Morris says Falcons must learn to ‘force our will’ on other teams
ATLANTA — Raheem Morris says the Atlanta Falcons’ only path to winning is by learning to “force our will on an opponent” and he says that tough approach will be what distinguishes his term as interim coach from Dan Quinn, his fired predecessor.
Morris, who had been Atlanta’s defensive coordinator, was named interim coach on Monday. Quinn was fired on Sunday night following the team’s first 0-5 start since 1997. The Falcons also fired general manager Thomas Dimitroff.
Quinn led the Falcons to their second Super Bowl appearance in the 2016 season. The pain of that Super Bowl loss to New England, when Atlanta blew a 28-3
lead, was revisited this season when the Falcons became the first team in NFL history to blow fourth-quarter leads of at least 15 points in back-to-back games.
The blown leads in backto-back losses to Dallas and Chicago helped to seal
Quinn’s fate.
The tough talk ties into learning to hold a lead. It’s a logical place for Morris to start as he begins his 11-game stint as interim coach.
“At the end of the day we’ve got to find a way to put our foot on people’s throats in games and that’s what’s got to happen,” Morris said Tuesday.
“The message to the team is we’ve got to force our will on an opponent. … The only way you go about getting a win is to force your will on your opponent. That’s the biggest difference in what we’re going to do and how we’re going to do it.”
The Falcons play at Minnesota on Sunday.
Morris, 44, was 17-31 as coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2009-2011. His team finished 10-6 in 2010.