Colts’ head coach candidate: 6 things to know about Raheem Morris
The Indianapolis Colts completed their head coach interview with Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris on Friday.
The Colts are scheduled to interview a wide range of candidates before making a decision, and you can keep up with the latest updates via our tracker.
Here are six things to know about Colts’ head coach candidate Raheem Morris:
A decade in Tampa Bay
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Morris played safety at Hofstra (1994-1997) and immediately got into coaching. He was a grad assistant at his alma mater (1998) and spent a season as the defensive backs coach for Cornell (1999) before holding the same role at Hofstra again for two seasons (2000-2001).
Morris then began his NFL journey as a defensive quality control coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2002. He made his way up the coaching staff going from defensive assistant (2003) to assistant defensive backs coach (2004-2005). He left for a season to be the defensive coordinator at Kansas State (2006) before returning to Tampa Bay as the defensive backs coach (2007-2008).
Then, Morris got the chance to be the head coach of the Bucs, holding the role for three seasons (2009-2011). Though it started with a 3-13 record during his first season, he bounced back to go 10-6 during his second season. Then, he was fired after a 4-12 season in 2011.
Life after first HC stint
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After Morris was fired from the Buccaneers, he joined the then-Washington Redskins for three seasons (2012-2014) as their defensive backs coach. From there, Morris was hired by the Atlanta Falcons to be the assistant head coach/pass game coordinator (2015-2019) and the wide receivers coach (2016-2019). He was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2020 and took over as interim head coach after Dan Quinn was fired. The Falcons finished with a 4-7 record under Morris.
Super Bowl Champs
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After his stint in Atlanta, Morris joined the Los Angeles Rams in 2021 as the defensive coordinator under Sean McVay, replacing Brandon Staley. Morris’ defense was incredible stout and led the way to a Super Bowl victory to conclude the 2021 season. His defense took a step back in 2022, however, looking like a completely different team than the previous season.
Expect a lot of zone
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Whether Colts fans want to hear it or not, the Rams were near the top of the league when it came to running zone coverage. Considering the personnel they have on the defensive side of the ball, it could very well stay that way. Morris also brings a pretty multiple and diverse front, switching between odd and even fronts.
Experience on both sides
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Morris will be looked at as a defensive-minded head coach because that’s where his specialties lie. However, he spent five seasons as the pass-game coordinator and four seasons as the wide receivers coach with the Falcons. Having that experience of working on both sides of the ball could be beneficial as head coach.
NFL Coaching Experience
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Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator (2021–present)
Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator/interim head coach (2020)
Atlanta Falcons wide receivers coach (2016–2019)
Atlanta Falcons passing game coordinator (2015-2019)
Washington Redskins defensive backs coach (2012–2014)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach (2009–2011)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive backs coach (2007–2008)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers assistant defensive backs coach (2004–2005)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive assistant (2003)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive quality control coach (2002)
