Raheem The Dream Explains Leadership
May 1st, 2010
Seemingly everyone has his own take on the value and development of leadership.
Joe thinks leadership is extremely important. Every good team that Joe ever played on had effective leaders, and usually those guys carried more respect than the head coach.
Joe even remembers a sub-par young team he played on in college. About half-way through that season, a fifth-year senior who had just transferred in that year held the team after a practice and explained the he was going to “fuc*n fix this team.” He called out several players, including Joe, and told the team he was quitting if they didn’t straighten out immediately.
It worked instantly.
Come opening day, the Bucs will probably be the youngest team in the NFL. So the when interviewing Raheem The Dream on Thursday, Steve Duemig, the dean of Tampa Bay sports radio on WDAE-AM 620, asked the head coach about leaderhip on his team.
Steve Duemig: Are you concerned at all that there’s a lack of veteran leadership on this team or do you want to turn it over to the younger guys?
Raheem The Dream: You know, there’s people that have to emerge. You have to want to turn it over to the younger guys. And we talk about this all the time. We talk about it every year. But you know in ’97, Derrick Brooks was a young guy but he emerged as a leader. The same thing with a Warren Sapp. The same with a John Lynch. The same with a Ronde Barber when he arrived. You know Ronde Barber happens to still be around here. He can be a leader, but he can not be the focal point of this football team because of his age. He can show another guy how to do it, or he can help or provide certain things that a guy has to grab, like a Barrett Ruud and bring that to the table. But we have to have our young guys emerge and become leaders. And those faces on the stadium, they have to be more than just, you know, the guys that sell jerseys. They gotta be the core unit of your football team. They gotta be the leaders of your community. They gotta be the best character guys. You want those guys all representing our town in the right and correct way. And hopefully, that’s what happens around here in the next couple of years. And hopefully for years to come.
Joe heard Raheem The Dream’s answer and was a little disappointed that Raheem The Dream didn’t just come out and say that strong leadership already was in place with guys like Ruud, Stylez White, Tanard Jackson, Cadillac Williams, Davin Joseph, Kellen Winslow, etc.
As Joe has written before, it seems that the Bucs drafted this year with a strong eye toward leadership. Outside of Mike Williams, the Bucs selected model citizens and intelligent guys from big programs, including last year’s picks of Josh Freeman, Roy Miller and Kyle Moore.
The head coach is basically saying that the Bucs’ leadership isn’t in place yet. So Joe’s going to latch on to Raheem The Dream’s own words: “Hopefully, that’s what happens around here in the next couple of years.”
May 1st, 2010 at 4:25 pm
Great article Joe. The void in leadership will be filled, it is just a question of how long. No doubt the Bucs will lose a few games this year due to be young
May 1st, 2010 at 5:45 pm
Good article Joe. Except don’t forget Earnest Graham. He’s a perfect example of a leader.
May 1st, 2010 at 7:30 pm
Nice article.
I am sorry but the more he speaks the scarrier it becomes. I do not want to be mean, but Rah cant articulate clearly and concisely.
Previously I thought it was just youthful energy that caused him to talk so fast that his mouth moved faster than his brain.
I am concerned that he has a problem communicating. Today he calls Kareem Huggins “the driving force of our team in practice”-an irrelevant practice squad player at best who is only on the team b/c he went to the same school as the coach and then admits that the team lacks vet leadership while saying hopefully the young guys will become leaders “in the next couple of years.” Translation – our key players aren’t driving forces in our practices (not surprising b/c I am told the rap music at practice causes too much playfulness) and we are not anticipating having leadership this year (b/c Ronde is too old to lead).
If I were the org I would not allow him to say a word publicly or I would hire a translator to talk to Rah and then deliver what Rah is really trying to say.
May 1st, 2010 at 7:32 pm
@Patrick:
Dont blame Joe for not mentioning Graham, apparently your genius coach didnt think to mention him.
BTW – I love E Graham and would make him our feature TB. But All you Gruden bashers for some reason give Rah a pass for under-using Graham and over–using Gruden – something you and Duemig killed Gruden for.
