For a head coach on the hot seat, every decision is magnified. For Raheem Morris, the decision ‘not’ to act is now under the same scrutiny as his decision to fire a coach just weeks ago.

Reporter Joe Patrick asked Morris why he wasn’t firing the ST coaches even after losing, since he let go of the wide receivers coach, Ike Hilliard. Morris’s response was crystal clear, as he named “communication” issues as the reason behind Hilliard’s firing. He clearly said that there was no such issue with the special teams unit.

This means one and only one thing, the special teams coordinator, Marquice Williams, and special teams assistant, Steven King, can have a sigh of relief as the head coach still trusts them. However, they need to do a better job of preparing their special teams for the NFL pressure. Raheem Morris has been watching the special teams’ performance closely. He wasn’t happy with the Week 13 loss to the Jets, which ended 27-24.

“We played awful yesterday on special teams. I don’t know how to say it any other way,” the Falcons‘ head coach said in his press conference on Monday, November 30.

There were plenty of misses in the loss. First, receiver Jamal Agnew muffed a catch in the second quarter. Then, kicker Zane Gonzalez missed a 50-yard field goal in the third quarter. Then, the Falcons’ 83-yard kick return gave the New York Jets a chance as they set up a 32-yard field goal. These plays hit in the long run.

They are 4-8 now after the Week 13 loss. But the head coach is keeping his head clear of any emotional turbulence.

Raheem Morris keeps himself levelheaded amid emotional drama

The Falcons’ head coach understands these are emotional times for him and the players. In his first stint as the head coach, he failed to take the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the playoffs even once. In his third year with the Falcons, he is having the same issues. But there is still no place for emotions, particularly for the special teams coach.

“You’d love to get rid of people today, but we don’t make emotional decisions. We won’t talk about those things. We never do that. It’s not our code. It’s not our ethics,” Morris said. “It’s not who we are. It’s not what we are. It’s not a decision, that’s not what we do today.”

However, the coach, Ike Hilliard, was at the receiving end of Morris’s anger at his coaches. They are still struggling to get wins. Linebacker JD Bertrand also claimed that the biggest job of the special teams’ guys is to fill the hole that gets created on the field. But ultimately, can they do their jobs perfectly in the remaining season?