Herm Edwards brought Raheem Morris into the NFL

Joe mentioned yesterday how Raheem Morris might talk Herm Edwards into coaching the Bucs secondary and possibly giving him an assistant head coach title, if Edwards were to lose his job as Chiefs head coach.

Well, Edwards was then fired an hour later. And informed of the development on the air with Steve Duemig, of 620 WDAE-AM, The Sports Animal, Morris said, “I’m going to call [Herm} here right now.”

Joey Johnson, of the Tampa Tribune explored the relationship between Edwards and Moris recently. It turns out Edwards gave Morris his start in the NFL.

Morris was coached during his playing days at Hofstra University by Joe Gardi, former Jets defensive coordinator during the Sack Exchange years. Morris later became an assistant coach at Hofstra and Gardi recommended him to Edwards, who was then head coach of the Jets.

One day, Jets coach Herm Edwards, whose team worked out on the Hofstra campus, was out for a jog. Gardi called him over.

“Look at my guy,” Gardi said, motioning to Morris, who was coaching the defensive backs. “Now he would be a great pro coach.”

A little later, Edwards found Morris. In a fast-talking, rat-a-tat-tat exchange, a career path was forged.

You want to work with us?

Yeah, let’s go.

Morris was given an NFL minority internship. Gardi later recommended him to Bucs defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin, who needed a quality-control coach.

“Monte later told me, ‘Joe, after seeing how Raheem works and how tenacious he is, you just send the next one on because anybody you recommend is solid with me,'” Gardi said.

Joe has no idea whether Edwards wants to return to Tampa, where he was the secondary coach for five season under Tony Dungy? But he’d sure be a valuable addition and a key mentor to Morris.

New Bucs coach Raheem the Dream spoke with the dean of Tampa Bay sports radio Steve Duemig Friday afternoon. The interview in its entirety can be found on “The Big Dog’s” page on the station’s website.

The Dream didn’t say a whole lot but spoke in a lot of cheerleading cliches. He seems to be a likeable fellow but it’s hard to judge someone who doesn’t offer much to say.

Joe did notice that his voice inflections remind Joe of Steve Spurrier.

Aside from saying defensive backs coaches make the best NFL head coaches, the most interesting thing Dream said came near the end of the interview. Duemig informed him that former Bucs defensive backs coach and Kansas City head coach Herm Edwards was fired. The Dream then said, “I’m going to call him here right now.”

Offer Herm a job Dream!

Joe just got a phone call from a great source who played college football with a pair of former Steelers.

Apparently the NFL has Tampa Bay mixed up with Detroit or Miami. Seems the former Steelers received a letter from the NFL warning them of how Tampa Bay is such a “high crime area.”

In fact, the NFL informed the players that if they plan on coming to the Super Bowl Feb. 1, that the NFL “cannot guarentee their security” and that if the players want to avoid getting lead in their backside they should only appear at NFL sponsored events next week in the days leading up to the Super Bowl.

Joe smells a rat. This is the NFL’s version of coercing players into avoiding events that haven’t paid the NFL for the right to use the three-letter acronym.

Tony Soprano would be proud!

If the Chiefs cut ties with Herm Edwards, would he ponder a return to the Bucs?

Joe has always had a soft spot for Herm Edwards. Jets fans may recoil in horror and Chiefs fans may curse aloud but Joe thinks Herm is a good coach and a damned fine man.

Herm was a solid coach with the Bucs under Father Dungy. And if Peter King’s educated guess is accurate, Herm could be had by the Bucs. And not as part of a Chucky-like trade either.

Since Scott Pioli was hired to be the Chiefs new general manager, rumors and speculation has become rampant that Herm could lose his job in Kansas City. Sort of makes sense: A new general manager would want to hire his own coach, especially when the team that just hired him has one of the worst records in the NFL.

King, writing today on SI.com, is reading the tea leaves and predicts Herm will get the pink slip soon.

New Kansas City GM Scott Pioli allowing Gunther Cunningham to leave the coaching staff with a year left on his contract to be Detroit’s defensive coordinator tells me Herman Edwards is in his final days at the helm. Why let a trusted guy walk if you’re not planning a change?

Not sure if Herm would want to be a lowly defensive backs coach after years of being a head coach. But Joe assumes if Herm could get a lofty title such as, “Royal Knighted Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Backs Coach” that may take some of the sting out of such a step down.

