Raheem Has “The Most Room To Improve”

June 10th, 2010

The players love him, but he’s as raw as they come in the NFL head coaching ranks.

That was the gist of Tampa Tribune NFL writer eye-Rah! Kaufman’s damning assessment of Raheem The Dream during an interview on The Fabulous Sports Babe Show on 1040 AM on Wednesday.

While Joe can’t bring you the audio, only Kaufman’s words, Joe was struck by the sheer passion — almost disgust — in his voice when talking about the low expectations for the 2010 Bucs.

“I think [Raheem] feels compelled to give Bucs fans hope. I don’t think you and I believe that’s realistic for 2010. I think we’re looking more in the five- or six- win range, which under normal circumstances, Babe, should not be acceptable. Should not,” Kaufman said. “But coming off 3-13 you could spin it as improvement.

“Raheem’s learning as he goes, Babe. And the more I’m around him, and you and I both like him personally, the fact that he skipped that coordinator role people say, ‘Oh, What’s the big deal?’ You know what? It is a big deal. It is a big deal. It’s different responsibilities. It’s another level where you learn how to guide men, not just your particular defensive back group. He skipped it. Mike Tomlin did not. And coaches that don’t get that coordinator experience I think suffer. And we saw what happened the first few months, he looked overmatched no doubt on the field on gameday.

“I think he improved a little bit as the year went on. The players love him, no question. They play hard for him. He, among all the Bucs, might have the most room to improve in 2010.”

No question Raheem The Dream has a long way to go. The guy hit absolute rock bottom in 2009, after bungling his offseason and preseason quarterback plans, firing both coordinators, and opening the season 1-9. And he surely could use some polish in front of the microphone.

Raheem The Dream’s future, and in large part the Bucs’ 2010 season, will very much come down to how much the head coach improves.

After all, Bill Belichick won seven games in his second season with the Browns with an absolutely pathetic offense. And we know that Raheem The Dream likes to compare his situation with that of Belichick’s in Cleveland.

53 Responses to “Raheem Has “The Most Room To Improve””

  1. TJ Says:

    Agree 100 % with this Raheem needs to improve espically when he talks maybe he should come to Ohio and listen to Jim tressel talk cause alot of what Morris says just ugh lights a fire underneath me and makes me forgets how a likable guy he is. He comes off at times as cocky. Just like him saying Freeman almost went undefeated. Use this example again Morris is like the small kid in the nieghborhood that talks all the trash in the world and gets beat up all the time and then goes around the corner and lies and says I did not get beat up

  2. tampa2 Says:

    Ira Kaufman said something negative about the Bucs, or the Dream? I cannot believe that! Nope! That is something I’d have to see with my own eyes, and even then I wouldn’t believe it. Why? Because Ira Kaufman is the Glazer’s own writer, whom just happens to write for the Trib. He is the Jim Jones that is at the table passing out the Kool-aid to the Buc faithful. He is the agent that describes the homes of the Rich & Famous, specifically the Glazer’s Condo’s, while telling us that is proof that they Aren’t broke! Simply put, Ira Kaufman is the Glazer spin writer.
    As for Raheem the Dream, I guess when the house of cards begins to fall then the truth begins to emerge. Quite a few of us, before the 1st game last year, said that Raheem was not qualified (we actually said more than that), but we were labeled “haters” because we didn’t believe that the “Dream” was qualified to be a head coach. But the 3 Glazer Boys named him head coach, so that made Raheem a head coach in some fans eyes. I guess a good analogy would be, if you suddenly named the mail room clerk the CEO of your billion dollar Company, would he suddenly become an intelligent CEO, of course not! He’d run you business into the ground. This is an analogy some of us made last year. Sadly enough, it is beginning to come true! The bottom line is that, aside from their personal finances, the Glazers cannot or will not spend the money it takes to gain back the respectability the their Father had.

  3. Gary Says:

    People are so foolish in giving all the credit to daddy Glazer because he won a ring for us and bashing the sons right now, it goes both ways. Do you honestly think that as long as papa Glazer is alive, he will have no say over what the bucs are doing? If the Glazers arent spending money right now, its with his blessing!

