May 5, 2024
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — Atlanta Falcons coach Raheem Morris began assembling his staff on Monday, appointing Zac Robinson as offensive coordinator and Jimmy Lake to run the defense.
Both assistants followed Morris from the Los Angeles Rams, where the new Atlanta coach served as defensive coordinator before he landed the Falcons' job last week.
Morris also announced that Marquice Williams has been retained as special teams coordinator, a role he held the last three years under previous coach Arthur Smith.
Smith was fired hours after the Falcons completed their third straight 7-10 campaign.
Robinson served as the Rams' quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator the last two seasons. Lake is a former head coach at the University of Washington who spent this past year as the assistant head coach in Los Angeles.
The 37-year-old Robinson will be take over an offense that has some intriguing weapons in former first-round picks Kyle Pitts, Drake London and Bijan Robinson but struggled to settle on a quarterback.
This past season, Smith went back and forth between Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke without much success. The Falcons are likely to pursue an upgrade at the position through free agency, a trade or in the draft.
Robinson worked with Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, who earned his second Pro Bowl berth by throwing for 3,865 yards with 24 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
The Los Angeles offense also featured rookie star Puka Nacua. He recorded the most receptions (105) and receiving yards (1,486) by a first-year player in NFL history.
Lake took over as Washington's coach ahead of the COVID-plagued 2020 season, but his tenure lasted less than two years. The 47-year-old was fired with three games left in the 2021 campaign, finishing with a record of 7-6.
