If there's any fanbase that can relate to Atlanta Falcons fans right now as they grit their teeth through the Raheem Morris era, it's the Tampa Bay Buccaneers faithful. Morris coached the Buccaneers for three years back in 2009 to 2011, finishing his three-year tenure with a 17-31 record.
Nine years after getting the axe in Tampa, Morris was named the Falcons interim head coach after they had fired Dan Quinn but wasn't retained at the end of the 2020 season. Four years after that, however, the Falcons would name Morris their head coach after the Arthur Smith era didn't work out. And now, as expected, it's going the way Bucs fans knew it would.
Ralph Vacchiano of FOX Sports ranked every head coach currently on the hot seat and had Morris sitting fifth on his list. This blurb will certainly have Bucs fans laughing hysterically.
"There might not be a more confusing team in the NFL. They get shut out in Carolina, then beat the Buffalo Bills three weeks later. They get blown out by the Dolphins at home, then hang with the Patriots and Colts on the road. They are loaded with talent, especially on offense, but don’t seem to know how to use it — particularly Bijan Robinson, one of the most talented running backs in football, who seems to disappear from their game plan for long stretches of time. Some of their problems stem from the inconsistency of young quarterback Michael Penix Jr., but not all of them. Morris is 11-15 in this tenure. It seems increasingly clear he’s just a mediocre head coach."
Mediocre head coach indeed! Morris did have one decent year in Tampa, leading the team to a 10-6 record in 2010 but the other two years were forgettable with the Bucs finishing 3-13 and 4-12 in 2009 and 2011 respectively. If any fanbase saw Morris not being the right guy for a team in a head coaching spot, it was the Bucs who have lived this nightmare before.
Bucs fans loving how fast Raheem Morris’ Falcons hire is backfiring
The Falcons have severely underwhelmed under Morris' guidance, finishing with an 8-9 record last year despite entering the 2024 season as a potential Super Bowl dark horse due to all of the talent they had on the roster.
This year, as Vacchiano said, the Falcons are straight up a confusing team to figure out. They're 3-6 and at times look like they can roll with the best teams out there and other times, look like they forgot what sport they play. That all lands on Morris' shoulders and for good reason.
He's now proven with two different franchises that he isn't head coach material but for Buccaneers fans' sake, hopefully the Falcons to continue to think otherwise and stick with him because this is wildly entertaining to watch unfold.