    And Tampa2, it was obvious last season that Raheem would be learning on the fly, thus making some mistakes. We made this move on potential, so yes last season you and the other haters were being practical in saying he will suck. But this year, he isn’t a rookie anymore and I expect him to improve, ALOT. The difference between me and you is that I hope he improves, you want him to fail again so you can come here and say I told you so. Thats what makes you a hater along with everyone else.

    Now if he doesn’t get better in this new make or break year, then yes, I will be a hater too! But I am sure he will, just wait and see. I have said it many times before, I will take Raheem and all his flaws as long as the team believes in him and plays hard for him over Gruden and his vaunted offensive mind which players called 2-faced and started quitting on.

  4. DRB Says:

    “the players love him”……………………. and that’s really all that matters. We don’t have to play for him, they do. Give the guy a chance. People who sit at desks all day need to stop acting like they are qualified to evaluate the job performance of an NFL head coach.

    What exactly qualifies you people to judge this man after 1 season?…..

    Stick to what you do for a living- and let Coach Morris do what he does best- he has been in football his whole life.

    If he sucks after a few seasons, so be it. But, it’s WAY TO EARLY to tell.

  5. Eric Says:

    I have seen plenty to form an opinion – the man is simply not NFL Head Coach material, and never will be.

    When you make snap judgment hiring decisions, based on salary and not credentials, this is what happens.

  6. Louie Says:

    “What exactly qualifies you people to judge this man after 1 season?…”

    How about a 3-13 season???!!! The Dream deserves every bit of criticism he’s getting. His fingerprints are on just about every HUGE mistake that was made last year. Some say he was hired because of “potential”, I say he was hired because he was cheap and quite possibly is only a temporary solution (sacrificial lamb) until the CBA is resolved. How many other coaches did the Glazerhouse’s interview for HC or GM?

  7. Not a Rocket Surgeon Says:

    lol…

    Coach Morris was put in the worst situation. No talented players, bunch of old guys with an ownership that let the 3 am’egos’ run the show into the ground, limited assets to work with, etc…., then ownership decided to fix it themselves. Bad idea to not let the football people make the football decisions.

    To their credit – the football DID regain control inside the walls of 1 Buc and are taking all the heat for last year (because they are paid to do so…)

    FWIW – Morris certainly has a lot to learn, but also learned alot last year in the HC position.

    He didn’t forget how to lead men or how to coach football.

    Common sense says we need to see what he does this year running the show – then make an assessment.

    You experts should probably take a break with all the nonsense – but that isn’t going to happen.

    /end

  8. RahDomDaBest Says:

    Ira said: “I think we’re looking more in the five- or six- win range, which under normal circumstances, Babe, should not be acceptable. Should not,” Kaufman said. “But coming off 3-13 you could spin it as improvement.”

    SPIN IT AS IMPROVEMENT. And there in lies the frustration… he just admitted what most can see very clearly. He and the rest of the Raheem apologists plan to spin a 6 win season as improvement… enough to make a case to bring Raheem back.

    STOP making excuses for Raheem Morris.

    The Glazer’s should just let his contract run out… enjoy the off-season posturing with the teams and the union and after that many months go get a real coach.

    Nobody appreciates spin doctors spinning poor results into apologizing for the reality.

    STOP making excuses for Raheem Morris.

  9. sgw94 Says:

    Notice one thing about the argument of Raheem not being a coordinator before being a head coach is they always compare it to Mike Tomlin. Well Herm Edwards was never a coordinator either and he ended up with two head coaching jobs. Im not saying Raheem = Herm but people act like its unprecedented and its not. If you want to argue how he performed as a head coach I will entertain and even agree with many of your points. But this talking point has gotten old at this point. He’s the head coach and will be for at least this year. Let him sink or swim on the merits, not whether his resume is to your liking.

  10. Gary Says:

    Of course a 6-7 win season will be improvement you tool! What do you expect, and 16-0 season with a SB win?

    Last year was a perfect storm of incidents which brought us to rock bottom. Even your HOF Gruden had bad seasons and he had much more talented groups. I’m not excusing 3-13, pathetic anyway you look at it. But it will be better this year, and the next, and the one after that. If he regresses any year, he should be fired, simple as that. But until that happens, STFU!

