Raheem Morris is one of the longest-serving coaches in the NFL. The new head coach of the Atlanta Falcons is a genius of strategy and human relations. The question is: Will that be enough to lift the team out of mediocrity and take it back to the postseason?

It may be too early to give an accurate answer. Despite this, everyone who has worked with or for Morris seems willing to put their hands in the fire for him, especially on a personal level.

Players like running back Cadillac Williams, receiver Mohamed Sanu, and cornerback Jalen Ramsey say one of Morris’ greatest skills is the way he connects with people.

At all levels of an organization-players, coaches, administrators-Morris’s hand can be felt interconnecting pieces.

The opinion of the players

Sanu arrived in Atlanta in 2016 when Morris was just joining the offensive staff after a long stint on defense. “I knew he was a defensive coach, but you couldn’t tell being in the (wide receivers) room,” the player remembers.

He explained that Morris’ integration “was seamless. He was able to break down information for us from a defensive perspective. He was able to help us attack the defensive backs better.”

Williams, for his part, remembers that when he joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2005, “I can just remember guys in the locker room, including myself, gravitating toward him whether you were on defense or offense or a guy just trying to make the team.”

Ramsey is more expressive: “Rah is fire, for real. The fact that he’s not a head coach is a blessing to us in that defensive room. Rah is the real f*cking deal; I am not even lying to you. I am passionate about that sh*t.”

Coaches think the same

In his 25-year career, Morris has worked under the direction of the likes of Kyle Shanahan, Dan Quinn, Sean McVay, Mike Tomlin, and Jon Gruden.

Quinn, who brought him to Atlanta upon his arrival in 2015, said that Raheem “is a rare, rare, rare connector and very rare scheme-wise. Very few people were born to be a captain or a leader, but he is.”

Shanahan, Atlanta’s offensive coordinator under Quinn and today HC of the San Francisco 49ers, assured that “I always tried to get him (to San Francisco) every single year. Raheem is one of the best coaches I’ve ever worked with.”

This will be Morris’ second opportunity as a head coach. In 2020, he filled the interim role that Quinn vacated in Atlanta in week five, and while his record was 4-11, we’ll have to see what he can do with a team he can build from his foundations.