Let’s talk about Falcons coach Raheem Morris and his take on Kyle Pitts’ zero-catch performance against the Saints. You know, Morris had some pretty strong words about it. According to him, “stats are for losers.” What? bold statement, right?
Now, before you get all worked up, let’s dive into what he meant. Morris believes that focusing too much on stats can distract us from what matters – the team’s overall performance and success. He’s all about the collaborative effort and believes that individual stats don’t necessarily reflect a player’s contribution to the team.
Sure, Pitts didn’t have any catches in that game, but Morris doesn’t want us to jump to conclusions based solely on that number. He wants us to step back and look at the bigger picture.
The Atlanta Falcons improved to 2-2 after a thrilling last-second 26-24 win over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.
Atlanta has played each of its four games closely, and next week’s game against the NFC South-leading Tampa Bay Buccaneers might demonstrate how good this team might be.
Yet the Falcons have had success without much of a contribution from arguably one of their most important offensive players. Tight end Kyle Pitts had no catches on three targets, continuing a disappointing season for the fourth-year pass catcher.
Falcons head coach Raheem Morris was asked about Pitts’ zero-catch performance and whether or not he and the staff are trying to get him more involved in the offense.
“You know, it’s just about going out there and winning the game. When you’re out there, you’re playing,” Morris responded. “He had a couple targets today, he had a couple things going up that way. We had a questionable call at the end of this stretch again to Kyle. Those things are always unfortunate.”
In the second quarter, Pitts had a catch for a short gain that was wiped out by an offensive pass interference penalty on Drake London. That’s presumably the “questionable call” Morris was referring to.
Morris may have been criticizing media and fans for focusing on Pitts’ numbers, rather than the result on the scoreboard. But statistics do demonstrate how effective a player’s performance was and how much of an impact he had had on the game. That scrutiny is likely more intense for a tight end whose value is based on his reception and yardage totals, rather than his blocking.
“But really, for me, stats are for losers, man,” Morris added. “I don’t get involved in that stuff. You go out there, you try to win each game. We were able to win it today. That’s what we did.”
So, while critics may be quick to judge Pitts based on his zero-catch performance, Morris wants us to take a step back and appreciate the bigger picture. Stats may be important, but they don’t tell the whole story. It’s all about the team effort, and according to Morris, that’s where the real wins happen.
Flip to the next page to watch Raheem Morris speak about Kyle Pitts’ zero-catch performance…