More hypocrisy.
May 1st, 2010 at 7:33 pm
I meant over-using Caddy. sorry
May 1st, 2010 at 7:43 pm
THOMAS thank you!! At last, someone that has been in support of Graham. I’m so sick and tired of seeing him play fullback! If Raheem needs a fullback, then how bout he goes out and gets one that actually plays the position!!!! Let Pressley or the guy from Hofstra take the role.
Graham is probably our most talented running back. But whenever I try to discuss him, I always hear lame excuses such as he’s too old, too injury prone, not good enough. Hey people, this is the NFL! Everybody gets hurt!
Not good enough? Does anybody remember the 2007 season? When Cadillac Williams got that serious knee injury, Earnest Graham came in and rushed for 900 yards and 10 TD’s. That’s pretty damn good!
In 2008, he was doing great also. But then he got an ankle injury that ended his season. So that’s it?? Cause of that ONE INJURY he has to be dismissed already?
GRAHAM IS A GOOD BACK AND HE NEEDS TO BE USED THIS YEAR!! IF I SEE HIM PLAYING FULLBACK, I’M GOING TO THROW A FIT. Let him get us yards and touchdowns!!
Joe? Your thoughts?
May 1st, 2010 at 7:56 pm
I agree with using Graham as the starting tailback. I mentioned in an earlier post that Ward and Caddy should be battling for 2nd string. Graham has more than earned a starting tailback position in this football team.
Thomas you must not say anything negative about the dean of radio. It is not allowed on this site. We might all think but cannot print it. Just a warning..
May 1st, 2010 at 8:00 pm
no prob patrick. The glazer lovers wont agree that graham has been misused b/c they wouldnt day say something neg (or hatred) against the establishment.
BTW = jimbuc called me you on steroids the other day which I admit made me chuckle because I always think of Jimbuc as a person that the Glazers have brainwashed and hopped up on prozac and zoloft and planted on this website to recite company talking points like:
“we are rebuilding through the draft”
“we are thinking long-term”
“money is not an issue”
“you cant pay, err hire, vets until you have a core of young players”
“3-13 wasnt that bad”
“we won 3 of our last 9 games”
“we know that we got much better through the draft”
Just cut and paste one of the aforementioned at the end of all of your posts and Jimbuc and his kind will no longer need to contribute.
May 1st, 2010 at 8:12 pm
No offense to Cadillac or anything. He proved last season that he still has loads of talent in him even after two terrible knee injuries!
But Graham has also proven a lot too, and that’s what I explained in my long post above.
And then we have Derrick Ward, who I think is pretty good also. But the thing that bothers me with him is that before he came here, Cadillac and Graham had already earned their spots on the football team.
Three is a crowd. The problem with having three very talented backs on your roster is that you’ll never get good use out of all of them!
And it really confuses me why people kept asking for a RB in the draft this year. It really got annoying.
Caddy and Graham should be our #1, and #2 backs next year. Then Ward can contribute also.
May 1st, 2010 at 8:30 pm
Dont forget that Boy Wonder signed Ward to a 17 million, 6 mill guaranteed contract for a whopping 400 yards and 1 td – further evidence against the decision-making ability of the establishment.
And you guys are trusting these buffoons to turn around 3-13? The more I pay attention the more I am reminded of just how mismanaged this orgis.
First, dont pay Clayton on the basis that he tells you hee sucked b/c the hc didnt like him. Then if you are going to commit the cash to Ward give him a shot to be THEE guy. (Mistake after Mistake) But I know many of you are in love with Dom again b/c he drafted Mccoy when suh was gone – wow impressive.
May 1st, 2010 at 8:45 pm
@finerdetailz:
What have I said about JP Peterson?
May 1st, 2010 at 8:54 pm
Thomas, you might be the angriest person on the planet.
May 1st, 2010 at 8:57 pm
Thomas — Clayton was a hude mistake by Dom. Ward may have been too. So, let’s see you tell the other side of the equation. What has Dom done well?
