After another dismal showing by the Atlanta Falcons in the Mile-High City en route to
their second straight loss, dropping their record to 6-5, the bye week couldn’t come at a
better time. The team has a plethora of players who are nursing injuries, including
linebacker Troy Anderson, defensive back Mike Hughes, wide receiver Darnell Mooney,
along with running back Tyler Allgeier and others. It is an opportunity for the team to
regroup and get back on track in hopes of possibly closing out the season strong and
making a playoff push.
The Falcons entered the season with hopes of winning a vulnerable NFC South division.
11 weeks into the season, they are still atop the division and in control of their own
destiny. Right where every NFL team wants to be prior to the season. However, the poor
play from the defense and upcoming matchups against surging Vikings and Chargers
squads has many Falcons fans feeling as if the once promising season is slipping away.
It’s very possible that the Falcons find themselves at 6-7 two weeks from now and in
danger of missing the playoffs for a seventh straight year, while the Tampa Bay
Buccaneers can potentially take advantage of a favorable schedule to find themselves
back in the race. In light of the team’s current two-game skid, the Falcons’ fanbase has
grown rightfully frustrated, as some fans have even taken to social media to raise
questions about the job security of head coach Raheem Morris and general manager
Terry Fontenot.
Morris is in his second stint as an NFL head coach (served as the Buccaneers’ head
coach from 2009-2011). After serving as the defensive coordinator for the Los Angeles
Rams, winning a Super Bowl in 2021, and helping with the development of several
rookies in 2023, including Kobie Turner and Byron Young, Morris was sought after by
several teams with head coaching vacancies. He was hired by the Falcons as the 19th
head coach in franchise history (previously served as the team’s interim head coach for
11 games in 2020). Days after taking the job, Morris hired his longtime assistant Jimmy
Lake to serve as the team’s defensive coordinator. Lake worked with Morris for several
years and served as the head coach at the University of Washington from 2020-2021. He
was fired by the university during the 2021 season after finishing with a 4-5 record and
shoving a Washington player on the sidelines during a game. Under Lake, Atlanta’s
defense, which was a borderline top 10 defense under Ryan Neilson prior to Grady
Jarret’s season-ending injury in 2023, has taken a significant step back. The buck stops
with Morris, the defensive-minded head coach. While Morris is not responsible for
calling the plays, he ultimately hired Lake, who has overseen the decline in production
with little to no adjustments. Week in and week out, Atlanta’s gameplan defensively is
seemingly to rush four, hoping someone gets home, and sit back in zone coverage,
providing quarterbacks enough time to find underneath routes, or wait for big plays to
develop.
Through 11 weeks, Atlanta’s defense ranks near or at the bottom of the league in several
categories. They are 26th in points allowed per game, 25th in yards allowed per game,
and dead last in sacks and opponent completion percentage. Despite the lackluster
results and many fans calling for Lake’s job and a change in the team’s defensive
philosophy, it seems as if Morris’ plan is to stay the course and allow his longtime
assistant to remain the defensive coordinator.
Morris reiterated this during last week’s Zoom press conference, mentioning that there
has been “no breaking news” on potential changes.
Moreover, Morris and the coaching staff have failed to have Atlanta prepared for games
on multiple occasions with frequent slow starts, as seen in the team’s ugly losses to the
Seattle Seahawks and New Orleans Saints. The trend was once again on full display in
the team’s 38-6 blowout loss to Bo Nix and the surging Denver Broncos in Week 11. The
slow starts are indicative of a team unprepared for games. The “Wednesday
walkthroughs” the last two weeks have not translated to a winning product on the field
the last two weeks and need to be done away with, as the Falcons have been lost by a
combined score of 58-23.
However, to solely blame Morris and Lake for the team’s lackluster results defensively
would be malpractice. Since 2021, the Falcons have gone through two head coaches,
three defensive coordinators, and four draft classes. The pass rush is in worse shape now
than it is in 2021. The main culprit is and should be the common denominator through
the last four years. That would be Terry Fontenot, who is now in his fourth year as
Atlanta’s general manager.
Fontenot has had four years to improve this defense, especially the stagnant pass rush,
which has been Atlanta’s achilles heel for over a decade now. The results have not been
there. Fontenot has done a respectable job regarding pro personnel, headlined by the
signings of former offensive weapon Cordarrelle Patterson, safety Jessie Bates, wide
receiver Darnell Mooney, and quarterback Kirk Cousins. Nonetheless, the pro-personnel
acquisitions have been overshadowed by mishaps in the draft.
