Athletes - Jim L. Mora

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	Athletes - Jim L. Mora

James Lawrence (Jim) Mora (born November 19,1961,Los Angeles,California) is the current head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. He is the son of retired coach Jim Mora. Jim Mora is often mistakenly referred to as Jim Mora, Jr. Since the father and son do not share the same middle name, "junior" is not applicable. He was hired as head coach on January 9 2004, previously working as defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers. Mora played defensive back at the University of Washington from 1980-83 appearing in two Rose Bowls.

Season one

In 2004, Jim Mora led the Atlanta Falcons to a record of 11-5, and received a first round bye for the playoffs. The team took control of the division with a 4-0 start and never looked back, maintaining a comfortable lead in the NFC South from that point on. The team blew by the St. Louis Rams in the divisional round of the playoffs to advance to the NFC Championship Game, where they lost to the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles played in the Super Bowl the next game, and lost to the New England Patriots.

The Atlanta Falcons were first in the league in rushing for 2004.

Season two

In 2005, the Falcons went 8-8, and the season was acknowledged by Coach Mora as a "disappointing year". The Falcons failed to make the playoffs. What made the season especially stinging was the fact that the Falcons were in prime position for a playoff berth, with a 6-2 mark (tied for the NFC's best record at the time) heading into Week Ten. But back-to-back bitter home losses to the doormat Green Bay Packers and the division rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers sent the Falcons into a second half tailspin. They stayed in playoff contention until Christmas Eve, when they were dealt another crushing loss by the Bucs, this time in overtime.

The Falcons were first in rushing for 2005, marking two straight years as the leader in this statistical category.

This non-winning season continued one of the NFL's strangest records - the Falcons have never had back-to-back winning seasons in the history of the franchise, a 39 year statistical oddity that no other modern professional team has come close to matching.

On March 24, 2006, it was announced that Mora had signed a three-year contract extension with the Falcons, extending his contract to through the 2009 season.

Controversies

In 2005, a reporter questioned Coach Mora about his practice of not allowing Falcons' linesman to speak with reporters in post-game news conferences. Mora defended the practice by naming previous linesman, namely Mike Kenn and Jeff Van Note, who often spoke to the media in years past but never won a Super Bowl.

This statement was widely seen in the Atlanta area as an insult to two of the most cherished players in recent Atlanta Falcon history. Media reports later reported that Mora called the players and apologized in private after his statements, but many fans resented the implied insult.

Also in 2005, following a close loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Coach Mora was asked by former Falcons quarterback and current broadcaster David Archer about a coaching decision. Mora answered the question, then slammed his headphones and microphone down on the table and terminated the interview. Again, Mora apologized to Archer later that day, but the incident was widely reported.

On January 5, 2006, Mora was fined $25,000 by the NFL for the unauthorized use of a cell phone on the sidelines during a game. The game (ironically, the same contest between the Buccaneers cited above) was in overtime, and Mora was trying to contact NFL officials about playoff implications should the game end in a tie. Communication on the sidelines through unauthorized means during a game is a strict NFL violation.

These incidents have given Mora a reputation as an emotional, some might say uncontrollably so, coach.

On the other hand, Mora is well-liked by his players, who cite the fact that he treats them as individuals and his equals.

In addition to football, Mora is a Pearl Jam enthusiast and has attended perhaps a dozen of the band's concerts in the last 13 or 14 years. He's also good friends with one of the band's original members, guitarist Stone Gossard.

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