May 1st, 2010 at 9:05 pm
@ JimBuc
What are your thoughts on my post about Earnest Graham? The second one above.
May 1st, 2010 at 9:06 pm
Jimbuc, no I think that the angriest person on the planet might be Jeff Jagodzinski. He was fired, allegedly, for insubordination for losing confidence in the HC and had to get beaten up publicly without being able to respond without foregoing a lot of $ per terms of his severance deal.
So he (and Bates) are angry. I do not get angry a bit over this stuff, I appreciate the forum to express real opinions. Yes, most are not supportive of this regime but if the teams wins (you will hear positivity). If they lose and fire the GM and coach and turn the rebuild project over to a proven winner like Cowher, Parcells etc (you will hear positivity).
Until one of the two happen – consider me anti-jimbuc or “the voice of reason” – whichever you like better.
May 1st, 2010 at 9:13 pm
Thomas, you are very angry and from another planet. No wonder these pages are filled with your negative rants. The Jags stuff is on the outer limits of conspiracy drivel. Maybe you should get out and walk around, enjoy the sunshine and fresh air.
May 1st, 2010 at 9:15 pm
Thomas, as long as you (and your invisible friend) think you are the “voice of reason,” that is all that matters.
May 1st, 2010 at 9:23 pm
Patrick, I agree generally with your comments on Graham. My thought is that he is the best football player in our backfield — he runs well, catches well, blocks well and is a great team guy. I guess the only place I would quibble would be to say that I am not sure he is the most “talented” or maybe most “gifted” player in the backfield. For example, I don’t think he is the fastest guy (hence, his drop in the draft). All the more reason for me and others to like him.
That said, I am curious to see what happens with him this year. He fits the mold that Dom and Morris say they are looking for (i.e. football player over phenom athlete). In my book, he deserves every chance he can get, if for no other reason then he is a throwback selfless team player in an era filled with the opposite.
May 1st, 2010 at 9:24 pm
Thomas, still waiting for your list of things Dom has done well . . . (crickets)
May 1st, 2010 at 9:30 pm
I can’t even listen to this guys mindless dribble anymore, Have you ever noticed that people who don’t have a clue seem to talk the most to cover up thier lack of knowledge. Rah Rah loves to listen to himself commit verbal vomit. I almost miss Ray Perkins.
May 1st, 2010 at 9:32 pm
What has dom done well?
1) Trade Gaines for a 2nd rounder just months before he dies.
2) I am leaning toward a maybe on the K2 trade (but based on your argumentss that was a huge mistake b/c he gavve upp a 2nd and 5th i think) the 2nd rounder was Muhammad Massaquoi (624 yards and 3 tds as a rook) and Ricky Sapp DE from Clemson;
3) Take Stroughter in the 7th round (I am leaning toward a yes on Freeman but the jury is still out)
4) luring you in to frequent and defend the org on joebucsfan.com
that is what comes to mind:
Tell me your thoughts about:
1) franchising a bryant for 10 million (during a rebuilding year) and signing while signing clayton to a huge contract;
2) the mike nugent/matt bryant fiasco;
3) signing crowell to a multi-million dollar year coming off injuries;
4) going weak on talib re his cabby stunt;
5) the fiascos with the coordinators’
I can keep going.
The point – the bad far outwweighs the good when an even distribution in the nfl should get u fired!
May 1st, 2010 at 9:49 pm
1)I think AB’s franchise and Clayton’s contract were both mistakes
2)I am not sure what you mean by nugent/bryant. Nugent clearly a mistake but Bryant was done.
3) crowell definitely di not work out
4.) The Talib cabby thing is nothing — not excusing the act, but he never gets charged if he is a civilian.
5) The coordinators fiasco is the biggest one. I blame the Glazers too. From the late firing of Gruden to clearly trying to protect their unprepared coach by “protecting” with to “head coach-like” coordinators
See we agree on some things.
Notice that you could only find a few positive things about Dom after my prompting and even then you obviously felt compelled to also list the negatives. Interesting . . .