Well, that and a boatload of Benjamins.

Just play to win the game Herm!

[UPDATE: The Chiefs fired Herm late this afternoon.]

[UPDATE II: While finishing his interview with Raheem the Dream on WDAE-AM 620 this afternoon, Steve Duemig informed The Dream of Herm’s firing. The Dream said, “I’m calling him right now.” Let’s hope The Dream offers him a job in the phone call. Come home Herm.]

Joe isnt overly impressed with the list of finalists for the Bucs offensive coordinator position. After some research, Joe is of a mind to just give the job to current Bucs quarterbacks coach Greg Olson.

If various reports are to be believed, the Bucs have narrowed their search for a new offensive coordinator to six candidates. Joe’s going to take a look at each.

Brian Schottenheimer

The Jets offensive coordinator may not be in New York for long as he just interviewed for his current (temporary?) position with new Jets coach Rex Ryan. Schottenheimer, son of Marty Chokenheimer, keeps getting hired but Joe isn’t sure why. Let’s look at his resume:

Offensive assistant with St. Louis in 1997 (the Rams stunk out loud).

Offensive assistant with Kansas City in 1998 (the Chiefs were bad).

Quarterbacks coach with Washington in 2001 (Redskins were 8-8). Schottenheimer should get hazardous duty pay for working with Jeff George, Tony Banks and Kent Graham.

Quarterbacks coach with San Diego 2002-05 (Chargers were good). Nice job tutoring both Drew Brees and Philip Rivers.

Offensive assistant/coordinator with the Jets 2005-08 (Jets were up and down). Not bad. Didn’t have much to work with but seemed to do OK.

[UPDATE: Schottenheimer will stay with the Jets.]

Scott Linehan

Linehan had an impressive resume before he took over the Rams. Linehan improved the Dolphins 29th in the NFL in total offense in 2004 to 14th in 2005.

As the offensive coordinator with the Vikings, then-quarterback Daunte Culpepper enjoyed his best seasons. The Vikings’ offense ranked second, first and fourth respectively under Linehan.

But Linehan became one of the worst coaches in NFL history with the Rams and his ugly side showed through. He often quarreled with players on the sideline, most notably a major meltdown with stud wide receiver Torry Holt when Linehan screamed at Holt after the All Pro suggested a play, “Sit down, I call the plays.”

Linehan also turned quite nasty with the pathetically soft St. Louis media, often picking fights with the glorified cheerleaders (reporters) there. If a coach starts feuds with those lapdogs, for Joe, that speaks volumes. Despite his impressive pre-St. Louis resume, Joe is leery of Linehan.

[UPDATE: Well, it appears Linehan is the Lions’ problem now.]

Rob Chudzinski

The former Browns offensive coordinator has a weak resume. His offense was nothing to speak of in Cleveland and previously, Chudzinski had only been a tight ends coach for various teams. The last time the Bucs hired a tight ends coach for offensive coordinator was Mike Shula.

Also, former Bucs offensive coordinator Clyde Christensen, before he served as a Bucs quarterback coach under Father Dungy, was also a tight ends coach for the Bucs.

Does Joe really need to write any more about Chudzinski?

Chan Gailey

Joe was somewhat impressed with the job Gailey did as the Steelers offensive coordinator for two years in the mid-90s. He tried to turn a wide receiver into a quarterback (Kordell Stewart) and somehow got the team to the cusp of the Super Bowl in 1997. Since, Gailey has done nothing of substance.

Joe just can’t shake the fact that Gailey, as head coach of Georgia Tech, had one of college football’s greatest receivers in Calvin Johnson and still Gailey and his offensive coordinator Patrick Nix couldn’t, or wouldn’t, throw the ball to Johnson. You mean to tell Joe that Gailey was either so stubborn or shallow he couldn’t sit down in a meeting with Nix and diagram plays to take advantage of Johnson? That’s really weak.

Ken Zampese

The Bengals quarterbacks coach has to work with malcontents, hoods and injury plagued players. Still he ran a decent offense if not a good offense, sans this past season. Zampese also logged time with quarterback guru Mike Martz with the Rams in a previous life.

At least Zampese believes in an attack-style offense. Even though the Bengals offense was a mess this year, Joe chalks that up to all the injuries, off-field distractions and headcases Zampese had to babysit.

