Why Falcons' Raheem Morris Isn't Just 'Dan Quinn 2.0'

Despite spending five seasons working for former Atlanta Falcons coach Dan Quinn, Raheem Morris still has his differences from the now-Washington Commanders coach.

Grading the hire of Raheem Morris solely based on his prior experiences as a head coach would likely lead you to believe that the Atlanta Falcons made the wrong choice. Or, in some cases, essentially hired 'Dan Quinn 2.0.' 

While it is a fact that Morris spent a lot of time working for the former Falcons coach, especially when the former held Morris's current job, that doesn't mean he'll suffer the same fate. 

“[I've] got a lot of like-minded philosophies with Coach Quinn. Got a lot of like-minded things that you do like about it," Morris said about the differences between him and Quinn. "But there's some subtle differences in all of us as people and as humans and how we want to move forward. I think it's less about telling people on what's going to be different. It's more about showing people what's going to be different."

Washington Commanders coach Dan Quinn (left) and the Atlanta Falcons' Raheem Morris (right) / USA Today Network

Morris spent five seasons working for Quinn in Atlanta, holding several different roles throughout his time, which ended with him taking over as the interim coach after the Falcons started 2020 with an 0-5 record. 

While Morris has undoubtedly picked up things from Quinn that have influenced his coaching career to this day, the same thing can be said about his most recent stint working for Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay. 

Falcons' Morris Credits Growth to Rams' McVay

Yet, both experiences have helped Morris get "better" as a coach, something he has been doing since the end of his time as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach. 

"I learned a long time ago in Tampa Bay from Jon Gruden when I took my first job in 2002, the first time Rich McKay hired me," Morris said, "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."