May 1st, 2010 at 9:57 pm
@Thomas Good questions. Maybe Jimbuc can tell us what the Head Coaching Genius has done well. Heres one, after 10 weeks, he allowed the defense to play the defense they were trained to play under Kiffin. But then “Morris” took credit for their play. So that negates the positive. But he neglected to tell anyone why it took him 10 weeks to figure out Bates defense was getting killed. He chest bumps really well! And he can throw that red flag really well too! Other than that, well, he took speach lessons well. We could almost understand him by the end of the year.
May 1st, 2010 at 9:58 pm
Nice work Jimbuc! I am sorry if I get you so worked up – but like someone pointed out we are like political competitors – I the dem and you the Repub.
Spirited discussion is the linchpin of a successful blog! We both love the team buddy, just have differing opinions! I had someone in the know tell me once that the NFL is a 6-10 to 10-6 league and that you are now never more than 1 year away from turning it around. That is the philosophy Parcells took to the 08 Dolphins which broght them from 1-15 to 11-5.
I believe that, you may not. I look at each year in isolation b/c if you set up a plan for 3 years later and you are wrong – well then it becomes 10 years and you are the Lions.
May 1st, 2010 at 9:58 pm
JOe here,
Thomas, what made you say with such confidence that Jagodzinski was gagged by a severence package by the Bucs?
May 1st, 2010 at 10:01 pm
Joe here,
JimBuc, you’re way off on the Talib thing. The cops came and he didn’t get out of the taxi and they pulled tasers (didn’t use them). That’ll get you arrested every single time no matter who you are.
May 1st, 2010 at 10:08 pm
That has never been confirmed but I have heard some scuttlebutt about that from a few fairly reliable sources.
I was told that some friction developed between jags and rah over the Lefty Mccown decision and that Jags thought Mccown earned the job and protested against the decision to name Lefty the guy.
The source said that there was confidentiality language in both the Jags and Bates cases. I dont know for sure but it makes sense since both were shockingly quiet even when getting beaten up locally.
May 1st, 2010 at 10:10 pm
Jimbuc:
Talib is a civilian. Pro football players arent soldiers.
May 1st, 2010 at 10:15 pm
from Pat Yasinskas 9-3-09:
“A team source said conflict had been building since early in training camp over coaches and players not agreeing with Jagodzinski’s coaching philosophies and teaching methods.”This guy was better suited to be a head coach than a coordinator,” the team source said. Another team source said the Bucs will pay Jagodzinski about $1 million on his contract.”
Sounds like a severance to me.
May 1st, 2010 at 10:19 pm
Joe– again with your reading comprehension problem. I said “charged.” The SA’s office never pursues a charge and the cabby never holds out for a cash settlement but for the fact that the offender is a professional athlete
May 1st, 2010 at 10:22 pm
Joe here,
No reading comprehension problem. Still completely disagree with you. Spent years combing through civil cases, daily arrests (looking for notable offenders) in the media. This stuff happens all the time.
May 1st, 2010 at 10:22 pm
Glad to see everyone’s in their normal jovial moods this evening!
What are you talking about bro? Any credit he had gets negated? Dude was a rookie head coach, with a terrible roster and in the midst of a transition to a new defense. He saw that he didn’t have the personnel to run it, the guy running it (Bates) refused to change so he canned him. Everybody on here knows that this guy was thrown into a no-win situation last year (following control freak Gruden, no good coordinators available, no head coaching experience, talent purge) and he performed admirably.
With all of those excuses out of the way, Raheem has got to step up this year and show signs of improvement:
1) Sideline related (i.e. executive decisions) mistakes must be kept at a minimum;
2) Cohesive offensive and defensive strategies (short passing game with bombs sprinkled in and tampa 2 D)
3) Develop the young talent
4) 6-8 wins
May 1st, 2010 at 10:23 pm
@thomas
Like it or not Talib is a celebrity. Civilians aren’t subject to the public scrutiny he does.