  11. Joe Says:

    Steve:

    What exactly was Herm’s responsibilities when he was with the Bucs? His title was “associate head coach/secondary coach” which could have been just a title. I mean, even Bill Muir had the title of offensive coordinator but we both know that was BS.

  12. RahDomDaBest Says:

    True steve… but at least Herm Edwards played the game, and has been in the NFL for many years to warrant being considered a HC.

    Tomlin is a close comparison to Raheem based on age and experience… however, I think even Tomlin has a better track record than Raheem.

    And quite frankly, I don’t like comparisons much anyway, because I think each individual establishes his own character and results. And when I see Tomlin’s press conferences and the way he handles himself on the field in compariosn with Raheem’s I don’t think it’s fair to put Tomlin in that position. LOL… as a matter of fact, Raheem seems to be a great person, but out of all 32 head coaches in the NFL, he has to be collectively ranked last. Is Raheem ahead of any other head coach in the NFL?

  13. hendawg1906 Says:

    @Tampa2, Louie, and Eric

    Do you guys even have a life. Everytime I come to this site and read the comments, you Pooputts are on here saying something negative. Go get a girlfriend or something and keep your negative hating ass views to yourself!

  14. Not a Rocket Surgeon Says:

    You don’t like comparisons, but then compare Coach Morris to the other 32 head coaches in the league.

    Sorry, cut bait on that one.

  15. Louie Says:

    Gary & hendawg1906, why is that people who disagree with you have to, as Gary put it, STFU? Are you two flaming liberals or what?

  16. oar Says:

    Looking at his esteemed record as head coach, Herm Edwards head coached one team too many in my opinion and probablly never should have had one team. Maybe that experience does mean something? But, hey just my opinion. Nothing to see here folks move along.

  17. RahDomDaBest Says:

    @Not NRS

    You are right in pointing out my contradiction, but does this make Raheem better than any other NFL coach? I think when you talk head coaches, you do have to keep it apples to apples, if you are going to compare.

    My only concern is that we don’t have a qualified HC leading the Tampa Bay Buccaneers… so why “spin” his failures into success?

  18. sgw94 Says:

    My point, obviously missed by most, is that the talking point is stupid and stale. As Ive stated before I had my own problems with some of the things Coach Morris did as head coach last year. But guess what, nobody knows how to be a head coach until they are one. The NFL is littered with failed head coaches who were excellent coordinators. Judge the guy by what he does, not his resume is all Im saying. Its fair enough to be critical after last years horrible season, no need to add to it by some bogus talking point.

    By the way, I can quantify the things I didn’t like that Coach Morris did last year as a head coach. Do you think Ira Kaufman can? For that matter can you? Something to think about.

  19. Louie Says:

    Steve, I agree with you. I don’t think it is a requirement for a new coach to have been a coordinator. Unlike Morris, Edwards, was a long-time positions coach (at least 10 years?) before he was made a HC.

    I wasn’t happy about Morris being named HC last year because I thought he should have been seasoned more as a coordinator, but I was willing to give him a chance. I was actually impressed with him through training camp, but he lost me with the QB competition, the coordinator fiascos and the final body of work, a 3-13 season. He obviously will have another chance this season to “fix it”. So, we’ll see if he can improve. If he does, great. But, I’m not going to hold my breath.

  20. JimBuc Says:

    Tampa2, Louie, and Eric, RahDom:

    One simple question: are you rooting for Morris to succeed?

  21. oar Says:

    But is the NFL littered with successful head coaches that were not even coordinators? I think there is a much higher percentage of successful head coaches that had coordinator experience than ones without. So my point is, why take that lower chance? Or replace a Hummer with a Hyundai?

  22. tampa2 Says:

    @Sgw94
    You say nobody knows how to be a head coach until they are one. Can’t that be said for Doctors, Lawyers, and other Professionals too?
    The difference I see is that those Doctors, Lawyers, etc. Had to have years of education & training before they “learned on the job”. It isn’t like a respected Coordinator or head coach tutored Morris for a few year prior to his being named a head coach. Last season was “proof” that you don’t “name” an amatuer to a position that it takes years of training to be.
    Would you go to or trust a Doctor that has been self-taught for one year? Of course not! And we cannot expect Morris to be any more of a Head Coach than he ws last year either. I am sure that you will disagree with this analogy. But different opinions are our right in America. lol By the way, enjoyed watching you play.

