Raheem Morris says Falcons want to model Lions' toughness
Raheem Morris and Dan Campbell recently went head-to-head during the preseason matchup between the Atlanta Falcons and the Detroit Lions in which the latter team got the 17-10 win.
Despite the competition, there's a real sense of respect between the two head coaches. In fact, Morris says he took a Dan Campbell type of approach when he became the Falcons head coach. That's meant from both a cultural and schematic perspective.
"I have so much respect for Dan (Campbell) and what Detroit did and I watched," Morris told Chris Long on the Green Light podcast. "I remember 2020 when they won a small amount of games. Then they came out and started off the season and they started off (poorly), and finished strong and got to that middle range."
In a way, Morris feels he was in a better position than Campbell was in with the Lions in relation to that time period because of the situation he walked into from a talent perspective. While he and his staff have had some big wins themselves, there's even more to consider outside of that.
"I always felt like that last year, we could skipped a couple steps that Detroit had to go through because of some of the talent that was acquired here before I even got here. So, whether you're crediting Arthur Smith or you're crediting Terry Fontenot... and all of our guys, our staff, the guys who brought the players here like Bijan Robinson, Drake London, that provide that ultimate toughness."
The idea of building the team up like Detroit seemed like a no-brainer to Morris.
"So, when you got here and saw the two backs, you saw the toughness of the team, you saw some of the things that you can build on. There's no secret you would tailor it to a Detroit-like model, when you talk about how to build it and how to go win football games.
How Morris and the Falcons continue their journey in hopes of becoming a consistent contender will be something to watch in 2025 after the flashes the team showed in 2024.
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