Falcons pick Morris to replace Quinn as interim head coach
The Atlanta Falcons named defensive coordinator Raheem Morris interim head coach on Monday 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 fulltime coach and GM.
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 following 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.”
COWBOYS BELIEVE IN DAK >> Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott was released from the hospital Monday following surgery for a compound fracture and dislocation of his right ankle on Sunday night.
The gruesome injury is season-ending for Prescott, 27, and thrusts backup Andy Dalton into the starting quarterback role for the Cowboys, who used a late field goal to survive the New York Giants on Sunday.
It also presents a new layer to the complicated contract matter between Prescott and the Cowboys. Prescott was playing the 2020 season on the one-year franchise tag. He can become an unrestricted free agent in March 2021.
Vice president Stephen Jones said Monday that the Cowboys are rooting for Prescott and very much expect him to be with the team going forward.
“He is our future. He is special. If anyone can overcome this, it will be Dak,” Jones said. “Our doctors feel good he will be able to overcome it and be better than ever.” CHIEFS’ WATKINS HAS HAMSTRING INJURY >> Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Sammy Watkins could miss “a couple weeks” because of a hamstring injury, according to a report Monday from ESPN.
Doctors still are evaluating the severity of the injury, which is expected to cost Watkins the Chiefs’ next two games against the Buffalo Bills and Denver Broncos.
The 27-year-old wideout already had been hampered this season by a concussion and neck injury. SEAHAWKS 27, VIKINGS 26 >> Russell Wilson capped a 94-yard drive with a 6-yard touchdown pass to DK Metcalf on fourth-and-goal with 15 seconds left, and Seattle beat Minnesota at home in the Sunday night game.
Seattle improved to 5- 0 for the first time in franchise history with Wilson providing some more prime-time magic and yet another late comeback.
Wilson finished 20 of 32 for 217 yards and three touchdowns. Seattle’s last drive included a fourth-and-10 conversion on a 39-yard pass to Metcalf early in the possession. Seattle appeared to get a winning TD to Metcalf on second-and-goal, but he lost the ball as he was hit from behind. Given another chance on fourth-and-goal, Metcalf flashed open cutting across the end zone and Wilson delivered a fastball into a tight window.