Greg Olson

The current Bucs quarterbacks coach comes with a pretty good resume. Most important may be his history with Jeff Garcia back with the 49ers when Garcia was at his finest (despite throwing balls to that coach killer of a wide receiver).

With the exception of stints with the Lions and Bears, wherever Olson has been the team has had a decent offense. Joe can’t blame Olson for that. Joe isn’t sure Bill Walsh could mold a quarterback from those two franchises.

Olson was even a quarterbacks coach at Purdue. The quarterback there was some guy named Drew Brees.

Given the collection of (mostly) stiffs that are rumored to be in the mix for the new Bucs offensive coordinator position, Joe is inclined to hand it over to Olson. It’s not as if Chucky ever listened to him.

"Hey, everybody forgets we finished 9-7. That's right, 9-7 two years in a row, even with lots and lots of injuries. ...Did I mention injuries?"

Well, well, well, we’re all going to find out this year whether Raheem Morris can finish 9-7 with Chucky’s players.

Hey, Chucky did it two years in a row.

Fans better be expecting at least that much from Morris. He’s got to be held to a standard.

And if he’s going to “Stay the Course” and just do some fine tuning and inject chest bumps and rah-rah crap with a few new free agents, then he better go 9-7 or better.

Raheem the Dream deserves no slack. The only rope he’ll get from THE PESSIMIST is if he and Mark Dominik find a hefty set of balls and start Luke McCown or a draft a quarterback in the first round and throw him into the fire. But if they go with Garcia, or some other veteran, then why shouldn’t they finish 9-7?

Yeah, the Bucs needed a new direction. But that direction needs to jack the team up, not down.

This isn’t Tony Dungy taking over the Yuks in the ’90s. This is a 9-7 team with a fair share of young players.

By BOB FOX

JoeBucsFan.com analyst Bob Fox takes a look at Jim Bates’ success as defensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers. Fox writes for numerous sports publications.

Brett Favre was among those lobbying for Jim Bates to be named head coach in Green Bay after the 2005 season, writes JoeBucsFan.com analyst Bob Fox

Jim Bates is a guy who gets the most out of his players. Bates proved that in Miami where he led one of the best defenses in the NFL and also in Green Bay where he turned around a defense ranked near the bottom and made them one ranked near the top.

Can he do the same in Tampa Bay? It will be difficult because of the legacy of Monte Kiffin. But the 2008 Bucs defense was not the same late in the season, especially defending the run. I bet Bates will figure out how to improve the defense, based on his track record, especially looking at the job he did in Green Bay in 2005. After that season, many in the Packers organization were calling for Bates to be named head coach.

The Packers finished 4-12 in 2005, but it wasn’t the fault of Bates.  A very bad year by Brett Favre, who threw 29 interceptions, plus the loss of key free agents and key injuries doomed the Packers. Bates established a defense that year that was a major improvement over the defense of 2004. 

A little history: 

In 2004, former Packers coach and GM Mke Sherman then brought in Bob Slowik to be the defensive coordinator on the heels of two consecutive NFC North titles but a major collapse in the 2003 playoffs; the Eagles beat the Packers 20-17 in overtime thanks to converting a famous 4th-and-26 play late in the game. That loss cost Ed Donatell his job as defensive coordinator. Somebody needed to be a scapegoat after that, and it wasn’t going to be Sherman.

The Packers still won the NFC North in 2004, but the defense was torn to shred at times, especially in the passing game. The Packers were 25th in total defense that year in the NFL, as well as 25th in passing defense. Slowik was shown the door after the 2004 season.

Bates then took command in 2005, and he also brought a couple of defensive assistants with him from Miami, Bob Sanders and Robert Nunn. Bates had the defense ready to play EVERY week. The defense improved to 7th overall in total defense, including being No. 1 against the pass.

Ted Thompson took over as Packers GM in 2005 and after the season he decided to make a change at head coach. Bates was one of the favorites for the job. The players absolutely loved him and his high energy, and most players (including Brett Favre) lobbied on his behalf to Thompson. Thompson also interviewed coaches Mike McCarthy, Sean Payton, Wade Phillips, Maurice Carthon, Ron Rivera, Russ Grimm and Tim Lewis.

