When the Atlanta Falcons fell to the Washington Commanders Sunday night, fingers started pointing swiftly at Head Coach Raheem Morris, and deservedly so, to an extent. While it is true, that a called timeout could have given the Falcons more time to effectively move the ball further in to field goal range, but that is not guaranteed. Coach Morris explained his line of thought about that sequence Monday afternoon, and he felt that the Falcons would have gotten a better defensive look from the Commanders had they been able to execute a little faster. But that is only one timeout in one game.
After the Falcons got out to a 6-3 start, was Coach Morris at fault for Kirk Cousins’ utter collapse? I think not. Could Coach Morris have gone with Michael Penix Jr. earlier in the season? Yes, but would that have been the right move at the time? Probably not. The pressure of having a $40 million/year quarterback not play well after a hot start puts a lot of pressure on a coaching staff, and most of that comes from the front office. We are not even sure if the signing of Kirk Cousins was signed off by Raheem Morris, as it did not have to be. What we do know, is that Coach Morris loves Michael Penix Jr, and Penix does seem to be that quarterback of the future. Despite how the Falcons got here, they are still in a position to win the NFC South, albeit with some help, but they will finish with a winning record if they can beat the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. Regardless of how a lot of fans feel, the Falcons will have improved over last season, and a full season with Michael Penix Jr should be an exciting one. Randy McMichael and Chris Thomas further explore the job of Head Coach Raheem and the 2024 Falcons.