    @Jimbuc
    I root for the Bucs to succeed. Not any particular person. Would you want to go to war with an Amatuer General and less than the best soldiers? That is what we have currently thanks to the 3 scrooge Glazers.

  23. JimBuc Says:

    Oar — are you rooting for Morris?

  24. JimBuc Says:

    Tampa2 — Let me state the obvious. If Morris succeeds the Bucs succeed. So my question was whether you were rooting for Morris? Seems like a simple question.

  25. sgw94 Says:

    @oar

    Obviously there aren’t many coaches that have gone from position coach to head coach but for the ones that did I’ll bet the numbers are comparable.

    Here’s the thing, just how long does one need to be a coordinator before they get this mystical knowledge about being a head coach? Mike Tomlin was a coordinator for all of one year. One year and he has a ring. That’s why this talking point is stupid. For the people claiming his lack of being a coordinator hurt him well if he had been a coordinator for one year would they be ready to embrace him? Cuz guess what, he was a coordinator for part of the year last year. So if that’s the litmus test he has now been there and done that. Ready to embrace him now?

    Jim Harbaugh – never was a coordinator unless you count special teams coordinator

    Superbowl winner Sean Payton was a coordinator for all of 3 years. And that wasn’t the job title he held before becoming a HC. Instead he was a QB coach before getting the Saints gig.

    Lovie Smith who has been to a Superbowl was a coordinator for 3 years.

    Obviously Mike Singletary brings a wealth of experience as an all time great player but he was never a coordinator.

    Tony Sparano was a long time position coach but hadn’t been a coordinator since coaching college ball in the early 90s before the Dolphins gig.

    So again, how many years must one be a coordinator for pandora’s box to be opened to them and they get the mystical knowledge to be a head coach?

  26. oar Says:

    JimBuc, First those are my intitals and not boat propelling/steering equipment. Second, Your question, “If Morris succeeds the Bucs succeed. So my question was whether you were rooting for Morris?” is intersting but not simple. There were guys not rooting for Gruden, when he was successful with the Bucs, right? So your question isn’t that simple. I’m hoping they made the right draft choices and right offensive scheme change this year(although sounds very similar to Gruden’s west coast scheme). So, I’m rooting for the Bucs in general!

  27. tampa2 Says:

    @JimBuc
    You are wrong. That is similar to last year when, after 10 games, Morris finally allowed the defense to play the defense they were trained to play under Kiffin and they did a lot better. People like yourself said “When Morris took over the defense it did so much better”. The only contribution Morris made to the defense was “finally” allowing the defense to play what they were “trained to play”, under Kiffin! Morris gladly took the credit! But Kiffin had trained the Players. Why didn’t Morris change back to the Tampa 2 long before the 10th game? A good General wouldn’t have waited so long, in my opinion.
    Your question is actually the opposite. If the Bucs succeed, then Morris will succeed!

  28. sgw94 Says:

    @tampa 2

    Ever been to an emergency room? Notice that some of the very people who have to make the most life and death choices in the medical field are those who are fresh out of medical school and in some cases still doing internships? If you get shot you won’t know whether or not a long time resident or a fng will be the one to save your life, but I also don’t think you will be asking for their resume on the way into the operating room.

  29. tampa2 Says:

    @Sgw94
    That ws great! LMAO But I don’t think that hiring someone to be a Head Coach is quite the “life saving” emergency proffered in your statement. Then again, it may well be after this year! Lol

  30. sgw94 Says:

    @tampa 2

    Your logic on the defensive improvement last year is laughable. Please tell me you were joking just trying to make a point because otherwise its hard to take you seriously. I mean really? They were “trained” to play Kiffin’s way.

    Cmon

  31. oar Says:

    Mr White, I understand there are those exceptions, but the others all seem to have “some” NFL experience at the coordinator spot or played for several years.
    Again my point is the percentage is higher with those that succeeded than without.That’s all. And NO, there is no secret time frame for mytsical knowledge.
    Jim Harbugh coaches Stanford do you mean his brother John? He was special teams coordinator for 9 years though.
    Sean Payton 2 1/2 years more coordinator experience than Raheem.
    Sparano and Singletary(vertict still out) are two exceptions.
    Again, my point is why replace an experienced head coach(successful) with a non-experienced one?