May 1st, 2010 at 10:25 pm
ps-my first comment was directed @tampa 2
May 1st, 2010 at 10:27 pm
Thomas — you don’t get me worked up, you amuse me. I explained above my use of the term civilian with regard to Talib.
The Jagz stuff is hillarious. The Bucs did not buy Jagz or Bates silence, they had contracts. LOL. By the way, where are Bates and Jagz coaching today?
My recollection is that several coaches and players commented that Jagz was not really suited to being an OC. That he had a “pamphlet” for a play book and that they really noticed the problem after the first pre-season game (I think) due to his inability to adjust.
Weird state of mind that leads to acceptance of conspiracy theories over abvious facts.
May 1st, 2010 at 10:28 pm
Jimbuc:
Be honest, yes you said “charged” but talib was charged w/ battery and “resisting arrest” and Joe’s facts clearly support a “charge” for Resisting Arrest w/o Violence. You werent meaning to say that the arrest was okay but the charge not. You were generally trying to downplay the event. That is not fair. Also, if you like I have had experience prosecuting then you know that if the facts support the charge and the victim is adamant then your job is to obtain a conviction.
So dont play wordgames with our gracious host! Now I am defending the establishment – what gives?
May 1st, 2010 at 10:29 pm
Joe here,
JimBuc – Couldn’t care less about Jagz, but despite that allegedly crappy playbook and his alleged incompetence, the Bucs went out on opening day, using largely his zone blocking scheme and playbook and turned in arguably their best offensive performance of the season against a strong defense.
May 1st, 2010 at 10:31 pm
Joe, I am going to have to say my experience trumps yours on this one. No offense. The prosecution of one celebrity is worth a thousand civilan prosecutions. Just think about it.
You think cabby assaults are unusual? Think cabbies routinely hold out for cash settlments from their fares? Being a celeb is a double-edged sword. Lots of perks, but also greater scrutiny.
May 1st, 2010 at 10:32 pm
Joe here,
“So dont play wordgames with our gracious host! Now I am defending the establishment – what gives?”
Thomas has Joe’s back. …JimBuc conveniently forgot that the State dropped the resisting charge. Maybe, just maybe, Talib, in fact, got a break from the system.
May 1st, 2010 at 10:34 pm
Joe — pretty sure you are just trying to stir the pot.
Joe, why were the Bucs successful against the Cowboys but not very successful going forward? I will give you a hint: t-a-p-
Joe has been covering football too long to not know the answer so I am going to call “pot stirrer” on this one. 🙂
May 1st, 2010 at 10:35 pm
Joe here,
“Joe, I am going to have to say my experience trumps yours on this one. No offense. The prosecution of one celebrity is worth a thousand civilan prosecutions. Just think about it.”
JimBuc – Really? More to lose in prosecuting a celebrity for a minor crime (key word minor) than to gain, when it comes to the State’s office. I don’t have to think about it. …I’m sure the various legal types on here would concur.
May 1st, 2010 at 10:38 pm
sensiblefan:
My name is Thomas, it is very nice to meet you. I didnt think that a real person (Duemig excluded) actually thought Rah did a decent (or anything better than horrible) job last year.
The horrible guys running O and D, he hired. the decision to hire Bates and shift from the Tampa 2 was his. The horrible use of the challende flag. The embarrassing press conferences – I actually felt sorry for him.
sensiblefan – here is to you Mr. eternal optimist – in the midst of an embarrassing debacle – you have the ability to ignore all reality and see even the tiniest glimmers of hope.
May 1st, 2010 at 10:39 pm
Joe here,
“Joe — pretty sure you are just trying to stir the pot.”
For about the fifth time now, JimBuc, Joe doesn’t try to stir the pot. Joe doesn’t think that way. Joe just calls it as it comes. And if Joe had to go through the day thinking about stirring pots, Joe’s freaking head would explode. …About 5,000 people visited the Web site today, and very few comment. Everybody looks at things differently. Think what you want.
May 1st, 2010 at 10:40 pm
Great Point re Dallas Game Joe. It went rapidly down hill offensively from there!!
