The Los Angeles Rams announced on Thursday that it had agreed to a deal with Raheem Morris to become its new defensive coordinator.
Here are five things you should know about it:
1) Ties with the Rams team go beyond Sean McVay
Morris worked with McVay in Tampa Bay (2008) and Washington (2012-14), but there are also some other familiar faces on the Los Angeles technical team:
- Rams ‘offensive line coach / racing game coordinator Aaron Kromer was a senior assistant to the Buccaneers during Morris’ last season as assistant back coach (2005). Kromer was also a senior assistant / offensive lineman for Tampa Bay in 2007, which coincided with Morris’s first season with Tampa Bay as a defense coach.
- Rams wide receiver coach Eric Yarber spent two seasons training Buccaneers wide receivers (2010-11); those two years coincided with Morris’ two finals as coach of the Buccaneers.
- During Morris ‘last two seasons as a defensive coach for Washington (2013-14), Rams’ current cornerback coach Aubrey Pleasant was an offensive assistant (2013) and defensive quality control coach (2014) for Washington.
2) Has worked with talented defensive backs before
In Los Angeles, Morris will inherit a defense with twice First Team All-Pro and four times Pro Bowl cornerback, Jalen Ramsey, but it is not the first time he has worked with one of the best defenders in the NFL.
As noted in his introductory article, he has extensive experience as a defender coach. During the last two seasons of his first stint in Tampa Bay (2004 and 2005), he was assistant defense coach under defense coach Mike Tomlin and helped cornerback Ronde Barber to receive honors from First Team All-Pro and Pro Bowl for each of the two seasons.
When Morris returned to his second spell for the Bucs (2007-11) – starting as a defense coach in the first two seasons after Mike Tomlin left for the Vikings and then for the Steelers – he helped Barber win his fifth Pro Bowl nomination in 2008.
Barber is among the 15 finalists of the modern era for the Professional Football Hall of Fame 2021 class.
3) Success working with younger players
In 2010 – their second season as coach of the Buccaneers – Tampa Bay became the first team since the 1970 NFL / AFL merger to start at least 10 rookies and end with a winning record. Tampa Bay was 10-6.
4) Started in the NFL with Jon Gruden
Like McVay, Morris broke into the NFL working with Jon Gruden. Morris indicated in a November 24 article on AtlantaFalcons.com that Gruden had a major influence on his coaching career.
“He was one of the first people who taught me how to work, how to invest time in it, how to get into work and beat people to work and thrive in that environment,” said Morris. “The work ethic he brought to the game, how much he loved football, his care for the technical team and everyone around him.”
5) Strong communicator
Morris’ move to attack and training Falcons wide receivers for three and a half seasons was by no means a downgrade. Instead, it reflected one of his best qualities.
According to an October 13 story by The Athletic’s Dan Pompei, when then Falcons head coach Dan Quinn and then offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan had to hire a wide receiver coach in 2016, they enlisted Morris’s help to evaluate candidates. Morris presented Quinn with the idea of hiring a “great communicator that Kyle Shanahan respects” and “the best trainer, regardless of position”, without explicitly volunteering for the job; Quinn and Shanahan later chose him.
In a February 2017 story by Jason Reid of The Undefeated detailing the transition and how Morris’s first season as a wide receiver coach was going, Reid wrote: “Morris also effectively articulated Shanahan’s view of the attack. He is largely responsible for improving the communication problems that plagued the offense during the collapse of last season. “
Morris was also widely praised by former players who coached for his ability to connect with them.