Alright, Falcons fans, let’s huddle up. The team is sitting at 6-5—decent, but not exactly soaring like the Dirty Birds of old. Ah! Those days… Do you remember? Terance Mathis does and during an exclusive collab of the EssentiallySports and the Behind the Mask podcast, the Falcons legend got real about the current state of Atlanta football. Spoiler: It’s not all doom and gloom. Turns out, new head coach Raheem Morris has brought a refreshing playbook—not just for football. But for culture. One, that has got the Dirty Bird going…

When the BTM podcast host Takeo Spikes asked Mathis about the Falcons’ trajectory—especially after drafting Michael Penix Jr. and the whole Kirk Cousins experiment—he didn’t mince words. “A year or so ago, the vibe was stale,” Mathis said, recalling training camps before Morris arrived. That wasn’t it… He also said that the environment was like, ‘Hey, you’re not invited to the party.’

“But with Raheem, it’s different. He’s a players’ coach. Fair, demanding, and full of energy.” You know the type—a guy you’d run through a brick wall for, but also one who’d crack a joke while handing you the sledgehammer. Just when you think, that’s it. and that’s where you’d be wrong because Morris isn’t just bringing vibes. He’s got a résumé to back it up.

Fresh off a Super Bowl win with the Rams in 2022, he returned to Atlanta in 2024 with a mission (returned because he served as an interim HC in 2020). The Falcons haven’t had a winning season in years, but Morris has already started laying the foundation for change. He’s not scrapping the culture Arthur Smith built; instead, he’s tweaking it, adding his own spice. Think of it as a sequel to a series with fresh faces.

Cherry on the cake? It’s not just a legend who is excited, but players have noticed the shift. All-Pro safety Jessie Bates III said Morris is upfront. “He’s like, ‘I’m picking on you because I expect more.’” And guess what? The players respect it. It’s this balance—holding people accountable while keeping the locker room light—that sets Morris apart. And that’s why, Terance said on his exclusive chat during the ES x BTM segment: “That’s the kind of coach you wanna play for.”

To say that the locker room is in a better place would be an understatement. It’s actually a reflection of Morris’s personality. The emphasis on relationships is another reason why the Falcons might finally find their wings again. He called every player individually after his hiring, laying the groundwork for trust. “They don’t care who you are until they know you care,” Morris said. You can see that this is the approach why the Falcons have become a team playing hard and smart football. We haven’t seen that in a long time, have we?

However, there are players there who are to be appreciated. One of them, lighting up the gridiron from under the center, Kirk Cousins. I mean, at this point he knows the future is Michael Penix Jr., but man, oh man, the 36-year-old wants to hang his cleats as a Falcon.

Kirk Cousins and Raheem Morris have mutual respect

And that’s important… Plus, it’s not hard to understand that having the mutual understanding between the leaders on the gridiron and on the sideline is what is keeping the Falcons afloat at the top of the NFC South. Kirk Cousins and Raheem Morris are doing that job for the rest of the team perfectly.

Let’s talk about Cousins for a minute. The man’s put up a passer rating of 96.6 this season, with 2,807 yards, 17 touchdowns, and nine picks in 11 games. Solid stats, sure, but it’s how he’s playing that has Morris hyped. After the Falcons’ 31-26 win over the Buccaneers, Morris didn’t hold back on the praise. “That was probably his cleanest game as a quarterback as an Atlanta Falcon,” Morris said. Translation? Cousins was surgical. Scrap being ‘good’. Hitting his targets, reading the field, and even surprising us with a couple of runs—he did it all.

But here’s the twist—Atlanta didn’t just stop at Cousins. They went and drafted Michael Penix Jr. with the 8th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. A bold move, right? You’ve got a proven vet in Cousins on a $180 million deal, and now a shiny new QB is waiting in the wings. Is this a vote of no confidence or just smart insurance? Raheem Morris has made it clear: “When do you transition to a new quarterback? When he can’t win.” So, for now, Cousins holds the reins, but the clock’s always ticking in this league.

So, how did Cousins approach this whole situation? Well, folks, you know he’s a seasoned vet the way he did not even shy away from the challenge. In fact, his decision to come to Atlanta was about stability—something he didn’t feel in Minnesota. “It felt like this was a place where, if I play at the level I expect to play, I can retire a Falcon,” he shared. The kind of mindset that can take you to the playoffs and beyond (can very well, get you a ring even!).

The future may belong to Michael Penix Jr., but for now, it’s Cousins’ show. And with Morris steering the ship, you’ve got to believe this team’s arrow is pointing up.