New Bucs general manager Mark Dominik called in to the dean of Tampa Bay sports radio, Steve Duemig, Thursday afternoon on WDAE-AM 620’s The Big Dog Show. He had a few things to say about his hiring, today’s Jim Bates hiring, the process of hiring new coordinators, his relationship with Raheem the Dream and his team philosophy.

It’s been a busy few days. It’s been fun to get things started off with Raheem.

It’s been busy for Raheem and myself. Obviously this close to the Senior Bowl we had to get together and sit down and talk about what direction he is looking for with coordinators and coaches.

We have had a chance to work before for six or seven seasons, talk philosophy and what he likes and coaches he likes. That really helped our communication quickly here.

We developed a game plan to talk to a lot of talented football coaches. When we think we have found the right guy, we made the move.

On new defensive coordinator Jim Bates:

He has a great energy and that is something we have had for a number of years. He has a different wrinkle and some different philosophies that Raheem is comfortable with. You talk to him and hear his passion, you can understand why his teams are ranked in the top 10.

We talked about players and how they fit into this system. He is excited.

On speaking close to the vest in his press conference debut as Bucs general manager:

Every individual candidate is a little different. Bates is familiar with our defense. I think Jim has been a fan of the Kiffin Tampa-2 theory. He had a relationship with Raheem I was not aware of.

You can feel the chemistry between those two and that was important. Fans want to see an aggressive, attacking defense. I’m excited about what coach Bates will bring and how our players can mesh with what he is going to implement.

We can always find and are always looking to improve the talent on this football team.

Is the league changing (in relation to younger coaches)?

Maybe so. I see it on individual clubs. With Raheem and his excitement and enthusiasm to spark the club. We wanted Raheem to be comfortable with a coordinator he is excited to work with.

Each team is different. [The Bates hire] seemed to make sense for us. We want to build a team and provide quality coaches as much as possible from Raheem to the coordinators to the assistants.

We are going to have comfort. That is what we are looking for. Whatever Raheem is comfortable with and to make sure we have the right hire [for offensive coordinator].

Raheem I think does have a look [for the offense] the way the interviews are going. When we get a chance to sit down with a coordinator and a coach and to hear what they think, and then if it feels like it matches, then we need to dig deeper in the interview process.

On the quarterback quandary:

It’s a very important position, we realize. It’s an important area of the team we will address. Once the position is secured, then we will look at the players we have under contract and look at the four guys we have and then move forward.

On how he would describe himself:

I think I have developed trust with members of the front office and the coaches.