The Falcons love the word ‘ethos’ and have muttered it throughout the offseason, but it predates Raheem Morris. Terry Fontenot and Arthur Smith coined the phrase in regard to the type of player they wanted to acquire.
The former regime placed an emphasis on the person as much as the player. No acquisition made that more clear than drafting Bijan Robinson over Jalen Carter in last offseason’s draft.
Carter was regarded as arguably the top talent in the draft, but a string of off-the-field issues arose during the draft process, and it became clear that whoever selected the former Georgia defender would be taking a risk.
With Robinson, that wasn’t the case. The former Texas running back was regarded as a terrific human being and would contribute to building a positive culture.
It’s not to say that Carter won’t go on to have a successful career with the Eagles because he’s in the perfect situation, emersed in an established culture. The Falcons were still cultivating their culture within Flowery Branch, and Bijan Robinson was a much safer draft pick.
Now, with Raheem Morris in the building, there seems to be a similar theme in who they want to bring into Atlanta. The Falcons culture isn’t dissimilar under their new head coach, but Morris is certainly putting his touch on it.
Raheem Morris said he's not necessarily trying to remake the Falcons' culture.
"I would never say Arthur Smith's culture was bad. It was his style."
— Daniel Flick (@ByDanielFlick) May 21, 2024
The difference, at least publicly, between Raheem Morris and Arthur Smith is obvious. One has an infectious personality that radiates positivity and belief while the other is dry, similar to Bill Belichick.
However, both seem to be players-coaches who just go about it differently. Falcons fans want to bash Arthur Smith at every possible turn, but the reality is that he didn’t build a bad culture. Raheem Morris is just doing it his way.
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Jordon Kelly/Icon Sportswire
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