Raheem Morris will take over the 0-5 Atlanta Falcons in the wake of Dan Quinn's dismissal.
The Falcons finalized a deal to make Morris their interim head coach, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported, per a source informed of the situation.
The team later confirmed the move.
"Raheem is a strong leader and a talented coach that has adapted to a variety of roles since joining the Falcons in 2015," Falcons president and CEO Rich McKay said in a statement. "He has experience as a head coach and has worked on both sides of the ball. We felt that combined with his connection to the players and coaching staff, which will be an important factor as we move forward in 2020, he was the right person to give this responsibility to."
Morris spent three years as the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2009-2011, compiling a 17-31 recorded. He sandwiched a 10-win 2010 season between a three-win year in his first leading the Bucs and a four-win campaign that lead to his dismissal.
The 44-year-old Morris joined the Falcons in 2015 as DBs coach after three years in Washington. He was moved to WRs coach in 2016, where he spent three seasons. The Falcons moved him back to the defensive side of the ball, where he helped improve the secondary late in 2019 and helped save Quinn's job for another offseason.
Morris took over as the full-time defensive coordinator in 2020.Given his head coaching experience, Morris was the logical choice to take over after the Falcons fired Quinn following Sunday's Week 5 loss. After being credited with helping improve Atlanta's defense last year down the stretch, Morris was even considered a fringe head coaching candidate.
Morris is now charged with injecting life into a listless club that just fired its longtime coach and GM after a 23-15 home loss to Carolina. If Atlanta turns its season on a dime, expect Morris to be a candidate for a permanent head-coaching gig. The interim's task begins Sunday in Minnesota against the 1-4 Vikings.
The Atlanta Falcons named defensive coordinator Raheem Morris as the interim head coach following Dan Quinn's firing on Sunday, the team announced Monday.
Morris has head coaching experience, leading the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2009 to 2011. He owns a 17-31 career record.
The Falcons also parted ways with longtime general manager Thomas Dimitroff after an 0-5 start to the campaign.
Quinn amassed a 43-42 record across five-plus seasons in Atlanta. The NFC South team has finished 7-9 in each of the last two seasons, failing to take the next step after a Super Bowl appearance in 2016 and a playoff berth in 2017.
Morris received widespread praise for helping Atlanta rebound from a 1-7 start last year.
The 44-year-old was reassigned from receivers coach to working with the secondary and took over Quinn's play-calling duties during the squad's bye, sparking a 6-2 finish that arguably saved the head coach's job.
Morris will look to guide the Falcons to their first win of the season against the Detroit Lions in Week 6.
Originally posted at NFL
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