listen live to weei's reaction to the falcons passing on bill belichick:
It appears as though former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick will not be coaching in the NFL in 2024 or so the latest coaching announcement seems to indicate.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Atlanta Falcons plan to hire LA Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris to be their next head coach. This comes after the Falcons interviewed 14 overall candidates, including Belichick, who had two meetings for the post, the first of which came with owner Arthur Blank.
Morris is an accomplished coach with experience at the pro and collegiate level. He served as the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2009-2011 following the dismissal of Jon Gruden. Morris went 17-31 in his three seasons before being fired in January 2012. He has also worked with the Falcons as a passing game coordinator, defensive backs coach, defensive coordinator and interim coach as well. Now he gets the full-time gig, much to the surprise of many after it seemed Belichick was the front runner for the position for days.
Boomer Esiason of WFAN (and a regular Patriots Monday guest on WEEI) said Belichick to the Falcons was “going to happen” recently. However, stories emerged in the past few days that owner Arthur Blank wanted to hire Belichick but there was pushback from executives and the Falcons front office. Schefter himself went on ESPN this morning and said Belichick was no longer the favorite. Now those words resonate as Raheem Morris lands the job, with Belichick one of many coaching candidates searching for a job.
Only two head coaching vacancies remain in the NFL; the Seattle Seahawks and Washington Commanders. There have been reports that Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson will take the Commanders job when the Lions season ends (they play Sunday in the NFC Championship). And the Seahawks to date have not requested an interview with the six-time Super Bowl winning head coach. Thus, barring a surprise change somewhere along the coaching landscape, Bill Belichick may not be coaching in the NFL for the first time since the year 2000.
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