May 1st, 2010 at 10:40 pm
“Talib got a break from the system” — now that is a funny one, Joe.
Yeah you guys are right, the SA’s office makes its living prosecuting cabby assaults. In fact, I don’t know what I was thinking because there has been so much new about cabby assaults lately that they obviously spend most of their time protecting Tampa’s cabbies. In fact, I think there was some kind of public awareness campaign, wasn’t there? “Don’t beat the cabby”
You know what I got in a cab the other day and the cabby asked me my credit score and he also asked for my net worth. I thought maybe he was worried I would jump the fare, but it must be that he was trying to see if I would be a good source for a cash settlement. LOL.
Yeah, I don’t know what I was thinking . . .you guys are very good.
🙂
May 1st, 2010 at 10:43 pm
Dammit man I have to agree. Grahm needs to be the top running back.
May 1st, 2010 at 10:43 pm
Joe here,
JimBuc – How dare you edit Joe’s comments and put quotes around it. Shady.
Here’s what I wrote: “JimBuc conveniently forgot that the State dropped the resisting charge. Maybe, just maybe, Talib, in fact, got a break from the system.”
May 1st, 2010 at 10:44 pm
5k is pretty awesome.
I think a goal should be that u have a Sunday during the season where your daily attendance exceeds the Glazers!
May 1st, 2010 at 10:44 pm
Joe — Thomas agrees with you regarding Jagz, so you got that going for you . . . which is nice. Gunga-galunga Joe, Gunga-galunga.
May 1st, 2010 at 10:48 pm
Joe my use of the quotes was just a “teaser,” not intended to be misleading . . . 🙂
May 1st, 2010 at 10:49 pm
Joe here,
Thanks for the kudos, Thomas. Joe gets a kick out of all the support. And Joe always enjoys seeing every day how many of those visits come from the servers inside One Buc Palace –and they’re not even from JimBuc.
May 1st, 2010 at 10:52 pm
@Thomas
I absolutely love your daily musings here on the site. I mean if things were as bad to make them out to be I’m pretty sure everyone would jump off the local bridge!
I’ve listed my reasons why I thought Raheem did as good a job as he could do last year under the circumstances. He was learning on the job and had no talent to work with. Do you think any of our guys ranked top 5 or even top 10 at their respective positions last year?
May 1st, 2010 at 10:52 pm
Joe, I have enjoyed the convo but I got to hit the road. Misquoting you is a misdemeanor. The police must be on the way and the SA’s office is firing up the GJ. . . .
You and Thomas enjoy your discussion about how Jagz offense would have gone on from the Dallas game to crush the entire league!!!!! Maybe the Bucs can get him back from the lingerie league.
May 1st, 2010 at 10:54 pm
sensiblefan — take my advice, run while you still can . . . 🙂
May 1st, 2010 at 10:54 pm
Joe here,
Never said Jagz’s offense was stellar. Merely made the point, after he was worked over the coals by you, that what largely was his offense, had quite an output on opening day.
May 1st, 2010 at 10:58 pm
@ Thomas
If you think Raheem had complete autonomy over the hires last year then you’re fooling yourself good buddy. The guys he hired have Glazer written all over them because they (the Glazers) wanted him to have guys with executive experience. Instead of letting the guy do what he knows (west coast offense/tampa 2) they forced this complete overhaul PR campaign on the guy.
Lastly, losing is what young, rebuilding teams do unfortunately. I’m patient enough to know that rebuilding a solid franchise is done in steps, not with a flashy coaching hire or an overpriced over-the-hill free agent. You’ll figure that out soon enough my friend!
May 1st, 2010 at 11:05 pm
sensibleone:
Individual rankings alone do not a champion make. Our superbowl year, I am not sure how many top 5 statistical players that we had.
I agree that the defensive front and wr’s were talent short but except for the QB at the start of the season I thought we had a solid offense – assuming bryant stayed heallthy.
