How Raheem Morris Brings 'Different Vibe' to Atlanta Falcons' Culture

Ahead of his first training camp, an inside look at how Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris retooled the team's culture.

Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris has retooled the team's culture with his own personal flavor before training camp. / Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- During NFL film sessions, coaches often pick on players - but most don't want it to come across that way. New Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris is different.

"Rah's like, 'No, I'm picking on you. I want you to be better. I expect more from you,'" Falcons All-Pro safety Jessie Bates III said. "He makes that very clear, and as a player that's been in the league for seven years, that's something you respect.

"I think that's going to lead to us winning football games here."

In many ways, Morris, who was hired to replace Arthur Smith on Jan. 25, brings newness to the Falcons' locker room - yet he also serves as a bridge to the past. From 2015-20, Morris held a variety of roles on Atlanta's staff, from receivers coach to defensive coordinator and, ultimately, 11-game interim head coach in 2020.

The Falcons went 4-7 under Morris's guidance, but All-Pro right guard Chris Lindstrom, one of only a handful of players still apart of the organization, was thrilled to have Morris back. He signed off on the hire to several teammates after news broke.

Since returning to Atlanta, Morris has largely been the same character - filled with energy and eager to help others learn. However, the 47-year-old thinks his perspective on building both rosters and staffs has changed after three years with the Los Angeles Rams.

At his introductory press conference Feb. 5, Morris spoke highly of the roster built by Smith and general manager Terry Fontenot, who still holds the position despite Smith's departure.

But Morris is also fond of the culture the duo established - with a heap of credit given to the presence of owner Arthur Blank.

"Hard to say you’re remaking a culture," Morris said during OTAs. "The culture here is really, really well put together from the top down from ownership. I’m not changing what we do when it comes to ideas, innovating, people-first mentality and some of those type of things.

"So, I’m not going to do that - but we are adding to it."

Morris is putting his own touch on the Falcons' locker room - with jokes, passion and a wealth of football knowledge to boot.

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Morris is known for his humor. He'll often throw good-natured jabs in press conferences and tell jokes to players. Defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake said Morris could have been a comedian if football didn't work out.

But football has proven the right career path for Morris, who wants to leave an impact on his players and assistants not just by helping their careers develop, but by making them better people.

To have such a mentality from the leader at the top of the chain is a game-changer, Bates said, and one that two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Grady Jarrett believes is just the tip of the iceberg in Morris's character.

"He's a great leader of men, first and foremost," Jarrett said. "The way he's able to connect with every player on the roster, everybody in the building - that comes from the type of person he is and also the experiences he's had, and I think it just screams volumes across the board the type of man he is."

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Jarrett's last Pro Bowl season came in 2020, when Morris was his defensive coordinator for five games and head coach for the other 11. Such a season only partially underscores Morris's versatility.

The Newark, N.J., native played defensive back at Hofstra University from 1994-97. He spent the first decade of his coaching career working on the defensive side of the ball, from quality control to defensive backs to coordinator.

After his first head coaching stint from 2009-11 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Morris returned to coaching defensive backs for the next four years, the last of which came with the Falcons.

But thereafter, Morris started working with the offense. He was Atlanta's receivers coach and offensive passing game coordinator from 2016-19, working with Julio Jones, Mohamed Sanu and Calvin Ridey, among several others.

He eventually returned to defense with the Falcons in 2020 and as the Los Angeles Rams' defensive coordinator from 2021-23, but his perspective from both sides of the ball is something Bates feels is unique - and conducive in building quality, comprehensive conversations.

"Rah is hands-on with the offense, hands-on with the defense," Bates said. "We have our team meetings, that's some of the best team meetings I've ever been around. So, just says a lot about what we're building here.

"It's no better leader to have than Rah joking around and also holding people accountable, as well."

Bates added Morris has brought a new vibe, sparked by his communication. It's here, sharing thoughts with Fontenot, Blank, President Greg Beadles and CEO Rich McKay, where Morris most desperately wants to create change.

Morris said it's when he gets the whole group into the same room and fighting toward the same direction where he's trying to tweak the Falcons' approach.

"I want to bring a different vibe into this room, I want to bring a different vibe into our team," Morris said. "I want to bring a different vibe into how we view our football team. Those are the most important parts.

"To say you’re bringing in a whole new culture, I would never say the Arthur Smith culture was bad. For me, it was his style and his technique and how he wanted to do things, and now it’s just changing what we want to do."

But as far as the Falcons' locker room, Morris isn't attempting to shake up the leadership structure. As with everything he does, he's merely hoping to be a multiplier who makes his players better with each interaction.

