The relationship between the two coaches started decades ago. Now, they’ll face off in Week 1.
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Raheem Morris learned the importance of being "nosy" early in his coaching career.
Morris began his NFL journey in 2002 as a defensive quality control coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where Mike Tomlin was the defensive backs coach. Morris noticed Tomlin, who played wide receiver in college at William and Mary, taking an interest in offense too. Morris quickly followed suit.
Morris and Tomlin would attend every offensive meeting they could. Morris carried that initiative throughout his career, floating between both sides of the ball. When he was asked to transition to the Falcons wide receivers room in 2016, some raised their eyebrows at the move. Morris had over a decade of experience coaching defense, after all, but the transition was seamless and beneficial for Atlanta.
"The first opportunity I got to coach (offense) was here with Dan Quinn, and really that was full force," Morris said. "No hesitation going into it because of those moments with Mike Tomlin and thinking about the background knowledge that you want to have being a coach on defense, having knowledge to coach on offense, and it certainly serves me well right now in the position I'm in now."
As a head coach, that dual expertise is a "priceless" quality that many around the league find to be unique. Unless, of course, you include Tomlin.
In 2007, Morris became the Bucs' secondary coach, the same role previously held by Tomlin. His assistant defensive backs coach at the time was none other than Jimmy Lake, who now serves as Atlanta's defensive coordinator. By then, Morris was already well-versed with the offense. Lake watched Morris do the same things Tomlin did — float back and forth between offense and defense.
Then when Morris joined the Los Angeles Rams as defensive coordinator in 2021, his office was located across from Zac Robinson, the team's assistant quarterbacks coach. The two would often have conversations about — and benefitting — both sides of the ball. Lake joined Morris and Robinson in Los Angeles last season as an offensive assistant, following in Morris' footsteps and striving to understand all parts of the game.
"Raheem is basically an offensive coach now," Robinson said. "Don't let it fool you, he's a defensive guy. He loves offense. He loves the defensive side of the ball, but there are so many things that he helps me with, he helps the rest of our staff with on offense, like 'this is a great way to attack these guys. I'm seeing this.'"
Morris is able to speak the language of every player and coach, he isn't limited to a specific unit or position group.
"I can go to him to ask questions about defense, and then he can translate back to me in offense," quarterback Kirk Cousins said. "I don't have to do that translation, which I've often had to do with defensive coaches. So, it's very rare, it's very valuable."
Robinson said he hasn't worked with a head coach who carries the cross-unit experience Morris does. Neither had Cousins, and now he can't imagine that role without it.
"I don't know if I was an owner if I'd ever hire a head coach who didn't have experience on both sides of the ball," Cousins said. "If I was a head coach, I would start trying to force people to have to learn other sides of the ball because it would help them in their long-term development as a coach."
Safety Richie Grant didn't know about Morris' experience coaching wide receivers in his first stint in Atlanta from 2015-20. However, a lot of indicators clicked into place with that new information. The particular way Morris gives the defensive backs specific pointers when guarding receivers now makes perfect sense.
Morris and Tomlin are connected once again to commence the new season. Week 1 in the NFL is often a feeling out process without in-season film to base a game plan around. The similar experiences they carry, however, should make for an interesting chess match on both sides of the ball.
But no matter what happens on the field, the history between the two that's shaped Morris will persist.
"He looks on us with a lot of pride and the guys that he's helped develop and the guys he's been a part of and he's certainly that for me," Morris said of Tomlin. "I've certainly got a lot of respect for him."
