“Bright Young Coach With A Bad Young Team”
July 24th, 2010
The national media assessments of the Bucs keep ranging from bad to worse.
Randy Cross, of NFL Radio and NationalFootballPost.com, thinks Tampa Bay is the worst team in the league. Adam Schein of FoxSports.com mocks the Bucs as the worst organization in the NFL. Mike Lombardi, of NFL.com, claims hope is a year away. And now John Clayton, “The Professor” of BSPN, flat out called the Bucs a bad team during an interview with The Fabulous Sports Babe on WHBO-AM on Friday.
Raheem is a “bright young coach with a bad young team,” Clayton said. “There are not enough players to speed up the process to getting better.”
Clayton went on to express his confidence in Raheem The Dream continuing the strides he made with the Bucs defense after the heinous Jim Bates Experiment, but Clayton doesn’t expect the Bucs to move the ball consistently. “Is there going to be enough offense?” he asked passionately and rhetorically.
Joe hates to pour negativity over the heads of Bucs fans, but the only thing Joe can disagree with Clayton on is Raheem The Dream being a “bright young coach.”
There’s just not enough evidence or wins yet to justify that assessment. Although Joe clings to hope that Raheem The Dream has it in him to turn things around.
July 24th, 2010 at 12:04 pm
“bright” is probably the LAST word in the entire English language I would use to describe Radio Morris.
July 24th, 2010 at 12:12 pm
Nobady ever gives tampa the time of day even after we won the superbowl i think we barley made the top ten teams for the next year in the power rankings. we always have to prove our selves and this is no exception. it will take 7 wins for anybody to give us respect. and frankly with our schedule this year that isnt a far stretch. i like whats hapining here. my only concern is we should be more active in free agency. we passed on drew brees when he was available and its killed us. we should have gobbled up brandon marshel.
July 24th, 2010 at 12:34 pm
Clayton got it mixed up… what he REALLY should have said was:
Raheem is a “bad young coach with a bright young team,” Clayton should have said. “There are not enough pro-bowl players in the league to speed up the process of Raheem getting better.”
July 24th, 2010 at 12:39 pm
Hey Joe, while we are all basking in the glow of these guys infinate wisdom, can you tell us who they picked to win last years SuperBowl? Or where they picked the Saints ta finish? What did they say about the Giants? Jets? Are the all really accurate, or are the guessing like everyone else. I know some of the picked the Patriots last year, how’d that ” expert Prediction” turn out? I don’t care who you are, it’s all quess work til the season starts. Otherwise those geniuses would put Vegas outta business !
July 24th, 2010 at 12:44 pm
Well he is young.
July 24th, 2010 at 12:59 pm
Raheem has the respect of the locker room. The team fought hard all season (yes I know we went 3-13), and didn’t quit ever. He also did a great job turning the defense ournd mid-season. Some folks, like Steve White, see Raheem as a bright young coach. I do too, but then again I am a homer.
July 24th, 2010 at 1:00 pm
Good point Capt,that’s why they play the games.Didn’t the Saints finish last in the conference the year before?I will agree it’s way to early to call Raheem a bright coach.One thing about John Clayton-he proves you don’t have to be good looking to be on TV.
July 24th, 2010 at 1:12 pm
Hey stop the piling on!!!
Raheem DOES have nice bright teeth! 🙂
July 24th, 2010 at 1:13 pm
Question: Hey how many offensive co-ordinators does it take to have a winning season in Tampa Bay?
Answer: Tune in in 2013
July 24th, 2010 at 1:19 pm
pessimists!———-glass half empty———gloom and doom go together —
hopelessness defines a pessimist——
July 24th, 2010 at 1:19 pm
Uh CappyTim and Bobby… so because you complain to Joe do you really expect him to stop posting articles on his blog about the Bucs?
If the prediction is good, then you like it, but if it is bad which most are aboutthe Bucs and deservedly so, you don’t want to hear it. If you don’t want to read it, then don’t read…. AND definitely stop complaining about it.
July 24th, 2010 at 1:33 pm
What are the top 10 excuses going to be for Tampa this year?
