YOUTH NO EXCUSE FOR MORRIS

[zepkin]

I love Raheem as coach.  Made some bad rookie coaching mistakes last year.  I imagine he will not make them again this year.  Plus it seems like he is a players coach, so they will give their all for him.

[Tampa Bay Todd]

Oh I cheer for the Bucs and so I want Morris to do well because that means the Bucs are doing well. Last year I hated the fact that I just didn't care on Sundays and would rather do stuff around the house than watch the Bucs it was that frustrating. I'm just saying if the team doesn't perform immensely better than last year -- barring injuries -- Morris won't have any excuses to beg for another year. He should be out.

[benchwarmer69]

It's like comparing apples and oranges. Gruden had his foul-ups and so does Rah.

Grudens biggest problems were not making a season-to-season winning team and and sometimes player management outside of the game. Regardless, the man helped bring Tampa a SB and should be commended for this accomplishment.

Rah is just trying to have a winning season. He believes in youth and long-term success... and chest-bumps. However, there could very well be a future for him in Tampa. Good picks and great defensive coaching could get him to the big-game one day. If he figures out how to manage games more efficiently, combined with the new talent coming in, it could mean very good things for the Bucs.


Either one has their bright sides, but as of right now, Gru was obviously the superior HC. Until Rah wins a SB, or at least a playoff game, that's where it stands. This season it's completely possible to make Playoffs imo. I'm not fighting history, and IF history IS right once again (with this team) I'll never doubt again. Problem is, when it's time to question Rah, how much credit do we give him? Keeping him here because the "worst to first" history held true once again seems like a major catch 22.

I think you'd have to keep him around. No other choice after that really.

[zepkin]

A lot of Gruden's success was that he had Monte running the defense.  Gru could focus on getting things done on offense, but the D still carried those successful teams. 

I like that Olsen is having a full training camp and last year's experience to make things happen on the O side of the ball.  Always some growing pains with young and inexperienced men.

[bucortwo]

If you are not a Raheem Morris fan I detect an agenda.  They guy was given a sinking ship and he is turning it around with youth quickly.  Regardless of some of the things I have read, we are the youngest team in the NFL.  We will double our wins over the next two years.  6 wins this season and 12 next year. Raheem is passionate, makes hard fast decisions and lives with them.  This team is heading in the right direction, I hope a running back steps up this year - if so, we could have a nice season, our D will be vastly improved.  Raheem will convert some folks this year I am certain of it.

[JDouble]

I think we'd have to be worse than last year for Raheem to get fired...and I'm not sure that is even possible. I guess we could always go 0-16, but it would be pretty hard to be worse than last year.

I think the most likely scenerio this year is we show improvement on both sides of the ball, improvement in game planning and play calling, and win between 4 and 8 games. Then Raheem will get his 3rd year to show something real. If we don't win atleast 10 games in 2011...then I think he gets axed.

I know it has never been done before and due to ego it would be highly unlikely, but I wonder if it's even a possibility that Rah would consider staying on as defensive coordinator if it just doesn't work out as HC. It would probably cause too many uneasy situations between he and the new coach to ever work.

[LoganBucs37]

I hope Morris remembers that after this season when he has another losing seasom.

[LoganBucs37]

I think we'd have to be worse than last year for Raheem to get fired...and I'm not sure that is even possible. I guess we could always go 0-16, but it would be pretty hard to be worse than last year.

I think the most likely scenerio this year is we show improvement on both sides of the ball, improvement in game planning and play calling, and win between 4 and 8 games. Then Raheem will get his 3rd year to show something real. If we don't win atleast 10 games in 2011...then I think he gets axed.

I know it has never been done before and due to ego it would be highly unlikely, but I wonder if it's even a possibility that Rah would consider staying on as defensive coordinator if it just doesn't work out as HC. It would probably cause too many uneasy situations between he and the new coach to ever work.

Why?  In all other NFL cities, Owners, Fans, media expect winning, Period.  You guys want to watch development of players, give the HC time to grow.  Improvement? Child Please.

