Morris, Falcons appoint assistant coach to the Packers as secondary coach
One further step brought the team closer to completion on Saturday. According to Rob Demovsky, the Falcons signed Justin Hood, the Green Bay Packers’ defensive quality control coach, as a backup coach. Alongside him will be senior defensive assistant Dave Huxtable, associate head coach Jerry Gray, defense coordinator Jimmy Lake, and the defense coaches from Morris.
Hood has played with Green Bay for the past three seasons. He had been the secondary coach and defensive pass-game coordinator at Kent State for two years before then.
Hood most notably worked under Gray, who was the defensive backs coach for the Packers in 2020 and added passing-game coordinator to his duties for the following two seasons. By projected points gained per play and success rate, Green Bay’s drop to 13th place from 2021 to 2022 was the most against the pass.
Moreover, it deviates from the pattern Morris had established with reference to a few of his other acquisitions, primarily offensive players, who came after him from his prior stint with the Los Angeles Rams.
Hood will have a difficult task ahead of him because Atlanta’s secondary includes a number of inexperienced players in addition to seasoned players like A.J. Terrell and Jessie Bates III. As the season went on, cornerback Clark Phillips III and safety DeMarcco Hellams both saw an increase in playing time. The Falcons have a good chance of adding to their secondary in the NFL Draft in April.
Atlanta’s pass defense was ranked 21st in terms of predicted points added per play, indicating that huge plays ultimately proved to be the team’s demise, despite a somewhat higher success rank (sixth in the NFL). Morris’s arrival and the defensive staff’s tweaks should greatly aid such improvements.