  32. sgw94 Says:

    @oar

    If you are saying “the chances are higher” then you have to have other instances to go by. How many other head coaches that were never coordinators do you know of? And how many of them “failed”. Might want to define failing while you’re at it.

    And yes I meant John Harbaugh but I personally don’t put special teams coordinator on the same plane as defensive or offensive coordinator. But hey, that’s just me.

  33. tampa2 Says:

    @Sgw94
    Well, that was an aside for JimBuc. But the majority of the players were trained to play the Tampa 2, and I do believe they were much more comfortable playing the Tampa 2 than Bates scheme. Do you not agree? You don’t have to take me seriously. You played the Tampa 2 defense under Dungy. Wouldn’t you have played better after switching back to the Tampa 2 under the same circumstances those players were in last year?
    You played the game. I am only a fan. But common sense tells me that the players were more comfortable after switching back to the Tampa 2. And their play showed it. Laugh if you want. But they did play better after switching back to the Tampa 2 defense. I read most of your articles or blogs and know that you are a very knowledgable defensive player, and you are probably more qulified to be a Coach than Morris. Maybe you should look at the game from a fan’s prospective one time instead of an insider and maybe you can see why some of us feel the way that we do.
    We may be just fans, but it is the fans that buy the tickets, which pay the salaries of the players and coaches, and provides the funds for “most owners” to get better players each year in the quest for the Super Bowl.

  34. RahDomDaBest Says:

    @sgw94

    I agree with you about Ira and what he says… I take what TBO.com has to say with MANY, MANY grains of salt… no different than us arm chair GMs/Coaches/QBs.

    And not to be a suck up… I take what you have to say with much more validity than anyone else on this blog, unless that person is an NFL seasoned vet/coach.

    But that Ira guy, along with the rest of the TBO.gang… jeez! Even Joe’s admin runs circles around them! LMAO….

  35. JimBuc Says:

    Oar, your comment about Gruden is telling. So you are not rooting for Morris because you are angry about Gruden. Thought so. As for people rooting against Gruden: two wrongs do not make a right. My 5 year old understands that simple concept.

  36. RahDomDaBest Says:

    @ JimBuc; “So you are not rooting for Morris because you are angry about Gruden.”

    This concept is categorically upsetting to me the most… it is such a fallacy… I am glad you called him out on that one.

  37. JimBuc Says:

    Tampa2 — your responses on Morris speak volumes. Not quite as funny though as your thoughts on the defensive improvement, as Mr. White pointed out. The only reason you would take that laughable position is because you cannot even force yourself to give Morris any credit. Hard to take someone seriously who can’t acknowledge any positive at all

  38. oar Says:

    Mr. White, I’d take a 9 year special teams coordinator to be my head coach before no-year coordinator or position coach anyday. See Ravens for proof.
    Anyways its just my opinion that the pre-experienced coaches seem to be more successful than ones that have none or little. Key word – opinion. I didn’t know I was gonna be tested or I would have studied more.

  39. RahDomDaBest Says:

    Damn… I read its as “So you are rooting for Morris because you are angry about Gruden.” When you ommit the ‘not’ it makes more sense.

    I hate the ‘Rooting for Morris IN SPITE of Gruden perspective’ or the ‘Rooting for Morris IN SPITE of the Dungy firing’

    You see those two perspectives should not be a part of the REASON you like Raheem… because then you become an apologist for him.

    I say, root for Raheem based on his performance, based on his decisions, based on his potential to truely make the Bucs a team that will run deep into the playoffs year in and year out (this is a flawed expectation in itself in the NFL and anyone who repeats it should be slapped… only Andy Reid, Bill Bellicheat, whom ever Peyton’s coach is 😉 digg @ dungy lovers, and San Diego…. that is only 4 or 5 teams… which makes the statement so ridiculous in itself for Raheem AND at the same time unfair to Raheem at this point).

    I base it also on what the freak he says in press conferences… to me, unless I am getting old and missing a paradigm shift in society and the way one needs to communicate to the youth, I find Raheem not ready to be a real, competing NFL head coach… which will ultimately stunt the growth of our young team and therefore ruin year 2 of Plan B… or would it be year 1 of Plan B? Or is this Plan C???

