Kirby Smart, Georgia draw praise from new Falcons head coach
Falcons fans across the Peach State want to see Georgia players continuing their careers in Atlanta, and by the sound of things from new head coach Raheem Morris, that just might happen. Asked about his relationship with Kirby Smart during his appearance at the NFL Combine on Tuesday, Morris said he’s jealous and hopes to accomplish the same sort of success as the UGA head man.
“Jealous is my relationship with Kirby Smart,” Morris said. “Let’s go win some championships like that guy. They’ve done nothing but formulate a great program. Again, it starts with the people. Just watching him win championships. It’s been fun to see. It’s been fun to see the acquisition of great talent coming out of Georgia.”
“I know where I live now is a big Georgia contingency. I’ve got to get my Bulldog hats and support what those guys are doing,” he added.
Morris takes over for Arthur Smith in Atlanta after having spent the last three seasons in Los Angeles as the Rams defensive coordinator. He was previously a part of the Falcons organization though from 2015-20, starting as a defensive backs coach before flipping sides of the ball to work with wide receivers. He did that for four seasons before returning to defense, acting as the team’s defensive coordinator and eventually the interim head coach following the firing of Dan Quinn.
This isn’t Morris’ first time as an NFL head coach either. He spent three seasons in Tampa Bay, taking the team from 3-13 in his first season to 10-6 in year two. It was the best turnaround in franchise history as the Buccaneers became the first NFL team since 1970 to win 10 games while starting 10 rookies. Morris was fired after a disappointing third season in 2011.
As for the Falcons-Georgia connection, it’s clear that fans would like to see more. Atlanta took two Georgia players in the Bulldogs’ record-setting 2022 NFL Draft (Justin Shaffer and John FitzPatrick), but before that, the last Falcons draft pick out of Athens came in 2011 (Akeem Dent). Along with Shaffer and FitzPatrick, Atlanta also has former Kirby Smart star Lorenzo Carter, who helped UGA win an SEC Championship in 2017 and make an appearance in the College Football Playoffs. The Falcons hold the No. 8 overall pick in the first round with a total of seven picks.
Smart’s Georgia will have 11 players at the NFL Combine for all to see this week. The participants are the following: TE Brock Bowers, DB Javon Bullard, RB Daijun Edwards, DB Kamari Lassiter, DL Zion Logue, WR Ladd McConkey, RB Kendall Milton, OL Amarius Mims, WR Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint, DB Tykee Smith and OL Sedrick Van Pran. Workouts will take place Thursday-Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, site of UGA’s 2022 National Championship Game victory over Alabama.