It was obvious the D front was poor – it is the coaches job to adapt and win – not the superbowl – but more than 3 games. His performance in every aspect except arguably blitz calls late in the year was as bad as it gets. Rah did as bad of a job as is possible and should have been fired but wasnt so I hope he wakes up.
May 1st, 2010 at 11:18 pm
@ thomas
Not sure either, but the talent was undeniable:
DB was defensive player of the year
6 Pro Bowlers: Key, Alstott, DB, Ronde, Lynch, Sapp
There’s no question that last year was hard to watch. However, Raheem did what people who learn on the job do: he got better by fixing and learning from his mistakes. I think we can both agree that the guy was probably two to three years away from being ready to be a head coach. He has talent (as evinced by the defensive surge near the end of the season), players play hard for him (one of my favorite qualities in Gruden) but he lacked seasoning. Ownership should take the blame for last year. He should take the blame going forward.
May 2nd, 2010 at 12:06 am
Joe — pretty sure you know that the Bucs were successful against Dallas because no tape. Once team has tape, the Bucs were easy to beat even though they were using primarily Jagz offense. By the way, where is Jagz?
May 2nd, 2010 at 12:11 am
Based on 25 years of criminal defense experience, I see absolutely nothing unusual about the arrest, charges, or the disposition of the case involving Mr. Talib.
Very routine stuff.
May 2nd, 2010 at 12:41 am
@jimbuc
Looks like you also jumped the gun a bit on the Holmes flight non-story.
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/04/30/allegheny-county-police-confirm-that-santonio-holmes-wasnt-removed-from-plane/
May 2nd, 2010 at 1:48 am
@Thomas: “The horrible guys running O and D, he hired. the decision to hire Bates and shift from the Tampa 2 was his. The horrible use of the challende flag. The embarrassing press conferences – I actually felt sorry for him.”
Hook me up with some of the stuff you have up there. Anyone that has a job knows what went wrong with our franchise last year. The Glazers was what went wrong. Not Raheem or Dominik.
If I was offered the job to be a HC of Bucs today, I would resign my current one and take that offer right away. That is what Raheem did. The least Glazers could have done if they believed in Raheem’s potential is getting him an experienced GM who has a good network in the league and can get Rah some good assistants. Unfortunately, another rookie in Dominik was paired with Raheem. The hiring of OC and DC was OBVIOUSLY a mistake by both the HC and GM which indirectly is on Glazers.
You’ve GOT to have some experience among the guys that make decisions. It is like letting two guys manage a large scale business right after they graduated in MBA from Harvard.
May 2nd, 2010 at 1:54 am
Why can’t Ronde be a focal point leader on this team??? Oh wait, the piece of crap has NEVER been a leader on this team, and never will! But he can’t be a leader because he’s too old, or he’s been around too long according to Rah. Not sure, but in my 17 yrs of experience in the military, if you’re the oldest guy, you fucking STEP UP and take over the reins, something Ronde has never done, nor will he ever. Love Ronde for getting the interception in Philly to take us to the Super Bowl, but other than that, the guy has ALWAYS been about himself and won’t take the chance of being a leader on this team, or any other for that matter! This team needs guys to step up, and Ronde is one of the veterans who could do so, but won’t because he’s never had to in the past, and is too big a pussy to do so now!
May 2nd, 2010 at 1:59 am
Needless to say, I’m not a big Ronde Barber fan!
May 2nd, 2010 at 2:41 am
Well it was nice to read about people’s opinions about the Pinellas Co. legal system and such but I have to ask this:
What the he** does THAT have to do with being a leader on the Bucs?
Being a leader is more than just being the one with the most experience.
Being a TRUE leader means that the player puts others before himself. the leader will step out of their comfort zone and approach other players and be truthful and tell them NOT to be out partying and accosting cab drivers.
A real leader will take TJ & Talib aside and TALK with them, let them know about consequences to their actions and hold them ACCOUNTABLE.
