After putting forth their greatest defensive effort in nearly two decades at the Minnesota Vikings, the Atlanta Falcons gave their fanbase something to cry about at the Carolina Panthers. Knowing all too well that the 0-2 Panthers were so incredibly desperate, all Falcons head coach Raheem Morris could do was chew gum and dap up Dave Canales after getting his tail kicked, all before firing an assistant...
Yes, former Florida Gators star wide receiver Ike Hilliard was the reason Atlanta got shut out on the road 30-0 in a very winnable division game. The Falcons are 1-2 on the year and 0-2 in the division with good ole Dan Quinn, Marcus Mariota and the rest of those Washington Commanders coming to town on Sunday. There is coaching malpractice, and then there is whatever the Falcons' staff did...
This is not a serious organization, and nothing is ever going to change with Arthur Blank in charge...
We have released from staff wide receivers coach Ike Hilliard
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) September 22, 2025
Current passing game coordinator T.J. Yates will assume those duties pic.twitter.com/YcBp3XLIXv
Truth be told, Hilliard was undeniably scapegoated here. Yes, the Falcons' receivers did not run clean routes, but Michael Penix Jr. put forth the worst start of his professional career so far. He may have a howitzer for a left arm, but the Tampa native needs to improve his accuracy, just like the Falcons, and the Gators, need to get a new head coach. This all feels like posturing for Morris and Zac Robinson.
Hilliard was not a great assistant for the Falcons, but the Dirty Birds did him so dirty on Tuesday...
Ike Hilliard being let go says more about Atlanta Falcons than anything
For fans of teams who undoubtedly know they have the wrong guy at head coach, there are signs that present themselves within the context of every single game. When it comes to Napier, it is a combination of him treating every third-down offensive play call like it is Rubik's cube, as well as not being a great culture builder. For Morris, he is Tom Smykowski. What exactly does he do in Atlanta?
Take last Saturday's game vs. Miami for example. While Corey Hetherman was drawing up something fierce defensively for the Hurricanes, Napier was too busy moping around the sidelines like the adult version of Caillou. Dave Canales is one of the best up-and-coming coaches in the NFL. He was too busy eating Morris' lunch for the bird sitting atop the highest perch in Flowery Branch to even realize.
In the end, A's hire A's, B's hire C's, and C's hire people who get you fired. The Falcons having a talent in Penix may make the job more appealing this time, but Morris continues to prove to everyone he cannot coach himself out of a wet paper bag. It does not matter how much polish he got after being let go in Tampa, when you put lipstick on a pig, you are still dealing with a pig. Hogs get slaughtered.
Dirty Bird Nation and Gator Nation know they have the wrong coaches, but the suffering will continue.