FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. – There’s an atmosphere around this Atlanta Falcons team, one that hasn’t been buzzing since the first Julio Jones-Matt Ryan era, maybe not even since the days of Michael Vick. There is talent in the building, both proven talent and young talent that on paper has the ability to do real damage in a still-weak NFC South. The roster alone has enough potential to put the Falcons on the must-watch list heading into the 2024 season.
Then there’s the “let’s check out this train wreck” element. After Atlanta signed Kirk Cousins to a $180 million deal, then turned around and gave the No. 8 pick to Michael Penix Jr. had published, there is also plenty of interest in rubberneckers.
Add to this mix a motivated new head coach with experience on the Super Bowl-winning staff, and you have a team that is reshaping itself on the fly. Admittedly, changing a team’s culture under the best of circumstances is like running a cruise ship. But changing the culture of an entire team after retooling the entire quarterback room is a level of difficulty on par with changing a tire while driving down the highway.
So Raheem Morris, the new head coach, objects to the idea of him changing the entire culture of the Falcons. “The culture here is very well put together from the top down,” Morris said Tuesday. “I don’t change what we do when it comes to ideas, to innovation, to a people-centered mentality. But we add something to it.”
Morris roams the length of the field during Atlanta’s practices, watching and occasionally shouting as Cousins, Penix and Taylor Heinicke alternate throwing to the first-team receivers. He also keeps things loose off the field; at one of his first press conferences, he joked that a reporter who arrived late would be running in circles the next time it happened. At least, him seemed to make a joke.
“Coaches sometimes try to bully someone and they say, ‘Sorry, I’m not picking on you,’” safety Jessie Bates III said. “Rah says, ‘Me am picking on you. I want you to get better. I expect more from you. ”
It’s still early, but the early days of the Morris era have generated positive reviews. “What I can see right now is excitement, a passion,” said linebacker Kaden Elliss, who started all 17 games for Atlanta last year. “I’m so excited to work with these guys. Not only are they great football coaches, they are also great men. The energy they bring is amazing and it hasn’t disappeared yet.”
“It’s a friendly environment,” said linebacker Troy Andersen. “You can work hard and grind, but you are supported in every aspect. They are doing a great job in terms of nutrition, weight room, training room and coaching staff – it’s been great so far.”
“I want to bring a different vibe to this room,” Morris said. “I want to bring a different atmosphere to our team.”
The atmosphere is great, the atmosphere keeps the team facility humming. But vibes don’t necessarily translate into wins. When you’re coming off three consecutive seven-to-10 season seasons, when your playoff drought is longer than anyone but the Jets and Broncos, when you just made the most controversial first-round draft pick in years If you’ve made it, then it’s not just about the vibes to cut it. Beyond the atmosphere, Morris is establishing an identity and approach that differs from that of Arthur Smith during his three years as head coach.
“I would never say Arthur Smith’s culture was bad,” Morris said. “It was his style, it was his technique, it was the way he wanted to do things. Now we only change what we want to do.”
At this stage of the offseason, Atlanta is not yet in game mode. The Falcons aren’t even in training camp mode. “We’re not even at the point where you want to say you’re ready for training camp practice,” Morris said, “but we’re preparing to do that.”
“The thing about Rah that makes him so unique is that Rah is hands-on with the offense and hands-on with the defense,” Bates said. “When we have our team meetings, they are some of the best team meetings I have ever had.”
So for now, it’s all smiles and optimism at Flowery Branch as the team works its way through the playbook. Once the beating starts, the verdicts will start coming in.
“He wants to play fast, play free and be physical,” Andersen said. “Once we put the pads on, it’s going to be really fun.”