-Young WRs
-Freeman has no protection
-The other team had a really good defense
( I want to hear what you guys have to say)
Scapegoats?
-Greg Olson
-Trueblood
-Barret Ruud
July 24th, 2010 at 1:46 pm
We have no excuses. we passed on some very good defensive backs. We passed on some damb good pass rushers. and we passed on arguably the best wide out in the game. if we dont do well its only because we are cheap!!!!
July 24th, 2010 at 1:51 pm
If we are as bad as many predict?
Excuses:
Youth
NFC South
Scapegoats:
Trueblood
Zuttah
Olson
Caddy/Ward/Graham
Barber’s age (which will contradict the youth excuse)
Ruud
Whoever is at LDE (Crowder/Moore/etc)
Sabby/Jones
July 24th, 2010 at 1:51 pm
Oh yeah… the biggest excuse will be “CHEAP”
July 24th, 2010 at 2:34 pm
The entire upcoming regular season battle on Joebucsfan.com will be between two competing schools of thought:
1. Rah/Dom suck and need to go.
vs.
2. Rah/Dom inherited a team in shambles, and need more time to produce the lasting contender.
The dispute will become increaseingly inflamed as the losses mount and may require the involvement of the National Guard.
July 24th, 2010 at 2:43 pm
@eric
Looks like BamBam is already lining up the excuses… so predictable those usual suspects are.
July 24th, 2010 at 2:48 pm
Correction, make that scapegoats.
I just want people to be honest and say it’s Raheem… the majority of NFL players are so close in tallent that it really comes down to the coaching and schemes… that’s why I hate when people blame players so often.
What if we had a coach that did everything wrong, and said everything wrong that Raheem did since being the HC…………. but what if that coach, the same age, were a white man? Would these guys feel the same? Absolutely not. And the #1 (politically correct) excuse would be, he is a Gruden disciple.
Everyone knows that this is true. Just call it like it is. You like Raheem because he isn’t white.
July 24th, 2010 at 2:58 pm
Love all the anger and hate on here.
Morris is obviously a bright young coach — as witnessed by his rapid ascension for quality control guy to DC, the play last year, and the response from players. The questiun is whether he is a bright young HEAD coach. Very different from just being a coach
July 24th, 2010 at 3:09 pm
If Rah is bright, I wonder what one would have to do as a head coach to be considered stupid?
I guess folks that stupid arent walking around the streets.
July 24th, 2010 at 3:31 pm
Eric — I am absolutely shocked by your comment . . .well, actually, you could have posted nothing but your name and we would have all known what you meant to type.
July 24th, 2010 at 3:35 pm
All the talking heads said the same thing about the Falcons before the 2008 season… no talent, blah, blah blah, young team, blah blah blah…
Preseason talk is BS. Fact is, half of the playoff teams every year weren’t in the playoffs the season before. Look it up. The NFL is a year to year league. Nothing is predictable.
Did anyone have the Saints winning the Super Bowl last summer after they had just finished in LAST place in the NFC South? Nope. Everyone was ALLLLLL over Atlanta and Carolina to win the division.
My point is… don’t listen to the boneheads at ESPN. Especially John Clayton.
July 24th, 2010 at 3:53 pm
Yeah but, John Clayton is one handsome guy!
July 24th, 2010 at 4:43 pm
LOL @ JimBuc believing that Raheem is “bright”.
You truly are delusional.
Raheem quite possibly is the dumbest man to ever put on a headset. He can’t speak a complete a coherent sentence , much less devise an effective game-plan.
Get a clue…It’s one thing to root for your team , and it’s another to be a blind, mindless , Homer.
July 24th, 2010 at 5:09 pm
Mush head, skill in front of a camera is not a prerequisite to being an effective Head Coach. In fact, if the Bucs went 13-3 last year, people would be celebrating Morris-speak Winning cures all.
As for not being able to develop a game plan, how did the defense perform when he took over from Bates?
