Raheem Morris On Being First Black Falcons Head Coach: 'Progress'

As the first Black head coach in franchise history, Raheem Morris is ready for the challenge of leading the Atlanta Falcons.

Raheem Morris is just a week and a half into his time as the Atlanta Falcons' head coach, but he has already etched his name into the franchise's record books.

Morris, who returns to Atlanta after serving as the team's interim coach in 2020, is the first full-time Black head coach in the franchise's history, going all the way back to 1966. For a city such as Atlanta, which Morris described as "the Mecca of Black history," such a feat feels long overdue.

Holding such a title carries plenty of weight, but rest assured, Morris understands the significance and is ready to make the city proud.

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"That's not about me. That's about us. All of us," Morris told reporters at his introductory press conference on Monday. "That is the progress, that is the movement, that is what we look for. The coolest thing about this process, it wasn't even brought up."

The NFL's lack of minority head coaches has unfortunately been a talking point for many years, but the league has taken steps in the right direction this offseason. 

Of the eight coaches hired in this cycle, half of them come from diverse backgrounds. Along with Morris are New England's Jerod Mayo, Las Vegas' Antonio Pierce and Carolina's Dave Canales, the latter becoming the league's only active Hispanic head coach.

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The 47-year-old Morris, who was most recently the defensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Rams, has overcome plenty of challenges to get back to being a head coach. So no matter what hurdles his second run in Atlanta has in store, it's safe to say that he will be ready for them.

"You don't know me very well yet, but I really don't think like that," Morris said. I'm a drive person. I'm ready to fight any obstacle in front of me."