Amna Subhan: The Falcons have a lot of DB players on their coaching staff.
The head coach is Raheem Morris. defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake; Jerry Gray, assistant head coach and defenseman; secondary coach Justin Hood;
All of these coaches on the Falcons’ staff have extensive experience coaching defensive backs. Together, they have 28 seasons of experience winning either defensive back or secondary coaching titles in the NFL.
“There’s no shortage of coaches locally,” Hood said. “Let’s form a tag team.”
After Lake watched film of the Falcons’ defense last season, the secondary really impressed him.
“I texted Raheem and said these DBs are being coached,” Lake said. “You can tell they know how to use technique, how to utilize the ball, how to attack the ball.”
Lake credited Gray, and both Lake and Morris were excited about the possibility of retaining the assistant coach for life.
That sentiment was echoed by Gray. When Lake was still coaching at the University of Washington, Gray gave special attention to Lake’s secondary.
“You can tell (Lake) is a defensive back player,” Gray said. “I really like his attitude on the back end.”
Not only have they bonded over their shared camaraderie as defensive backs, but some players have also crossed paths in unexpected ways.
Gray and Hood played for the Green Bay Packers in 2021-2022. Gray served as the defensive backs/defensive passing game coordinator and Hood served as the defensive quality control coach. Hood said he jumped at the chance to once again tap into Gray’s “wealth of knowledge.”
Meanwhile, Lake and Morris’ relationship dates back nearly 20 years, when both coaches were interviewing to be defensive backs coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Morris ultimately won the position, and Lake was named assistant.
When Lake first met Morris, the Falcons head coach told him, “I know you wanted this job, but we’re going to do it together.”
Everyone will get that chance in Atlanta this season.