Falcons' Raheem Morris to show players video about Jesse Owens' feats at 1936 Berlin Olympics

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BERLIN — Atlanta Falcons coach Raheem Morris has prepared a video to show his players in case they need to brush up on Jesse Owens’ accomplishments at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

Owens, who was Black, won four gold medals in front of Adolf Hitler to thwart Nazi claims of Aryan racial supremacy at the same stadium where the Falcons will face the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.

“I put together a little video for them tonight to show them,” Morris said Friday during a news conference at the training center of Bundesliga soccer club Union Berlin.

“We just put something together just so they get a little bit of history, so they can get a really good feel, and a really good prideful feeling of Jesse Owens and what he was able to accomplish, and how dominant he was. A lot of people forget those eras.”

Owens led a group of 18 Black athletes from the U.S. who combined for 14 medals at the Olympiastadion, which Hitler had helped design.

He plans to show the video to the team Friday evening.

“I was actually a young guy and learned it pretty early,” Morris said of Owens’ accomplishments, ” and … gathered things from it, a lot of references from it. A lot of our guys will take advantage if they don’t (know).”

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Running back Bijan Robinson said Owens’ achievements are “super inspiring.”

“He started it for a lot of African-American athletes, so for him to do what he did in that stadium and for us to actually get to play in it, it will be pretty cool,” he said.

The Colts acquired Sauce Gardner in a trade with the New York Jets this week, and Morris expects the two-time All-Pro cornerback to have an immediate impact.

“It’s definitely going to affect some of the things we’re going to do, but it’s probably going to affect them more in how they’re going to pay attention to Drake (London),” Morris said.

Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. connected with Drake London for three touchdowns last week in Atlanta’s 24-23 loss to the New England Patriots.

“He can do it all,” Penix said of Gardner. “He has all the intangibles. We’ve just got to go out there and execute, play our game.”

Robinson, who made an offseason trip to Berlin, is urging his teammates to try the local kebab sandwich, called a döner.

“I told everybody on the team about it, I said ‘go try this,'” he said of the spicy, juicy kebab in a pita introduced to Berlin by Turkish immigrants in the 1970s.

Morris was unfamiliar with the delicacy until a German reporter asked him if he’ll sample one.

“It depends on if I’m allergic to it or not. I’ll figure that out first,” the coach joked.

The reporter responded: “You have to be careful because it comes with sauce, too, like your opponent.”

Morris later drew laughs when he referred to the kebab as “spicy donuts.”

Soccer is Germany’s top sport, and the Falcons have had kicking problems. Seems like a good combination for Lenny Krieg, but the Berlin native remains stuck on Atlanta’s practice squad.

The Falcons signed veteran kicker Zane Gonzalez this week after releasing John Parker Romo, who missed an extra-point attempt late in the loss to the Patriots.

Krieg still needs to work on “some of the things we do from a special teams standpoint,” Morris said.

“He’s such a good developmental player for us. He’s got a powerful leg,” Morris added. “He’s improving.”

Romo had been signed after longtime Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo missed a 44-yard field goal attempt with two seconds remaining in a 23-20 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the season opener.

The 23-year-old Krieg said he’s “quite content” learning from the veteran kickers. He estimated he’s received more than 100 requests for tickets.

Krieg, who juggled a soccer ball at practice, made a spreadsheet for teammates with sightseeing tips and “places to stay away from.” Curfew on Friday is 11 p.m. or midnight, he added.

Don’t look for Morris to try out German phrases while the team is in town.

“He tried to get me to come up here and say ‘good morning’ (guten morgen) and I’m not going to do that to you guys,” the Falcons coach said as he motioned to a team spokesman.

Morris did say “danke” when he entered the building but his daughter, Amaya, “told me I did that wrong.”

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