FLOWERY BRANCH — Prime Video analyst Andrew Whitworth, a former LSU standout offensive tackle who played 16 seasons in the NFL, is very familiar with the Falcons coach Raheem Morris and offensive coordinator Zac Robinson.
Whitworth played 11 seasons with the Bengals and five with the Rams, helping them to win Super Bowl LVI. Morris joined the Rams as their defensive coordinator in 2021 after serving as the Falcons’ interim head coach for 11 games in 2020.
“Whit was one of the first people who called me when I got the job with the Rams,” Morris said. “He said, this is Andrew Whitworth. I thought it was a joke.”
After Morris realized it wasn’t a prank call, things got serious.
“He was welcoming me to the organization,” Morris said. “Did a background check on me. He knew everything about me. Had already done research on the players I’d coached and been around to make sure I fit their culture. He was part of the on-boarding system really for the Rams.”
Morris has remained upbeat as he’s trying to lay the foundation for a turnaround with the Falcons.
“That’s just who he is, relentlessly he’s going to be positive,” Whitworth told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Not even let subjects go into things that can be negative. Just look at his reaction to the Kyle Pitts thing when people asked him about the catches last week. That’s not him being defensive, that’s him saying, hey, you know what? I’m not going to let stuff like that creep in. We’re going to worry about winning football games.”
After the Falcons beat the Saints, Morris entertained the question about Pitts not having a catch for the first time in 48 games as a pro. He brushed off his “stats are for losers” line he has used throughout his career at Tampa Bay and later with the Falcons during he previous stint.
“He’s going to get his,” Whitworth said. “All of that is going to work itself out. Just that relentlessness, we’re going to be positive. We’re going to keep attacking the better version of ourselves. You see a lot of who he is, even in his press conferences, which I’m sure people are starting to enjoy.”
Whitworth, because of his veteran status, was kind of a player-coach late in his career with the Rams.
“He was able to coach those guys in the (meeting) room and be a leading force for us when we won the Super Bowl, then watching him come back and play through injury and do all the things he did for us,” Morris said. “I know how important he is, even now to the Rams. I can’t give (him) enough credit for how he was able to really be an (important) person in two organizations. Cincinnati, what he did there, and what he was able to do when he went out to L.A.”
Whitworth knows that it will take time for Morris to build a winning culture with the Falcons.
“I mean, it takes time,” Whitworth said. “It’s an investment in your people and everything else. I think that, for me, I think everyone has their way of doing it.”
Whitworth tried to be a servant leader with the Rams.
“When I went to L.A., (it was) every single day, find a way to sit at a different lunch table,” Whitworth said. “Sit with a different group of people. Try to show that you are a captain or not that you’re coming there as this leader and this captain, but that you know this is why you became one of them because you’ll give your time and energy and effort to everybody in the building, no matter where they play or what they play.”
Whitworth saw that same spirit in Morris.
“You just serve people,” Whitworth said. “So, for me, that’s the way it looked, and my wife (Melissa) as well. So, that was really our goal when we went there. I see Raheem and his family is the same way, man. He just wants to serve the guys he coaches and be there for them in any way he possibly can.”
Whitworth, like Rams GM Les Snead, is high on Morris’ staff. He liked the hiring of Jimmy Lake as defensive coordinator and Zac Robinson as offensive coordinator.
“It’s not going to be something that’s just going to jump out and be in your face,” Whitworth said. “It’s something that, over time, those relationships, I think will matter. They’ll matter to building that culture, building something that establishes a standard of how (they) are and who (they) are as Atlanta Falcons.”
Whitworth said the little actions will matter.
“The way (they) treat each other,” Whitworth said. “The way (they) go about things. The way (they) win and lose together. All of those things eventually matter. I think it would be a longer process, but it’s one that I know is important to Raheem. I look forward to seeing the culture change.”
Whitworth was with the Bengals when Robinson played there from 2011-13 and with the Rams when they hired Robinson in 2019 as assistant quarterbacks coach.
“I was part of when we hired him,” Whitworth said. “I was with Sean (McVay) in some of those interviews.”
Robinson is first season calling plays in the NFL.
“I’ve always been a fan of Zac,” Whitworth said. “I can remember when he first came into L.A., knowing him as a player and then getting to see him really as he got into his coaching journey. I was really impressed just how sharp and articulate he could be when you’re talking offensive football.”
McVay makes his assistant coaches get up and make presentations.
“Zac presented, and Sean walked away and said, ‘Man, that is going to be a really good football coach one day,’” Whitworth said. “So, I’m excited for him. It’s a new journey. It’s a whole team, whole new experience. You got to imagine how young he is and his football career as a coach.”
Whitworth sees that the Falcons’ offense is a work in progress.
“There’s some good things happening,” Whitworth said. “It’s just not quite clicking. That’s part of what offensive football is, is just finding that little click. Sometimes it just takes one game to all kind of be on the right page and all have a good understanding of exactly what we’re doing, and it just starts going.”
The Falcons haven’t had that game yet. They didn’t score an offensive touchdown in their outing Sunday. They did get in place to kick four field goals, including the game-winning 58-yarder by Younghoe Koo.
“I’m hoping that’s right around the corner,” Whitworth said of the Falcons’ offensive breakthrough game. “I’m looking forward to him and his opportunity here in Atlanta. I have no doubt that Zac is going to be a great football coach.”
Credit: TNS
Credit: TNS
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