McCarthy got the job, and Bates was stung by not being named head coach. There had been strong speculation that he would be named head coach, and when he wasn’t, it hurt a lot.  McCarthy thought so highly of Bates, that he wanted him to remain. But Bates decided to move on, although he still kept a home in the Green Bay area.

McCarthy ended up hiring Bob Sanders, one of Bates’ good friends that he brought to Green Bay from the Dolphins. 

Bates in the NFL: Bates started his NFL coaching career with the Cleveland Browns (1991-1993 and 1995) as a defensive line coach.  Bates moved on to the Atlanta Falcons as defensive coordinator (1994), the Dallas Cowboys as linebackers/defensive line coach (1996-1999), the Miami Dolphins as defensive coordinator/interim head coach (2000-2004), the Green Bay Packers as defensive coordinator (2005) and then as the assistant head coach/defense for the Denver Broncos (2007).

Chucky has kept his mouth pretty tight since he was canned last week. It would be nice if Chucky would open up to Joe and help ailing children.

This season saw the end of four Super Bowl-winning coaches’ jobs. One of those four (a young, blonde-haired lad) was largely touted as being a potentially tremendous analyst by those who cover the comings and goings of the electronic media.

Two of those four coaches (Father Dungy and Mike Holmgren) were hired by NBC to provide commentary on the Super Bowl. The third of those four coaches, Mike Shanahan, had a press conference dealing with his exit from the Broncos.

That leaves one coach who is still in hiding, except for uttering one word. That coach is Chucky.

Come on Chucky, pick up the phone and help some sick children. Joe knows you have received his letter. Joe won’t bite. Matter of fact, he’ll even pick up the tab for some Hooters wings and a couple of cold brews.

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.

When Morris crafted his defense at Kansas State, he turned to the Buccaneers archives for guidance

Joe’s been working hard to learn as much as he can about Raheem the Dream. There’s not a lot out there.

In the weeks before the Morris hiring, it was a crying shame the local scribes didn’t put more effort into talking to Morris about his head coaching philosophies when he was a candidate for the Denver Broncos job. Were they lazy, or did nobody think he had a legitimate shot to run a team?

Back then, just a few weeks ago, Morris probably would have opened up to the media. But now he’s joined the ranks of the tight-lipped Glazer clan. Of course, he’s added that trademark, don’t-worry-be-happy smile.

But with today’s hiring of Jim Bates as defensive coordinator, we’re finally getting a better feel for how Morris will approach the defense. It’s clear more aggressive play is coming. And Morris will stick to the core principles of the Monte Kiffin era.

Joe found a story In the Kansas State college newspaper about Morris’ defensive philosophies. In 2006, The Dream was defensive coordinator there before bailing to return to the Bucs.

The article states Morris snatched the following 10 core principles of defense directly from the top of the Bucs 1998 playbook and used them for his Kansas State unit. Below are the top-10.

1. Mental preparation

2. Fundamentally sound

3. Be a physical defense

4. Hustle

5. Quickness

6. Consistency

7. Physical Toughness

8. Be disciplined

9. Gang tackling

10. Team unity

It sure sounds like Morris is a true Monte Kiffin disciple. Nothing wrong with that, but let’s hope Morris and Bates can improve Monte’s system and tweak it successfully for the 2009 Bucs.

As big a legend as Kiffin is, Morris and Bates still inherit the stain of the Bucs’ December collapse, a crappy pass rush and a defense that shockingly forgot how to tackle with the season on the line week after week.

Jim Bates is the defensive coordinator choice of Raheem the Dream. Bates' defenses have finished ranked among the NFL's top 10 in six of his 10 years as coordinator.

It turns out newly-named Bucs defensive coordinator Jim Bates is an old friend of Raheem Morris. And that’s not just because Bates is 62. 

Bates and Morris have had a long relationship, said Bucs GM Mark Dominik, speaking on 620 WDAE, The Sports Animal. And that was news to Dominik during the interview process, he said.

Dominik said Bates has long been a fan of the Tampa 2/Monte Kiffin approach and he is on the same page as Morris.

“We want an aggressive, attacking, get-to-the-quarterback defense,” Dominik said. “We’re excited about how our players mesh with what he wants to implement.”

Joe likes the hire.

Not to get too political, but with the experience Bates brings young Morris, it reminds Joe of President Bush choosing Dick Cheney as Vice President. Bates has served as defensive coordinator for and a veteran coordinator of the Falcons, Dolphins and Packers.

