' front office.
"It's a mentality before it's ever a reality," Morris said, which Fontenot reminded him of during their first Zoom interview Jan. 20.
Getting the Falcons into this mindset is a key focus for Morris, who arrives in Atlanta after three years as the Los Angeles Rams' defensive coordinator. He made the playoffs twice in that stint and won the Super Bowl in Feb. 2022.
This, of course, isn't Morris's first go around as the Falcons' head coach - he went 4-7 as the interim boss after Dan Quinn's firing in 2020.
That experience capped Morris's six-year stretch in Atlanta, during which he experienced the franchise's last two postseason berths.
The Falcons haven't made the playoffs since 2017. That's also the last time they finished with a winning record. They've won seven games in five of the past six years.
Blank wants more. He thinks Morris can bring more.
Doing so requires a blueprint - and Morris thrice mentioned the four pillars of success he hopes the Falcons grow to embody during his time at the helm.
“I want you to be able to sit in your seats and say, 'That team executed,'” Morris said. “They had great fundamentals. That team controlled the ball, and man, did they play with a physicality.
“If you get those four things done, which is a part of our pillars of success, you've got a chance to win whatever amount of number of games that you mentioned.”
Morris added if the Falcons can reach that goal each week, they'll feel comfortable with the results.
It's part of the process-oriented approach shared between Morris and Fontenot, who've quickly fostered a strong, collaborative relationship in just over two weeks together.
But the two disagreed on one thing - their approach to public goals.
Unlike Morris's division title-winning proclamation, Fontenot spurned the results.
Instead, the 43-year-old general manager said he and Morris are focused on the coaching staff and making necessary adjustments before transitioning into preparations for free agency and the NFL Draft.
No doors will be closed, Fontenot said, as Atlanta starts formulating its offseason plan ahead of Morris's first campaign.
And so, with plenty of work still to be done, Fontenot's less concerned with predicting 2024's on-field results - he's more worried about drilling down the process behind building sustainable success.
“I think we always have to focus more on the process as opposed to focusing on the result,” Fontenot said. “Let's focus on the process because we know if we focus on that, then we'll reach our goals. We'll reach that.”
Morris's resume is highlighted by a pair of Super Bowl rings. In his opening statement, Fontenot said his charge is to get Morris a third.
The Falcons have never won a Super Bowl; they've lost both their appearances, the most recent featuring a blown 25-point lead that Morris said stings more than any loss he's ever taken.
But that painful history is also a motivating factor for Morris, who's ready to right the wrongs of the past and put Atlanta in position to watch Blank hoist the Lombardi Trophy.
So, expectations? For now, they're just dreams.
But Morris, armed with over two decades of experience and a fresh perspective on what it takes to find success at the highest level, is ready to turn dreams into reality.
“It's going to be a winning culture, and we're here to win football games,” Morris said. “At the end of the year, there's only one team that's happy. I've only been in that position twice in my career, and I can't wait to go back there again.”
