Raheem Morris is making an offer for solid thought for the Falcons’ full-time head instructing position. On #PFTPM, Mike Florio chose Morris as his mentor of the week for the employment the interim mentor did in Week 9 in winning a third match in about a month.
When naming Morris interim mentor Oct. 12, Falcons proprietor Arthur Blank kidded that he would consider Morris for the work if Morris went 11-0.
“The reality is, in all of our businesses and me personally, I am colorblind,” Blank told Steve Wyche and Jim Trotter on their Huddle & Flow podcast. “I would have made that same comment no matter who the interim coach would have been. I don’t think we should make a head coach selection or a G.M. selection based on the color of somebody’s skin. I clearly think that diversity . . . people know who I am and what I am in that regard.
“Raheem will be looked at as any other coach will be. I’ve known him for a long time. I think he’s a good guy. I think he’s got a lot of credentials. He’s not the same man he was when he was 32 [and] became a head coach [with the Bucs]. Twelve years later, he’s matured a good bit. Thirty-two, it’s hard to be a head coach in the NFL. It’s not impossible, but it’s hard to do. Twelve years later, I think he’s had a lot of great experiences, and I think he’s learned a lot, and I wish him all the success he could possibly have, for his benefit and for our benefit.”
Morris, a minority, went 17-31 of every three seasons as the Buccaneers’ head coach from 2009-11.
Blank has served on the NFL’s Workplace Diversity Committee since its beginning in 2002, the exact year he bought the group. He has had five full-time head coaches, four of whom he hired, however none were minorities.
Morris is the second minority interim mentor for the Falcons, with Emmitt Thomas substituting Bobby Petrino for three games in 2007.
The Falcons need to supplant mentor Dan Quinn as well as General Manager Thomas Dimitroff. Just one of the association’s 19 executives is a minority, as indicated by NFL Media.
“We have to do better,” Blank said.
The group founded changes to the Rooney Rule prior this year that call for groups to interview at least two external minority candidates for head coaching openings and at least one minority candidate for any coordinator opening. They likewise are needed to interview one external minority contender for senior football operations and General Manager jobs.
On Tuesday, NFL proprietors affirmed a proposition to boost the improvement of minority mentors and chiefs.