[CyberDilemma]

Why?  In all other NFL cities, Owners, Fans, media expect winning, Period.  You guys want to watch development of players, give the HC time to grow.  Improvement? Child Please.

Ever been to Detroit?

[JDouble]

Everyone wants to win now. Everyone wants immediate gratification. However, the the reality is that we had a team void of talent. This is year two of rebuilding and most the team is made up of rookies and second year guys. It's not realistic to expect us to make a super bowl run. It is realistic to have a solid young team that is fun to watch and plays every team hard.

If you don't show the patience needed to rebuild a team void of talent, you make desperate moves in an attempt to win now and you end up like the Lions.

I think we'd have to be worse than last year for Raheem to get fired...and I'm not sure that is even possible. I guess we could always go 0-16, but it would be pretty hard to be worse than last year.

I think the most likely scenerio this year is we show improvement on both sides of the ball, improvement in game planning and play calling, and win between 4 and 8 games. Then Raheem will get his 3rd year to show something real. If we don't win atleast 10 games in 2011...then I think he gets axed.

I know it has never been done before and due to ego it would be highly unlikely, but I wonder if it's even a possibility that Rah would consider staying on as defensive coordinator if it just doesn't work out as HC. It would probably cause too many uneasy situations between he and the new coach to ever work.

I enjoy the development of a young core of players at the expense of W's. Of course, development must be followed by improvement.  After years of watching aging vets signed to plug holes on the Bucs' roster, the apparent improvement in one year would be followed by double-digit losses the next, the future looked bleak. Now, with what appears (pre-preseason) to be a strong core of young players, an extended bright future appears possible.

I think the Bucs need to win 6 games for Rah to keep his job.  If they only win 4-5 games, but are competitive and exciting in the 11-12 games they lose, he may survive another year.  From the time Rah took over the D last year and by the early TC reports, the D looks to be substantially improved over the early part of last year; however, Rah's job security will most likely come down to O: the O-line and Olsen.  Assuming #5 improves over his R year, can the O-line block well enough to establish a running game in most contests?  Can Olsen devise a game strategy that accentuates the O's strengths and the current status of #5's ability to play the pro game?  Certainly, an HC is where the buck stops for the success/failure of an NFL team's on-the-field performance, but I find it ironic that Rah's fate, as a former DB coach that has no offensive coaching history, as an HC is in the hands of his O coordinator, who coached under Gru and is instituting a Gru-like O scheme.  Time will tell.

[JDouble]

Wins and losses will matter to a degree, but I think it will be deeper than that. I mean what if we have a top ten defense and lose all our games by a touchdown or less...but go 4-12? I think it's gonna be about how well Raheem progresses as a HC and the progression of the team.

For example, if we won 5 of our first 9 games, but then regressed and started getting blown out and only won 1 of our last 7 to finish 6-10....I think he gets fired. If we win 2 of our first 9 games, but show progress and play hard competitive football all year and win 4 of our last 7 to finish 6-10...I think he's safe. It's gonna be all about showing that we are developing as a team and getting better imo.

[Tampa Bay Todd]

Potential improvement is all well and good, but Glazers can't put any "we're almost there" and "the future looks bright" and other such hopes into their banks to pay the bills. Money is what will drive decisions at One Buc. The bottom has dropped out of the season ticket base -- they're begging people to buy them -- and if the team stumbles and sputters again this year it will get worse. Not only will season tickets drop again, but the embarrassment of blackouts and half-full stadiums -- or stadiums with half the crowd being opposing fans -- will sting the Glazers mightily. Morris and the coaches will be canned in favor of a big name coach to energize the ticket buyers.

[benchwarmer69]

Potential improvement is all well and good, but Glazers can't put any "we're almost there" and "the future looks bright" and other such hopes into their banks to pay the bills. Money is what will drive decisions at One Buc. The bottom has dropped out of the season ticket base -- they're begging people to buy them -- and if the team stumbles and sputters again this year it will get worse. Not only will season tickets drop again, but the embarrassment of blackouts and half-full stadiums -- or stadiums with half the crowd being opposing fans -- will sting the Glazers mightily. Morris and the coaches will be canned in favor of a big name coach to energize the ticket buyers.

Well put.