"I think we've got really good leaders on this team that are going to lead, and his job is just to critique us," Bates said. "Show us how we should practice, show us how plays are supposed to be looking."

Or, as Morris told the team in a meeting during OTAs, take on the role of an oxygen mask.

"He's a guy that (wants to) breathe life into the team and be our greatest motivator," left tackle Jake Matthews said.

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When the Falcons hired Morris, Bates reached out to some of his connections from around the league to get a scouting report on his new coach. Each response came back with positive reviews.

But Morris, a two-time Super Bowl winner with two decades of NFL coaching experience under his belt, didn't let his reputation do the work. He thinks relationships are the biggest factor in turning culture into wins, and he wasted little time building them with his new players.

In the days following his hiring, Morris called players individually. He placed an emphasis on creating personal bonds. This, he said, is crucial to getting the Falcons back to the postseason for the first time since the 2017 season.

"They don’t care who you are until they know that you care," Morris said. "And once they figure that out, you can’t do anything irregular without having regular relationships. So, our relationship has to be different.

"Those things all translate to the football field, they translate to wins, they translate to us being together, they translate to a bunch of fun. That’s what happens when you go out there and you win a lot of football games."

Jarrett added Morris will get the best out of everybody in the building, from players and coaches to community and public relations. Through this, Jarrett believes Morris is fostering an organizational attitude to fight for each other.

In essence, Morris is elevating the organization from top to bottom - which, in Jarrett's eyes, will lead the Falcons back to a place they last reached while Morris was on staff: the Super Bowl.

"I'm just excited he got the opportunity to lead this team to a really, really high place where I feel like we're going to go," Jarrett said. "I believe he's the right guy to get us where we want to be - we want to play championship football around here.

"But that don't just come. That comes with putting the work in day in and day out, and he'd be the first to tell you that, so super excited to play for Coach Morris."

Like Jarrett and Lindstrom, Matthews played under Morris in 2020. A decade-long staple as Atlanta's blindside protector, Matthews touted Morris's energy as the trait he first noticed.

But what's special about Morris, Matthews said, is his ability to walk the line between serious coach and jovial friend.

"A guy that obviously holds people accountable, but at the same time, is building us up," Matthews said. "And when you have that, it allows you to play a little freer and a little more fun. He's also a character on the field, so he'll get you laughing and keeps things interesting."

This sentiment about Morris's staff uplifting players isn't felt only by Matthews or others with past experience under Morris.

Third-year linebacker Troy Andersen said Morris has been great through his first several months on the job, praising the improvements made in several behind the scenes areas, including nutrition, the weight room and the training staff.

But perhaps most importantly, Andersen enjoys the atmosphere he's been given to grow within.

"I think the culture is awesome that he's created," Andersen said. "Kind of a friendly environment that you're able to come in, work hard and grind, but be supported in every aspect."

While at practice, Morris often walks around sporting his wide, bright smile - but he'll also shout out commands or line up at cornerback and help receivers work on their releases.

With his position-diverse coaching background, Morris often stops by multiple groups and throws in his two cents. Cornerback Clark Phillips III said Morris makes sure the defensive backs are executing minute details, while receiver Drake London added Morris gives all the insight he can.

"We're learning from him at all times," London said. "Whenever he speaks, we shut up and get right to work on what he says."

Among the buzzwords most frequently associated with Morris, "exciting" has become popular. Linebacker Kaden Elliss said it exists, along with passion and energy, in spades with the coaching staff.

Elliss added Morris's energy was consistent each day, and he didn't anticipate it ever dropping off. Neither does receiver Darnell Mooney, who signed a three-year, $39 million contract with the Falcons this March.

Yet while Morris is exciting, he's fond of the mundane - and he pushes his players to find the balance between the on and off switch.

"He's straightforward," Mooney said. "Who you get every day, that's him. He brings the juice and that confidence in a player to go out there and dominate. He gives you that relaxation, just to chill, recover and then let's hit it again. It's not just like drilling you, drilling you, drilling you, drilling you.

"He gets you to a space where you can push yourself, and then he can let back to where you have to chill, recover your body."

Morris cares about his players - their mental health as much as their physical. He's built genuine relationships at each of his prior stops; he has assistants who either played under or coached with him in Tampa Bay, Los Angeles and Washington, and his return created a clear buzz to the few Falcons left over from his previous stint.

And in a business centered around wins, Morris has directed his attention to people and culture - and wins have often followed. Now, as Morris and the Falcons arrive Wednesday in Flowery Branch for training camp, they aren't expecting that to change.

"Boats usually sink from the inside," Jarrett said, "and I think with Coach Morris leading the way, we got all the holes plugged up, doing what we need to do to go take this thing as far as we need to go."