Flash back to Fontenot’s first year as general manager. With the fourth overall pick in
the 2021 NFL Draft, the Falcons had the opportunity to draft outside linebacker Micah
Parsons or cornerback Patrick Surtain II. They chose tight end Kyle Pitts, who has nine
touchdowns in four years and has had his effort on the field questioned by fans, media
personalities, and even play-by-play announcers. Meanwhile, Parsons and Surtain are
among the league’s best at their respective positions. That year, the Falcons also drafted
safety Richie Grant, guard Jalen Mayfield, center Drew Dalman, defensive tackle
Ta’Quon Graham, running back/return specialist Avery Williams, outside linebacker
Ade Ogundeji, wide receiver Frank Darby, and cornerback Darren Hall. Only three
players from that class remain on the team. It is worth noting that when the Falcons
drafted Grant, they traded down, passing on the opportunity to draft Javon Holland,
who was selected by the Miami Dolphins. Grant was also taken over Raiders’ safety,
Trevon Moehrig. The next year, in the second round, Atlanta selected outside linebacker
Arnold Ebikeite and inside linebacker Troy Anderson. They passed on outside
linebackers Boye Mafe and Nick Bonitto, along with inside linebacker Nakobe Dean.
Mafe recorded nine sacks in 2023, while Bonitto is enjoying a breakout year in Denver,
registering 10 sacks in 12 games. That’s as much as the Falcons’ entire team has this
season (10.5). Meanwhile, Dean is enjoying a breakout year in Philadelphia. The Falcons
had another chance to draft him in the third round but chose linebacker DeAngelo
Malone instead. Fast forward to 2024. An edge rusher was still a glaring need for the
Falcons. Surely, they drafted one eighth overall, right?
No. Michael Penix Jr. possesses a talented arm and has shown flashes in what could be
potentially a franchise quarterback during his limited appearances. However, the
selection does not align with the team’s goals this season after signing Kirk Cousins to a
$180 million contract, with $100 million of it guaranteed. After missing out on free
agent Danielle Hunter, upgrading the pass rush early in the draft should have been
Atlanta’s number one priority. Defensive Rookie of the Year frontrunner Jared Verse
could have been a big help for a Falcons’ defense that’s the first in the Super Bowl era to
not reach 10 sacks through the first 10 games of the season. In the second round, the
Falcons moved up eight spots, and the expectation was that they would take a defensive
tackle. Standout prospects such as Jer’Zahn Newton and T’Vondre Sweat were available.
Atlanta did take a defensive tackle. Clemson’s Ruke Orhorhoro, who has shown promise
prior to being placed on the injury reserve after Week Eight. However, Orhorohoro was
considered a developmental piece and was not active until Week Five. Meanwhile, the
team needs young players on the defensive line who could contribute immediately.
Without all-pro safety Jessie Bates, it’s very hard to imagine the state of Atlanta’s
defense, and it’s thanks in large part to Fontenot and his inability to draft impact players
on that side of the ball throughout his tenure in Atlanta. It’s primarily for that reason
that he should be on much shakier ground than Morris.
Entering this season, the expectation for Atlanta was that while the team was not ready
to seriously contend in the NFC, they would win the NFC South and qualify for the
playoffs. When owner Arthur Blank and team president and CEO Rich McKay elected to
part ways with former head coach Arthur Smith back in January, they did so with the
belief that the team was ready to play football in January but needed a head coach and
quarterback that could get them there. Their decision to sign Cousins last offseason
reiterated this belief.
However, the shortcomings of both Morris and Fontenot have the Falcons face-to-face
with a term that this franchise and its fans are all too familiar with: collapse. If Atlanta
does collapse coming out of the bye week and misses the playoffs again after spending
big in free agency and adding a plethora of talented offensive skill players in the draft,
then noise about the job security of both individuals will only become louder. It is worth
noting, however, that Blank has never cut ties with a head coach after one season in over
two decades as the team’s owner, so it is more likely that Morris will return as the team’s
head coach in 2025, entering a “must-win” year. Fontenot, as mentioned earlier, should
be the bigger question mark. The city of Atlanta and the Falcons’ fan base deserve a
winner, and they deserve leaders that can provide that for them. If this current regime is
unable to meet expectations, then it is time to find one that can.