Earlier this month, the New England Patriots, as many had expected for weeks, parted ways with Bill Belichick, who had been their head coach for 24 seasons.
It made Belichick, a six-time Super Bowl champion who is regarded as a brilliant tactician, a hot commodity for teams looking for a head coach.
One of those teams, the Atlanta Falcons, was rumored to have the inside track on landing Belichick, but they went with Raheem Morris instead, and Dianna Russini outlined the reasons why the Falcons passed up one of the greatest coaches in NFL history.
“Arthur Blank was targeting the greatest coach of all time from the start. He was then open to listening to others ideas. Some internal persuasion, impressive interviews, and here we are,” Russini tweeted.
There are layers to the hiring in Atlanta. Arthur Blank was targeting the greatest coach of all time from the start.
He was then open to listening to others ideas. Some internal persuasion, impressive interviews, and here we are.
Belichick is unemployed. Raheem gets his shot.— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) January 25, 2024
Although Belichick is 71 years of age, many expect him to continue to look for a head coaching job so that he will be on the sidelines for an NFL team this September.
However, an argument could be made that the Falcons simply weren’t the right team for him.
The Falcons won only seven games in 2023, and while they have a budding star in running back Bijan Robinson and a stud at wide receiver in Drake London, they don’t have a respectable, let alone a Pro Bowl-caliber, quarterback.
One concerning trend for Belichick is his lack of success without Tom Brady by his side — in 10 seasons without him, he has had a winning record and made the playoffs only twice.
In Morris, the Falcons now have a head coach who has won two world championships as an assistant.
At age 47, he should be young enough to stick around for an entire rebuilding project, something that couldn’t be said about the much older Belichick.
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