Atlanta Falcons coach Raheem Morris flashed a Cheshire cat smile on Wednesday when asked if he was prepared for Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin to unveil a package of plays for Justin Fields on Sunday.
Morris and Tomlin were young assistant coaches in Tampa Bay from 2002-05, and the competitive gamesmanship — and mutual respect — between peers runs in overdrive.
“Mike Tomlin told me to prepare for Justin Fields,” Morris said Wednesday of the Week 1 matchup with Pittsburgh. “So we did. That’s a nice way to make me waste time. He’s a master at it. And he’s conducting a masterclass, or he’s not. And Fields is gonna show up.”
Tomlin named Russell Wilson the starting quarterback for Week 1 following a preseason competition with Fields, but warned Morris he “better be ready” for Fields to play a role.
Morris said “whoever is playing quarterback presents a challenge.”
The fascinating chess match with two veteran quarterbacks at the center of it all plays out Sunday, when a tidal wave of change with each organization is put on display for the first time in a meaningful environment.
“There’s the element of the unknown that always accompanies Week 1 competition,” Tomlin said of facing the Falcons, who have their own talented quarterback — No. 8 overall pick Michael Penix Jr. — available for a cameo behind Kirk Cousins.
You can bet your britches the Steelers’ brigade of talented linebackers, from J.J. Watt to newcomer Patrick Queen, an offseason free agency import from the Ravens, are up to speed on Penix, too.
Tomlin said he and his coaching staff spent extra time on Morris and offensive coordinator Zac Robinson’s old team — the Los Angeles Rams — to bring players up to speed on tendencies and play-calling patterns. Tomlin now employs Atlanta’s former head coach, Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. Morris retained several Smith assistants, and there are ample personnel holdovers that make predicting which punch sequence Smith might dial up less challenging.
In 2022, Tomlin made his affinity for Morris perfectly clear during an interview for the “Pivot Podcast” featuring former Steelers safety Ryan Clark. Asked about diversity in coaching, Tomlin pointed at Morris as an example of a then-assistant coach who deserved to be a head coach.
“I know that some of the guys being denied are in the top 32,” Tomlin said. “Raheem Morris is the best coach that I know and have been around that don’t have a head job.”
This week at least, Morris downplays the past, including the legends that helped define the defense Cousins draws in the opener.
“The history of the group is phenomenal and that’s just the nature of the beast when you’re talking about the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Steel Curtain,” Morris said. “But we don’t have to play ghosts. We just play the guys that are on their team now and they certainly got a bunch of good guys that you’ve got to worry about.”