Odds to Be Falcons Next Head Coach – Saleh Favored, Raheem Morris Given Short Odds
- San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh is the +350 favorite to be the next head coach of the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons
- Current Falcons interim head coach Raheem Morris is the +400 second betting choice
- Atlanta fired head coach Dan Quinn on October 11 after opening the season 0-5
The Atlanta Falcons are the latest NFL team to be linked to Robert Saleh as their next head coach. Saleh, the defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers, interviewed with the Falcons on Monday.
He’s being listed as the +350 chalk to be named the next coach in Atlanta. Saleh opened as the +575 first betting choice to be the next coach of the Detroit Lions when Matt Patricia was fired in December.
Current Falcons interim head coach Raheem Morris (+400), Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Brandon Staley (+525), Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy (+550) and former New York Jets head coach Todd Bowles (+600) are other top contenders for the job.
Odds to Be Next Coach of the Atlanta Falcons
| Coach | Odds |
|---|---|
| Robert Saleh | +350 |
| Raheem Morris | +400 |
| Brandon Staley | +525 |
| Eric Bieniemy | +550 |
| Todd Bowles | +600 |
| Lincoln Riley | +800 |
| Brian Daboll | +900 |
| Josh McDaniels | +1000 |
| Matt Eberflus | +1100 |
| Byron Leftwich | +1300 |
| Arthur Smith | +1400 |
| Dennis Allen | +2000 |
| Dabo Swinney | +2200 |
| Jim Harbaugh | +2500 |
| Greg Roman | +2500 |
| Nick Saban | +3300 |
Odds taken Jan. 4th.
Lincoln Riley, head coach of the NCAA Oklahoma Sooners, opened at the +300 favorite to be the next coach of the Falcons. He’s slipped all the way to +800 in the latest betting line.
Falcons Defense At Rest
Analyzing what went wrong during Atlanta’s dismal 4-12 campaign is an ideal method to gain an inkling as to what the team might be seeking in its next head coach.
Offensively, the Falcons weren’t terrible. Atlanta finished 18th overall in the NFL on the offensive side of the ball. With quarterback Matt Ryan, wide receivers Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley, running back Todd Gurley and tight end Hayden Hurst, this is a team that is not without weapons.
Year after year, Matt Ryan brings it.
Ryan is the ONLY NFL QB with active streak of 10 straight seasons of 4,000+ Pass Yards pic.twitter.com/Bqgn2Skvsz
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) January 4, 2021
Defensively, though, it’s an entirely different story. The Falcons were the 29th in the NFL in total defense, allowing 398.4 yards per game. They were dead last at stopping the pass (293.6 ypg).
That might explain why the odds on Riley lengthened so much. His reputation is as an offensive genius. That isn’t Atlanta’s problem.
Best then to look at the defensive coordinators on this list as the most serious contenders. That means it will be more challenging for coaches like Bieniemy, Buffalo OC Brian Daboll and Tennessee OC Arthur Smith to win the nod in Atlanta.
Saleh Has Options
San Francisco’s fall from NFC champions to 6-10 playoff outsiders can’t be pinned to Saleh’s defense. That unit still ranked #5 in the NFL (314.4 ypg).
Perhaps even more significantly to the Falcons, the Niners were fourth-best at preventing the pass (211.2 ypg). The San Francisco defense also forced 20 takeaways.
Shanahan confirmed @JayGlazer's report that Robert Saleh will have an interview with the Falcons tomorrow via Zoom.
— Matt Barrows (@mattbarrows) January 4, 2021
Saleh was on the list of every team with a head coaching opening a year ago. That’s not changing this year. He’ll interview with the Lions on Thursday and is also on the radar in Houston and Jacksonville.
He’s originally from Dearborn, Michigan, a Detroit suburb. If it’s offered, will the chance to coach his hometown Lions be an enticement that Saleh can’t turn down?
Wouldn’t Morris Have the Job By Now?
The Falcons were given 11 games to assess Morris as a head coach. If he was going to be their guy, why would they go through this process? Wouldn’t they just offer him the job?
Passionate case from former Falcon Tony Gonzalez on why Atlanta should retain Raheem Morris as HC over on @NFLonFOX …
— Peter Schrager (@PSchrags) January 3, 2021
Atlanta went 4-7 under Morris. However, the Falcons closed out the season in the same manner that they started it, by going 0-5.
Staley the Hot New Name
With Bowles as their defensive coordinator this season, Tampa Bay is the NFL’s #6 defense. However, Bowles had his shot as an NFL head coach with the Jets and was a dismal 24-40 in four seasons at the helm.
Staley is a name that the Falcons have reportedly been researching diligently. He’s the defensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Rams. This season, Staley’s defense has dominated the NFL.
Rams DC Brandon Staley, Tampa DC Todd Bowles and Titans OC Arthur Smith are names mentioned below. Keep up with everything to know with the #Falcons HC/GM search here https://t.co/ySCjT5iCYp
— Kelsey Conway (@KelseyLConway) January 3, 2021
The Rams are ranked #1 in total defense (286.5 ypg), and #1 in pass defense (192.3 ypg). They are also #3 at stopping the run (94.1 ypg). The Rams also forced 21 turnovers, tied for #5 in the NFL.
Staley appears to check off all the boxes for the Falcons.
Pick: Brandon Staley (+525)
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
