Arthur Blank : “It wasn’t that he was the wrong fit.”
In a recent interview, Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank discussed his decision to select Raheem Morris, a former defensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams, as the team’s next head coach rather than the living icon Bill Belichick with Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated.
Regarding his discussions with Belichick in January, Blank stated, “It wasn’t that he was the wrong fit.” “We’ve desired him our entire lives. All of the concerns and inquiries regarding Bill’s power structure were wholly baseless, utterly false, and unwarranted. Throughout our conversations, he consistently shown collaboration, inclusivity, eagerness to work with staff, and scouting alongside him. He completed his reference check on our company and was at ease doing business with them. Actually, none of that had anything to do with it.”
During Super Bowl week, a number of people made the suggestion that Belichick had rejected Blank rather than the other way around. This was reportedly due in part to the head coach’s purported desire for greater authority inside the Falcons than Blank was prepared to give up. Blank denied such allegations prior to his conversation with Breer.
After Blank hired Morris, there were rumors circulating over the weekend that “multiple owners reached out to Belichick about next year’s hiring cycle.” Even though Belichick will age 72 in April, he is only 15 wins away from becoming the NFL’s all-time leader in career victories (postseason and regular season combined).
Blank told Breer, “I think Bill will coach again.” “I’m not sure. However, the enthusiasm and energy are still present. We simply believed that Raheem was the greatest option for us when we compared him to everyone else for a number of reasons.”
Blank specifically brought up Morris’s tenure with the Falcons from 2015 through the 2020 campaign, during which time he held positions as an assistant, defensive coordinator, and interim head coach.
“Our time spent with him in Atlanta was excellent,” Blank remarked of Morris. It lasted for six years, and while things didn’t turn out as planned, there was undoubtedly a lot of success throughout that time. spent a considerable deal of time as a terrific leader, on offense and defense. Both players and coaches adored him.
Morris “learned skills” during his three seasons with the Rams, Blank continued, “that weren’t fully developed when he left us in Atlanta.” Now, all parties concerned will be praying that Blank doesn’t regret hiring him in January because of such skills.
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