July 24th, 2010 at 5:28 pm
Mushmouth,
Raheem is holding one of the most coveted jobs in the country, and for now he has job security. Deal with it. He’s not a stupid man.
July 24th, 2010 at 5:36 pm
Your right Jimbuc, winning cures all.
Lets see some.
July 24th, 2010 at 5:55 pm
Rahdomdadumbass, I never said a word to Joe about what ta post or what not ta post. My comment was that these guys don’t have a clue-just like you. They base everything on last year. Which is why they are always wrong. Things change dramatically every off season. None of them picked the Saints to be in the super bowl, much less win it! Two of them picked the Saints for second in the NFC south, two of them picked them third! Three of them picked the Patriots to win the Superbowl. They don’t have a clue! Most professional prognosticators brag about a .550 or better percentage. How will the Bucs do this year? Who knows! Not them, and damn sure not your ass! We’ll all find out soon. And it could swing dramatically either way. And yes, Raheem is a bright young Coach. He was a hot commodity for DC around the league! Is he a a great young head Coach? We’ll know soon. But one thing for sure, none of you know yet
July 24th, 2010 at 7:00 pm
Yes , if we were 13-3 last year we would all love Raheem.
… and if a frog had wings….
3-13 just so happens to be the exact OPPOSITE of 13-3 , and it also happens to be REALITY.
July 24th, 2010 at 7:08 pm
Not lining up excuses at all… just responding to your post stating excuses and scapegoats. Personally, I don’t think there will be many excuses (youth and division). There will be “scapegoats”, as individuals will be blamed if they play poorly. Raheem Morris might be in that group, might not. Depends on the level of failure. If the entire team collapses, Raheem will surely get the blame.
July 24th, 2010 at 7:57 pm
Yeah mushforbrains,we finished in last place last year. Good memory! Who finished in last place the year before? Last years Superbowl champs, the Saints! Worst ta first is the Norm in the NFC South. You are the John Clayton of “JoeBuc”! Now I know you’re gonna spout all your Raheem hate, saying how dumb he is. But, like everything else, you don’t know. We know he’s not a great public Speaker. Neither was Albert Einstein. I don’t want a friggin politician, I want a FOOTBALL COACH!! They hired some mouthpiece ta talk! Lottsa idiots can talk-look at you! You don’t know squat, and babble on all the time! His Coaching skills are all I care about.Eric- are you saying we are Reverse racist? Or are you saying you think we are all black, and we are regular racist? Or that we are White, and racist against whites? I dunno, but I am an American Indian, and what ever the heck you’re saying, I’m pretty sure your discriminating against me!! I don’t know why, but I feel that way! And in modern America, that’s good enough- ya racist-lol
July 24th, 2010 at 8:10 pm
@Capt.Tim
Man, I’m surprised they let you out of the mental institution! lol
July 24th, 2010 at 8:16 pm
Capt Tim, you gotta lay off the sauce.
July 24th, 2010 at 8:28 pm
I know i’m going to say this on def ears, but here goes..
How many of you remember the Pre-Tony Dungy era?
Of the few of you who actually do, do any of you remember the media saying things like “…Dungy has no talent to work with..” or “the Bucs have to start from scratch..yadda yadda yadda..”?
Now, keeping that in mind, who was on the team when Tony started? (Nickerson, Lynch, Brooks, Sapp ring a bell?)
Before anyone knew they were stars, they were young unknowns. Doesn’t it stand to reason that maybe there are some ‘unknown stars’ on this team as well?
IMHO, Raheem Morris started out with a less talented team than Coach Dungy did, and ABSOLUTELY he has made his share of mistakes. But I do believe he and Mark Dominik are on the right track by developing youth first. Before it is all over, some of the ‘unknowns’ on this current Bucs roster will become the stars of tomorrow. Personally, I would never prognosticate, because one never truly knows ones fate for injury, or self-determination (When I was with the team I thought Warren was a know-it-all punk that would be out of the league in a few years. Shows what I knew), but I will name a few players I think have a chance at stardom on the current roster:
Geno Hayes-he’s got a small frame, but the heart is there.
