Georgia Tech great Derrick Morgan, in town for the Super Bowl, has thoughts on new Yellow Jackets coach Geoff Collins, a strategy for beating the New England Patriots and a desire to tell the world about his wife’s culinary brand.
He shared all three in an interview with the AJC.
The 2009 ACC defensive player of the year said he’s “definitely looking forward” to having Collins lead the Jackets. Morgan got to know Collins when the latter was Tech’s director of player personnel in 2006. Morgan arguably was the centerpiece of the famed 2007 signing class that Collins helped assemble, a four-star prospect from Pennsylvania.
“I think that he did a great job in bringing all those guys together with different backgrounds from different parts of the country,” Morgan said. “I think we had one of the best recruiting classes in Tech history. So to see those guys more than 10 years later and see how their careers went on and off the field – he brought together a very unique group of guys who are successful in their own right on and off the field.”
Morgan became a first-round pick in the 2010 draft and has been a workhorse for the Tennessee Titans ever since. Morgan just finished his ninth season. Over the past eight seasons, out of a possible 128 games, he has played in 114 and started 106. He is tied for 34th among active players in career sacks with 44.5, according to pro-football-reference.com. His career earnings exceed $42 million, according to spotrac.com.
In November, the Titans beat the Patriots 34-10 in Nashville, Tenn., giving New England its most decisive loss of the season. Brady was 21-for-41 passing for 254 yards and was sacked three times before leaving the game. Morgan did not play in the game because of an injury, but shared his perspective on the Titans’ success.
“We were very multiple on defense that game, had a lot of different packages, showed some things outside of our normal tendencies,” Morgan said. “We had a good game plan. Our guys did a great job of following through with it.”
Morgan’s key for the Rams in Sunday’s Super Bowl is an unsurprising one.
“I think that you’ve got to get to Brady,” he said. “It all starts and stops with him. As he goes, the team goes. You’ve got to get to him. Aaron Donald and all those guys have to make him uncomfortable. You’re not going to outsmart him. You’ve got to rattle him the best you can.”
Morgan has no AFC loyalties this weekend.
“Much respect to (the Patriots), but I want to see somebody new,” he said.
Morgan's primary objective while in Atlanta this week has been to bring attention to his wife, Charity, who is a chef trained at Le Cordon Bleu. Through Derrick's change in diet, Charity has developed a vegan meal-preparation business, and the Morgans hope to expand the brand.
“She wants to be kind of like the black Martha Stewart,” Morgan said. “We want to expand into different facets outside of just being a chef. She’s very passionate about the space and we definitely find ourselves in some different social-impact stuff in terms of nutrition, so it’s just a holistic approach.”
Two years ago, Morgan began investigating how to improve performance and speed recovery through better diet. He consulted with a nutritionist, who gave Morgan information about how inflammation in the body is correlated to nutrition and specifically meat and dairy consumption. Morgan went vegan – he prefers to call it “plant-based diet” – as Charity researched and began preparing meals that were healthy and appealing, often based on traditional meat dishes.
As Morgan put it, “she cooks things that are plant-based but don’t look plant-based.”
After six months, Morgan said, he had blood work done and found that his inflammation markers had disappeared and, while his family had a history of high blood pressure, that had dropped into a normal range.
“I knew it wasn’t a placebo effect, and I was feeling good,” Morgan said. “I was recovering faster after hard workouts. I knew it was a benefit for me.”
A funny thing happened – his teammates began noticing the meals that Morgan brought from home and wanted some for themselves. A business was born. Now in the second year, Charity prepares lunches for about 15 Titans.
The Morgans, who have two children, are now exploring next steps – possibly expanding Charity’s meal-service business in Nashville or getting products in stores.
“She has a ranch sauce that’s amazing that’s vegan,” Morgan said. “I put it on everything.”
Education is another arm. The Morgans had planned to take part in a wellness symposium at Booker T. Washington High on Tuesday, but were unable because of the threat of snow that cancelled school across metro Atlanta. They took part in a documentary ("Hungry for Justice") that takes a look at food deserts and veganism. (Morgan has taken an active role in serving the community. He has run a camp in Nashville that mixed football and technology.)
Adopting veganism is a lifestyle that he has reached only with time. He confesses that, while at Tech, “I didn’t care about nutrition back then.”
Morgan hadn’t considered trying to get Tech to adopt his methods. However, for an athletic department bent on innovation and differentiation – Collins created a position for a director of applied sports science – perhaps it’s worth a call.
“Everybody’s not going to go vegan, but I think if you can start to replace some meals and start being more aware of what you put in your body, it’s good for your health,” Morgan said.
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