Falcons’ Raheem Morris has been a part of some strong second seasons

Morris also was a witness to another second-season turnaround. He was the assistant head coach/wide receivers on Dan Quinn’s 2016 Falcons’ staff.

Quinn’s and Morris’ first seasons with the Falcons were similar.

The 2015 team raced to a 6-1 record, before losing six consecutive. They finished 8-8. Last season, the Falcons started 6-3 and then folded before finishing 8-9.

In 2016, the Falcons started 6-3, but were able to maintain things behind a record-setting offense and the play-calling of offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan. After scoring only 15 points in a loss to the Eagles to drop to 6-4, the team went into the bye week and figured things out.

The Falcons averaged 36.6 points over the final six games and posted a 5-1 record with a 29-28 loss to the Chiefs.

If Morris can duplicate the seven-win improvement from 2010, the Falcons would be 15-2 and likely holding the No. 1 seed to the playoffs. But even a modest four-game improvement in Morris’ second season (12-5) would snap the streak of seven consecutive losing seasons and likely end the playoff drought.

Morris had a plan heading into the five-week break and before the Falcons reconvene in Flowery Branch for training camp July 23.

“It’s very similar with the preparation, just not much physical, right?” Morris said. “I don’t need to make sure I’m in the best shape of my life (like the players), but I want to be as sharp as I can be mentally. From a standpoint of what we’re going to do, from an intentional standpoint of how we practice, it starts there.”

Morris likely will keep most of last season’s practice plan since the team got off to a fast start, which included a win over the Eagles and a near upset of the Chiefs.

He didn’t play his starters much in exhibition games and used the joint practices with the Dolphins to settle some battles. The Falcons are set to hold joint practices against the Titans on Aug. 12 and 13.

“You’ve got to start right from the beginning,” Morris said. “What are the installs going to look like, to be really intentional about how we want to have our teaching progression go? Be very intentional about how I want to look and how physical I can be, as we get to our joint practices, as we get to our padded practices, as we get to all the things that are really important to us, right?”

Since the collective bargaining agreement of 2011, there have been limitations placed on practices. The old two-a-day hard-hitting practice era has been replaced with unpadded walk-throughs and more film sessions.

“There are some things that we’ve got to figure out what we want to do and who those people are going to be that are going to play in the (exhibition games),” Morris said. “We know there are people that won’t be, right? Trying to find out, what do we need to see from those guys? How intentional can we be to get those guys out there? How good is it going to feel for all of us?”

Morris will collaborate with his coaching staff to get everyone on the same page.

On offense, the Falcons will attempt to follow a strong season from rookie coordinator Zac Robinson.

“Last year was his first time calling it throughout the process, but as we know, the longer you work in this business, that’s just what you do,” Morris said. “You sit back. You evaluate yourself. You do all those different things, but you try to figure out what can make you better.”

Robinson will try to be more efficient, tinker with the scheme in order to dictate more terms to the defense. The Falcons have to scrap some things they didn’t do as well and add a short-yardage and power package.

That evaluation process was done over the offseason.

“We’ve got a bunch of returning guys, a bunch of returning starters, and then finding ways to even get more people involved,” Morris said. “How do you get (running back) Tyler Allgeier more involved? How do you get (running back) Bijan (Robinson) more involved? How do you get all the guys that we have on our team more involved? Kyle Pitts, Bijan. I mean, we’ve got a bunch of guys. Drake London. … (Darnell) Mooney, Ray-Ray (McCloud III).”

The Falcons underwent a major overhaul on the defense. Jeff Ulbrich was hired to replace Jimmy Lake as the coordinator. The unit also could feature seven or eight new starters, with only cornerback A.J. Terrell, safety Jessie Bates and linebacker Kaden Elliss as returning starters.

How quickly Morris, Ulbrich and the defensive staff can pull things together will be key to any win-improvement goal. Morris has said they are not running a new system, but it’s a merging of concepts.

“I really love the discipline, the effort, the detail that Jeff has brought to our defense,” Morris said. “The leadership that he’s brought to (the defense) has been absolutely outstanding.”

In 2021 with the Rams, Morris was the defensive coordinator in his first season with the team, after serving as interim coach for the Falcons. The Rams beat the Bengals in the February 2022 Super Bowl.

He was defensive quality-control assistant for the 2002 Bucs, who won the January 2003 Super Bowl over the Oakland Raiders 48-21.

In all, he has coached in three Super Bowls and has two Super Bowl rings.