ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Falcons have named defensive coordinator Raheem Morris interim head coach after firing Dan Quinn.
Morris is in his sixth season with the Falcons and his first season as defensive coordinator.
The Falcons fired Quinn on Sunday night, hours after the team fell to 0-5 for the first time since 1997 with a 23-16 loss to the Carolina Panthers.
Falcons owner Arthur Blank also fired longtime general manager Thomas Dimitroff.
When firing Quinn and Dimitroff, the Falcons announced team president Rich McKay would take control of football operations on an interim basis and also assist Blank in the search for a full-time coach and general manager.
Morris could become a candidate for the full-time job if the Falcons, who play at Minnesota on Sunday, can revive their season.
Morris was coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2009-2011. His team finished 10-6 in 2010, marking the best turnaround in franchise history a 3-13 finish in 2009.
“Raheem is a strong leader and a talented coach that has adapted to a variety of roles since joining the Falcons in 2015,” McKay said in a statement Monday.
“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 has experience on offense and defense in his 18 years coaching in the NFL. He opened the 2019 season with Atlanta's wide receivers before being switched to the secondary. The move was seen as a major reason Atlanta went 6-2 in its final eight games to finish 7-9 last season.
Morris spent three seasons as defensive backs coach for the Washington Football Team before joining the Falcons.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2020/10/946509/falcons-name-raheem-morris-interim-replacement-for-quinn