Jim Bates “Relieved” As Defensive Coordinator
November 24th, 2009
The too-long nightmare of Bucs fans has come to an end.
Disgusted with how the Bucs rush defense — dead last in the NFL — was getting lit up game after game after game and seeing zero improvement since the season began, Bucs coach Raheem Morris and general manager Mark Dominik decided to “relieve” defensive coordinator Jim Bates of his duties, so reports the Mad Twitterer Rick Stroud of the St. Petersburg Times.
Bates, 63, will remain with the team at least through the end of the season in a consulting role, breaking down film and helping Morris on game day from the coaching box.
Morris is expected to immediately return the Bucs’ to their Tampa Two scheme, which will allow their undersized defensive linemen to take advantage of their quickness rather than penalize them for a lack of size.
Morris and general manager Mark Dominik met until late Monday to discuss the organizational shift, one day after the Bucs were routed by the unbeaten New Orleans Saints 38-7, one of the worst home defeats in club history.
Joe has been clamoring for this for the past few weeks. Long before the season began, NFL people with far more knowledge of football than Joe, including Warren Sapp and Pat Kirwan, banged the drum long and loud that Jim Bates’s system would not work with the personel he had.
Kirwan and Sapp’s words proved to be prophetic. As the stylish “Backwards Hat,” aka Rick Brown of the Lakeland Ledger pointed out, the Bucs were putrid beyond words against the run and there was no hope in sight of them getting any better.
The Bucs have held a team to fewer than 100 yards just once this year. That was the Philadelphia game, when the Eagles passed their way to a 33-14 victory.
The past three weeks have been the worst for the Bucs. Green Bay, Miami and New Orleans averaged 184 yards on the ground.
As Joe noted several times, if Warren Sapp knew this wouldn’t work, if Pat Kirwan knew this wouldn’t work, if Joe could see it was a freaking disaster, how come Bates couldn’t?
November 24th, 2009 at 1:28 am
this is a step in the right direction!
November 24th, 2009 at 1:35 am
Wow, It’s about effin time. Now maybe I can finally get some sleep. LOL
November 24th, 2009 at 1:36 am
I’ll sleep good tonight! haha
November 24th, 2009 at 1:41 am
That was a loooooong 10 games.
November 24th, 2009 at 2:09 am
At least we should be a little more competitive now–man, this is a great night! LOL
November 24th, 2009 at 2:16 am
Greg:
Joe has a couple of posts about this scheduled for later this morning. *Something* had to be done. It was beyond comprehension nothing was being changed, yet the ship just didn’t have a leak, it was in flames.
November 24th, 2009 at 2:25 am
I can’t sleep. Too excited. LOL
November 24th, 2009 at 2:28 am
One more thing, I vote Steve White to be DC.
November 24th, 2009 at 2:28 am
this is so embarrassing (though probably necessary) that the Bucs don’t even have this on their web site yet.
the whole season has been an unmitigated three-ring circus.
November 24th, 2009 at 2:30 am
Joe, trust me, sitting through yesterday’s game (and you really couldn’t call it a game!), and then having to listen to all the Saints fans at the game was BRUTAL!! Now the question is whether we’ll still see the Bucs defense of the last four games last year, or an overall improvement? Just glad they didn’t wait until the end of the season to make the move!
November 24th, 2009 at 2:32 am
You know, one of the guys sitting by me yesterday said he saw one of the Glazer boys walking around the stadium before the game–maybe they were taking another one of their “fan polls”!
November 24th, 2009 at 3:08 am
I feel that Morris and Dominik should get a lot of the blame for this. Morris hired the guy when he knew the personnel didn’t fit the system. 2nd time this season that Moron Morris didn’t do his homework. Once they hired Bates, Dominik didn’t get the personnel to fit the system. I don’t think the D will be much better after this. You have to remember they were absolutely brutal the last 4 games of last season.
November 24th, 2009 at 3:15 am
Vote number two for SW as D! Or, maybe an assistant D Line coach?
This move by Rah is an early Xmas present for us Bucs fans!
November 24th, 2009 at 3:37 am
Eric S, I was thinking the same thing about the defense, hopefully they’ll be better, but if not, at least we’re moving in another direction than the one we’ve been on. Totally agree Morris and Dominik gets the blame for both OC and DC disasters!
November 24th, 2009 at 5:28 am
Best news I ve heard. I wonder if they will elevate Barry to the slot or bring someone else in.
November 24th, 2009 at 7:15 am
This will be bad news for the defensive line, because when they still suck come this Sunday it will be obvious that their poor play has little to do with scheme and a lot to do with lack of talent.
November 24th, 2009 at 8:04 am
Not sure Joe Barry is the answer.
November 24th, 2009 at 8:23 am
I dont think Joe Barry is the man either. He didn’t have much sucsess in Detroit. His defense there was preety bad almost as bad as Bates here and in Denver. New blood needed ,new owners in January
November 24th, 2009 at 7:06 pm
Yea, I like Steve White too, but I would offer Steve the D line first. That is his bread and butter and I think he would max those guys out. Then Draft Suh, a good safety, LB & CB, we’re back back in bidness.
Congrats Joe on the 100K hit mark, and staying up all night with the Zombies.