  40. oar Says:

    JimBuc, NO! Im not rooting for Raheem, cause of Gruden(if it was I would be rooting for him cause he was under Gruden). It has to do with his performance. I’m just not one to lay praise on his “savior” change BACK to the Tampa-2. Maybe it’ll change and maybe it won’t. I have been one of those to say, let’s wait and see.

  41. JimBuc Says:

    RahDom — if one hated Morris and thought he was incompetent (as Tampa2 and others clearly do), he/she should hope that he/she was wrong. If you are a fan, the issue should be Bucs success not vindication of one’s personal belief about Morris. Obviously if Morris fails, Bucs fail.

    That’s the issue that I was trying to point out, but that Tampa2 did a better job of illustarting than I ever could. Tampa2 wants despartely for Morris to fail because, I presume, it would vindicate his views. What other reason could there be? Well, problem with that is that if Morris fails, the Bucs fail. So, Tampa2 should be rooting for Morris not againt him.

  42. JimBuc Says:

    Oar — no one is talking about your view on Morris’ capabilities. I am talking about rooting for him or against him. Your comment suggest you are rooting against him because you are angry about Gruden. This is what you said:

    “There were guys not rooting for Gruden, when he was successful with the Bucs, right? So your question isn’t that simple. I’m hoping they made the right draft choices and right offensive scheme change this year(although sounds very similar to Gruden’s west coast scheme). So, I’m rooting for the Bucs in general!”

    But not for Morris specifically because he was not in your list of “hopes.”

  43. oar Says:

    JimBuc, Are you the blog-post monitor? Or the comment guardian or something? Why do you feel the need blast everyone and THIER opinions, when they are not the same as yours? I for one like a little humor, whether negative or positive in light of. Relax and don’t respond/comment about them everytime(you won’t change any minds unless you’re Obi One Kenobi), which btw is something you seem to add to your posts, but you still do.

  44. JimBuc Says:

    By the way, this is hardly a novel concept we are discussing. Most of the biggest bashers on this site (both of the Bucs and Morris) are very angry Gruden fans. See Eric, Thomas, Louie etc. Absent the alleginace to Gruden (or the delusional view that the Bucs did not need to rebuild), most reasonable people would say that the early reviews of Morris do not look good but it is probably too soon to tell given the unsual circumstances last year. Instead, you have a bunch of people who declare — categorically — that Morris is incompetent and that also deny that there was any improvement tied to Morris last year (See Tampa2’s comments about Kiffin’s defense).

    If your current views about the Bucs are driven by Gruden anger, you don’t have much credibility

  45. oar Says:

    JimBuc, “no one is talking about your view on Morris’ capabilities” Well they are the reason why.

  46. JimBuc Says:

    Oar — I am not trying to chnage anyone’s mind. The only opinion that I am speaking against is one that is not genuine because it is driven by an agenda.

  47. JimBuc Says:

    Oar — the question was “rooting.” See my other comment for where you might fit in.

  48. oar Says:

    JimBuc, “If your current views about the Bucs are driven by Gruden anger, you don’t have much credibility” WRONG AGAIN! Raheem’s poor performance and poor decisions speak volumes, as you like to say.

    My point about the Gruden statement to your question, was there were fans that didn’t like or root for Gruden, but they were rooting for their Bucs(so they say anyways). In your world, I guess those fans were angry at the Dungy firing or were driven by Dungy anger? You sure can spin.

  49. JimBuc Says:

    Oar said:

    ““If your current views about the Bucs are driven by Gruden anger, you don’t have much credibility” WRONG AGAIN!”

    Believe me, I was not expecting you to agree. Thanks for illustrating my point. 🙂

  50. oar Says:

    JimBuc, I appreciate that you stopped typing my intitals as if they were a word. Oh, wait you still are never mind!

  51. oar Says:

    JimBuc, Telling you, “you are wrong”, is not agreeing?????????

    “Believe me, I was not expecting you to agree. Thanks for illustrating my point” You weren’t expecting me to agree, but I illustrated your point??????

  52. JimBuc Says:

    oar — sorry on the name/initial thing. Not intentional.

  53. oar Says:

    JimBuc, Its cool. I haven’t had a very good day at the work place. I might be a little teste.