Falcons hire Rams DC Raheem Morris as head coach - ESPN

ATLANTA — The Falcons are going back to their past to try and solidify their future.

The Falcons have hired Raheem Morris as their coach, the team announced Thursday, making him the first former NFL head coach that owner Arthur Blank has hired in his 20-plus-year ownership tenure.

Morris is the first full-time Black head coach in the franchise's history.

«This is a historic day for the Atlanta Falcons,» Blank said in a statement. «We are thrilled to welcome Raheem Morris back to Atlanta as the team's new head coach.… Raheem emerged from a field of excellent candidates and is the right leader to take our team into the future.

»His time in LA has given him an enhanced perspective on everything from personnel, team operations, game planning, working with an outstanding offensive staff and many other things that has helped him develop into an even more prepared coach in all aspects of the game. I believe his leadership skills have grown and his understanding of what it takes to have a highly collaborative one-team culture are now at a much higher level."

Morris' hire comes after an extensive search that featured 14 candidates, including former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick, former Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel and former Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh, who was hired Wednesday by the Los Angeles Chargers.

Morris was one of four coaches who had second interviews with the club. The others were Belichick, Houston Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik and Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero. The Falcons are the only team Belichick is known to have interviewed with — and they've decided to go in another direction.

This marks a return to Flowery Branch, Georgia, for Morris, who was Atlanta's