Team leaders are the first ones into the training room watching film from the Saints/Falcons/panthers and they are usually the last to leave – they don’t have to be as anal as Chucky was but…
Leaders train year round and show up at the OTA’s. leaders volunteer in the community and help others not because they have to but because they’re thankful – they’re leaders.
True leaders aren’t afraid to call out their teammates when they screw up and admit to the press when they themselves screw up.
leadership on a 3-13 team is difficult more so than on a 13-3 team. When the going get tough the tough get leading.
There are different kinds of leaders – vocal, appointed, quiet. The students are ready for the teacher to appear.
May 2nd, 2010 at 2:44 am
On the issue of Ernest Graham – I gotta love his selfless dedication to doing whatever is “best” for the team. But at the same time he needs to stand his ground and watch out for himself as well.
When i think about Graham it reminds me of Pittman who got himself in deep trouble with the police and the commish. Pittman sought help and because a better football player and hopefully man because of his actions.
May 2nd, 2010 at 7:18 am
@sensiblebuc
I guess the bottom line is that every mistake, and there were many, that Raheem made last year was the fault of the Glazers. But you point out how good the Defense was after Raheem mede the change back to the tampa 2 defense, saying how the players didn’t give up and played for him. But you failed to address the question as to why it took “the head coach” 10 weeks of defensive slaughter before he realized that maybe playing a defense that the players were trained for the whole professional careers under Kiffen, and that those players were certainly more comfortable with, might just make them a little better defensively.
But you, like the Media, give all the credit for them playing better to Morris.
I guess the “sensible” thing to do is wait and see how this genius head coach does this year, when he has no Jags or Bates to blame. Nor veteran players to help develop these young players at their positions, because he dumped them all. But he is a genius, so I know we will be better this year. Heck, we might even improve to 4-12 or 5-11. Wow!
May 2nd, 2010 at 9:02 am
Eric — not sure anyone said that Holmes latest misadventure was a big deal, just a sign.
May 2nd, 2010 at 9:42 am
Tampa2 — there is no amount of success, whether by improvment of record or otherwise, that would cause you to support Morris, so why even put on the pretense?
May 2nd, 2010 at 10:14 am
@jimbuc
I think you and maybe others rather gleefully reported it with some choice sarcasm about “character doesn’t matter” or some such. Im just pointing out the initial reports were innacurate or at least incomplete, according to the airline itself.
Minor issue I thought needed some cleaning up and correction.
May 2nd, 2010 at 10:16 am
@ tampa 2
Two words: Jeff Jagodzinski. They already fired one coordinator. I’m sure that they knew it’d look bad to can another one, especially after all the heat the Bucs, the Chiefs, and the Bills took for firing their OCs.
Unlike Jags, Jim Bates had (deserved so) some cache with Raheem and the organization. This is a guy who’s been in the NFL for a long time and had some success bringing a multi-faceted and multi-look attack to opposing offenses. He was known as a flexible DC. You give a guy with his reputation some time to right the ship. He couldn’t change so he was canned.
May 2nd, 2010 at 2:26 pm
Hey I just looked up what team leadership means in the Glazer dictionary:
Team Leader: Defined as the player who sells the most shirts and other merchandise.
May 2nd, 2010 at 2:58 pm
Jim Bates also reportedly suggested that he would incorporate more Tampa-2 into his D, but it did not appear on game day.
Eric — just read something that said Holmes had more question marks pre-draft than Dez Bryant. I did not know that. Not saying that a guy cannot turn it around, but there is a reason every team but one passed despite the low cost.
May 3rd, 2010 at 7:13 am
Doesn’t it just warm your heart to know that the only player Morris Mentioned for certain to be brought back for a 2nd look is That kid Parker, who FSU threw out of School after his 3rd arrest. Raheem’s kinda guy! Maybe he an Talib will be cellmates, oops, I meant roomates!
May 3rd, 2010 at 9:25 am
Does anyone here remember why Graham wasn’t used to carry the ball much last year? He had to be the FULLBACK. Unfortunately, our O line couldn’t run block for any of them last season, and I fear that will be the biggest problem this year. Look for that to be a priority in next years draft.