“Our fans are our stockholders. They’re what we play for — the people in our stadium and the ones that watch on TV. That’s what it’s all about: winning and how they feel about the team. If they don’t feel good about the team, then there’s something wrong. . . I think you all know the sense that’s out there. It was time for a change.” —Bryan Glazer, as told to the St. Petersburg Times in Jan. 2009.

Just reading that quote from Bryan Glazer, Joe can safely say that Raheem The Dream shouldn’t feel safe in his job unless he makes it another few weeks.

That’s just life in the NFL for a head coach who didn’t get a clear cut ringing endorsement from his owners.

(Before getting more into this post, Joe wants to offer a brief history lesson:

Once upon a time, Joe dropped the Mad Twitterer nickname on veteran St. Pete Times Bucs beat writer Rick Stroud after Stroud delivered a message on his Twitter account regarding the Bucs possibly pursuing Marvin Harrison.

When his Tweet went national, Stroud issued a terse response advising his followers that whatever is on his Twitter account isn’t real news. Joe thought that was ridiculous.

Joe approached Stroud about the happening. What transpired is off the record but it wasn’t ugly. And Joe surely has no beef with Stroud, though Joe realizes Stroud won’t be buying him beers anytime soon.)

Yesterday, Stroud penned a column expressing confidence that there is no underlying conspiracy behind Joel Glazer’s somewhat vague Monday night statement of support for the Bucs’ current “plan,” despite the absence of strong language of support for Raheem The Dream.

Stroud even rhetorically asks why Glazer would issue that statement for any other reason other than for support of the head coach. 

Why put out a statement if there was a fraction of a percent that Morris would not be the Bucs coach in 2010? What purpose would it serve? (The Glazers also have steadfastly denied a report that they ever contacted Cowher or his representatives to ‘gauge’ his interest in coaching).

This is where Stroud doesn’t get it. So Joe will answer the question.

First, given all the Bill Cowher rumors, Glazer had to issue that statement to stabilize the organization from top to bottom. It’s downright ugly for ticket salespeople and corporate sales folks to do their jobs when there’s massive public uncertainty surrounding a team. 

Uncertaintly costs a team money.

Second, Glazer’s statement quite simply could have been issued to buy time for Glazer to play both sides of the fence — to go full steam ahead with Raheem The Dream in charge and go full speed ahead with finding another coach. That’s just good business.

Stroud went on to say, “The statement by Joel Glazer was an attempt to end the speculation, to end the public debate over whether Morris would or should return so fans and the organization could move forward.”

Joe had to laugh at that one. Joe is sure Glazer is smarter than that; he didn’t have to “attempt” anything. He could have just said it. “SAY IT!,” as Sam Kinison used to say.

Perhaps Glazer wants to hear more of the public debate about Morris so he issued a vague statement?

Of the very little anyone knows about the Glazers’ feelings, we do know they care greatly about fans’ opinions of their head coach. 

Joe would direct Stroud to the quote atop this post from Bryan Glazer that appeared in his newspaper. Joe can’t imagine any fan could read that, and Joel Glazer’s indirect statement of support of Raheem The Dream, and think the head coach is on stable ground.