The term “ethos,” which the Falcons like and have been whispering about all offseason, existed before Raheem Morris. The phrase was created by Terry Fontenot and Arthur Smith to describe the kind of player they were hoping to sign. Prioritising the person over the player was a hallmark of the previous administration.
Nothing about the acquisition from last offseason’s draft made that more evident than selecting Bijan Robinson over Jalen Carter. Although Carter was seen to be maybe the best player available, a series of off-field problems surfaced during the draft process, making it obvious that whoever chose the former Georgia defender would be taking a chance.
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.
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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