Falcons defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, a former NFL head coach, was named the interim head coach on Monday, the team announced.
Falcons coach Dan Quinn and general manager Thomas Dimitroff were fired late Sunday night.
Morris, 44, was Tampa Bay’s head coach from 2009-11. He was named the head coach at age 32.
In 2010, the Bucs went 10-6 and just missed the playoffs. They went 4-12 the following season and Morris was fired.
Morris said he tried to grow from the Tampa Bay experience.
“You went into (the position), and there was no manual for that job,” Morris said after attending the QB Summit over the offseason. “You go into it and how you feel like you learned from the people you’ve been around. I’d been around some really good people in a limited amount of places because I was so young at 32.”
He went to Washington (2012-14) and then to Atlanta (2015-present) and has worked with Mike Shanahan, Kyle Shanahan, Sean McVay, Matt Lafleur and Quinn. Morris has coached on both sides of the ball. He was the Falcons’ wide receivers coach from 2016-18.
Last season, he moved over to the defensive side of the ball and helped the team finish 6-2.
“Raheem is a strong leader and a talented coach that has adapted to a variety of roles since joining the Falcons in 2015,” Rich McKay, Falcons President and CEO, said in a statement. “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.”
Falcons' next four games
Falcons at Vikings at 1 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 18
Lions at Falcons at 1 p.m. Sunday Oct. 25
Falcons at Panthers at 8:20 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29
Broncos at Falcons at 1 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8
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