Falcons’ Raheem Morris feels he has 100% of Arthur Blank’s support
FLOWERY BRANCH – Falcons coach Raheem Morris meets regularly with owner Arthur Blank, who has elected not to discuss the team with the media during this recent slide.
Morris has guided the Falcons to a 12-18 record over his first two seasons. He went 8-9 last season and is 4-9 this season with four games to play.
“He is 100% in support of me,” Morris said. “The support isn’t an issue. He is absolutely outstanding, and his ability to listen to us, his ability to be there for us, his ability to be in it with us is absolutely 100% awesome. It’s everybody. It’s all-hands-on-deck mentality with the organization. I can’t say enough about that.”
Morris was initially asked about his personal situation after the team clinched a losing season and was officially eliminated from the playoffs following the 37-9 loss to the Seahawks on Sunday.
“It’s not,” Morris said about thinking about his personal situation. “For me, that’s the price of doing business. You don’t put yourself in these positions to worry about those things. As a leader, you’ve got to stand up in front of people and answer the questions, the hard questions. You’ve also got to stand up and be a good example for your guys in how you go and finish things.”
Morris said he can’t have difficulties finishing and then try to sell that to the team.
“We’ve got the same types of things on the line,” Morris said. “And for all of us, for us, it’s like, let’s go find the best version of ourselves. Let’s go be that, because it’s coming. When I look at guys, it’s not hard for me because I look at guys like Bijan (Robinson). I look at guys like Drake (London). I look at guys like Chris Lindstrom and everything that I know that they pour into this football team.
“Jake Matthews....You want to give it back to them...full fold. Kaden Elliss going out there and hurting his arm and going back in and finishing that game. Those things matter to me. Those players matter to me.
“So, I’m going to give them everything I got. So, to be selfish and think about my own personal stuff? No, that’s not right. I’m going to give these guys everything, and this organization everything I’ve got.”
Morris then asked if that was basically his message to Blank in their Monday meetings.
“No,” Morris said. “Arthur Blank, I’m talking to him about what happened. What our plan was. He knows it. We give it to him – we talk about it before the game. I think it’s something that I love to be able to do with him, just to tell him what the plan is, so he’s not sitting in the box wondering what’s going on.”
Blank comes to the post-game media room with members of the family and ownership group. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has repeatedly sought comment about the team’s free-fall.
“Then after the game, we can clearly say and sit there in front of each other and just tell what we didn’t get executed, or what we did get executed to win a football game,” Morris said. “Those are the important things to me. I’m not there selling Arthur on whatever his decisions are. I’ve got to make my own decisions and go find out what we need to do to win football games. I think that’s most important.”
About the Author
Honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in recognition of his "long and distinguished reporting in the field of pro football," D. Orlando Ledbetter, Esq. has covered the NFL 28 seasons. A graduate of Howard University, he's a winner of Georgia Sportswriter of the Year and three Associated Press Sports Editor awards.