Regardless, Bates is clearly a “Stay the Course” hire, which was Morris’ stated philosophy at his opening news conference.

Also, for those who think the Glazers are pinching every penny, Bates surely will be one of the top-paid coordinators in the NFL. No word yet on contract terms.

Bates has coached the 4-3 and 3-4 defense and, as Rick Stroud of the St. Pete Times notes, “his record of success more closely resembles Monte Kiffin’s. His defense has finished in the top 10 in six of his eight seasons.”

Stroud continues, “Bates primarily runs a 4-3 scheme, using fast undersized linebackers. He plays a good deal more bump-and-run on receivers, so that will be an obvious difference next season.”

In Bates, it seems Morris has his guy, and Joe likes the call.

Don Banks of SI.com predicts (this week) the Bucs will draft Darrius Heyward-Bey in the first round. Joe isn't so sure about selecting the Maryland wide receiver that early.

Joe has a confession to make: Even though Joe mocks mock drafts, he’s still a sucker for them. So Joe will often post mock drafts he sees until the NFL draft in late April, if only to mock them.

The first one Joe has run across is from former Bucs beat writer Don Banks of SI.com. This week, Banks predicts the Bucs will draft Darrius Heyward-Bey from Maryland.

The Bucs could use another pass rusher or help in the interior line, so homestate product Everette Brown, an explosive edge rusher from Florida State, could be the choice. But with Joey Galloway’s age and Michael Clayton’s potential free agency, Tampa Bay could also stand another receiver opposite Antonio Bryant.

There are areas of much greater need with the Bucs than wide receiver, so long as the Bucs lock up Antonio Bryant. Banks’ first thought was accurate: the Bucs primary needs are, in order, defensive line, defensive line and defensive line.

Bucs doctors thought former kicker Martin Gramatica had a sports hernia. Not until he left the Bucs did Gramatica learn he had a groin tear, which ruined his career.

There are two words that are virtually guaranteed to bring a grown man to near tears (Joe assumes the two words are “free beer,” but that is inaccurate). Those two words are “groin tear.”

For former Bucs kicker Martin Gramatica, those pair of words basically killed his career. And he can thank the Bucs team physicians for that.

Allegedly.

Speaking on the “Ron and Ian Show” with Ron Diaz and Ian Beckles on WDAE-AM 620 Thursday morning, Gramatica stated how he had a groin tear of his (right) kicking leg in his final years with the Bucs, but it was misdiagnosed as a sports hernia.

Gramatica was in such pain that often he couldn’t practice for two or three days after a game. Sometimes, he missed an entire week of practice he was in such agony.

As a result, Gramatica noted how he basically had to change his kicking style and motion to adjust for the pain, which completely messed him up. A kicker’s leg swing is not unlike a batter’s swing in baseball. If that is monkeyed with, the kicker/batter may never recover.

After Gramatica’s Bucs days he was (finally) properly diagnosed with a 75 percent groin tear. But by that time it was too late. Since, Gramatica has undergone three surgeries to repair his groin.

Former Bucs defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin claims he was as surprised as everyone else by Chucky's firing

The lone word anyone has heard from Chucky since he was fired by the Glazers Boys was the word “blindsided” he uttered to BSPN’s Chris Mortensen.

Since, Chucky has been silent. (Hey Chucky, please open the letter.)

But Chucky wasn’t the only person who was blindsided. So was Monte Kiffin.

Now the new defensive coordinator of the University of Tennessee, Kiffin just happened to run into Stephen Holder of the St. Petesburg Times on a flight to Tampa recently. Kiffin spoke with Holder about a few subjects and Chucky’s firing was one. Kiffin was stunned.

Regarding Jon Gruden’s dismissal, Kiffin said he never saw it coming, just like everyone else. He even asked whether anything had happened since he left town that would have indicated this was coming. I assured him no one did or said anything that would have brought me to that conclusion before Friday evening.

Although there is nothing to suggest Chucky and Kiffin didn’t get along, Joe knows that Kiffin wasn’t as surprised as he is letting on. Joe would just love for Kiffin to open up someday and discuss what was going on behind the scenes.

In the meantime, Joe again implores Chucky to answer his snail mail.

"Hey Joe, stop mailing me letters. I'll talk after I shred all these massive playbooks."

Joe has noticed that gaping hole in the media coverage of Jon Gruden’s demise. Nobody has heard from Chucky himself.

At some point, he’s going to emerge from the cozy confines of his Avila home and do an interview. So to which reporter will Gruden open up — Peter King, eye!-RAH Kaufman, Rick Stroud, Katie Couric?

How about Joe?

Yes, Joe is an accomplished journalist who has interviewed other renowned sports and political celebrities. Joe has contacted Gruden and asked for his first exit interview out of One Buc Palace. Joe even offered to sell the interview on JoeBucsFan.com and give all the money to All Children’s Hospital. That would surely raise a quick $20,000. Chucky’s a great guy. How could he turn down that?

To date, the phones at the JoeBucsFan.com headquarters are silent. But hope is abundant.

The local media hounds followed Jeff Garcia to an elementary school where he volunteered to teach young kids how to cross the street Wednesday.

They caught up with Garcia in the parking lot to stick a camera in his face and talk all things Chucky. Garcia took a measured shot at Gruden’s personnel skills.

“If he continues to be this way with players it is going to get to a point when somebody who is above or in control is going to say enough is enough.” …TBO.com also has raw video.

Although it appears to Joe this NBCSports.com video of Chris Russo’s “Mad Dog Minute” may have been recorded last week (because there was no mention of Chucky), Russo explains why the trend in the NFL is to go with “unknowns” like Raheem the Dream.

One of Russo’s points caught Joe’s attention right away:

“Owners and GMs want to hire coaches they may be able to control… ”

"Thanks, Jon. We've decided we can go 9-7 and collapse in December for a lot less money."

Joe’s been thinking a lot about Raheem the Dream saying the Bucs will “Stay the Course,” when describing the direction of the team. Can Morris explain what that course is?

Morris put it out there as if the Bucs had an unfortunate hiccup at the end of the season and just need a few tweaks and new energy and they’ll be right back in the Super Bowl mix. So what if they’re missing a top flight quarterback, a running back and a pass rush. No big deal.

Joe is concerned GM Mark Dominik, Morris and others in the organization are not objectively evaluating the team, and are strictly echoing the Glazers new philosophy: Stay in the hunt, rather than truly rebuild. Stay under the cap. And stay positive with the media.

It’s obvious that in these tough economic times the Glazers, with a billion dollar soccer team to payoff, are trying to keep costs down while simultaneously – and allegedly – not skimping on building a winner in Tampa Bay. It’s a noble goal, and one that’s attempted daily across Corporate America. But that philosophy possibly never has been successful in a sports league with a salary cap. Joe can’t think of an example.

The Glazers are smart enough to know a true Bucs rebuilding would come with huge financial risk. A 4-12 season could bring blacked out games and massive revenue loss, especially with the Rays looking mighty attractive to sponsors.

And, frankly, the biggest indicator the Bucs will “Stay the Course” is the hiring of Morris and Dominik. It would be even a greater gamble overhauling the team with a rookie coach and GM.

That kind of rebuilding is what you do with a stud atop the organization, guys like Parcells, Holmgren, Shanahan or Cowher, the guys the Glazers seemed to have no desire to pursue.

You want to talk NFL draft and what the Bucs have done, will do and should do in the draft? Then there’s one guy in the Tampa Bay area you want to call: Justin Pawlowski, host of The Blitz on 620 AM, WDAE, The Sports Animal.

No, Joe is not about to give out Pawlowski’s cell phone number, but you can check out Pawlowski’s community service project for Bucs fans who can’t get enough action in the offseason. He’s begun reviewing and grading every Bucs draft in the Glazer era.

This week it’s 1996.

Even with the Bucs drafting Mike Alstott and Donnie Abraham, the Bucs still failed in this draft.  In the end, missing terribly on the two 1st round picks, and missing on the latter round picks hurt badly. Hindsight is always 20/20, but with the offensive woes Tony Dungy went through, there were many instances this year where he could have given his offense a jump start from the beginning.  Instead he went with mostly defensive players, and it hurt the Bucs down the road …

If you are currently eating, Joe apologizes for resurrecting painful memories of Regan Upshaw and Marcus Jones. Let’s hope the Bucs grab a more productive D-Lineman in 2009.

Pawlowski’s Draft Rewind breakdowns will continue weekly.