Mike Williams- incredible upside if his attitude is positive.
Arrelious Benn- Strong work ethic.
Donald Penn- Why this guy isnt wrapped up in a contract is beyond me.
Bryan Price and Roy Miller- I love their backgrounds, hard work ethics.
Tanard Jackson- With a good push up front, best free safety in league.
Aqib- Again, with push up front, dominant corner.
Kareem Huggins- I know this is a stretch, but just keep an eye on this kid, go back and look at some college highlights too.
Again, no one truly knows what the future holds, but patience is key here. Stars aren’t born overnight.
July 24th, 2010 at 8:28 pm
Eric-” I guess folks that stupid aren’t walking around on the streets”. Of course not! The reaaallly stupid ones are busy posting on”joeBuc”! Proud members of the “slow squad”
July 24th, 2010 at 8:30 pm
That’s funny stuff Capt and not one pirate reference.I don’t know about the other sheep,but I missed your commentaries.I’m sure the slow squad didn’t miss you other than maybe Eric.
July 24th, 2010 at 8:52 pm
FormerBuc- great post, agree with all of it! Go Bucs!!!! Patrick and BigMac- what?? What did I Say?!?
July 24th, 2010 at 8:52 pm
FormerBuc- great post, agree with all of it! Go Bucs!!!! Patrick and BigMac- what?? What did I Say?!?
July 24th, 2010 at 8:52 pm
Nice post formerbuc! I am excited about watching it all play out.
July 24th, 2010 at 8:57 pm
Thank you LakelandBob, the Captain is humbled by your kind words. Proving that REAL Buc fans are the finest folk around!
July 24th, 2010 at 9:07 pm
Eric is an interesting guy, and a tough one ta cross mental swords with, even though, strangely, he’s always wrong when it comes ta the Bucs! Also, I credited Eric for the racist thing, but it was RahDom that wrote it. Guess I missed Eric to, lol
July 24th, 2010 at 9:23 pm
I remember the pre-dungy era very well.
I also recall the arrival of Mr. Dungy and the quiet confidence he brought. Because of his credentials and background, the team took notice. No on the job training was needed.
His motto?
No excuses
No explanations
What stood out about Tony was he knew exactly what he wanted to do and implemented his plan. Not the Glazer boys plan, his plan.
From the very first press conference I could tell the man was special, and told many people so. He was able to do that because of his training with noll as a player in the Super Bowl and a coach, and eight years of coordinator experience. Along with Mr. Dungy was a guy named Kiffin, who is one of the great DC of all time.
I’m sorry to say our current coach is no Tony Dungy either in experience, knowledge or character. The situations may be comparable, but those guys are not.
Wishing it were the same does not make it the same.
It was Tony who turned the Bucs around, not some plan from the Glazer boys. They are arrogant in believing it was them. Most bucs fans know better.
July 24th, 2010 at 10:29 pm
Eric,
That is a great point as to Dungy’s character. He is an incredible man. IMHO, Raheem is a magnetic, charismatic leader who is loved and respected by his team. What is similar about the two men is that they are powerful motivators. Ultimately, that will have to translate onto the field for Raheem, and I believe it will. It’s plain that we disagree on Raheem, but we agree on Dungy, and I see some important similarities that make me excited to be a Buc fan right now. (And I, like you probably, am unbearable to be around after a loss)
July 25th, 2010 at 12:10 am
Eric,
Good post. Wanted to clarify a few things tho. Personally, I can’t honestly tell you if Raheem Morris will be a good coach or not. And neither can you. Only time will tell those truths. What I can honestly tell you is that Dungy was not perfect either. Your comment about ‘no on the job training needed’ is a respectful thing to say, but all new jobs require some experience to be learned. Out of my respect for the man, I will not go in depth into Dungy’s shortcomings, but I will just say that he had a very loyal staff that stuck with him that first year, whether they believed him to be right/wrong/ or indifferent. The big difference for Tony D. was that he was able to get the staff he wanted in place from the beginning. I believe Morris jumped a little too fast on his hirings, thinking he was losing out.
Second, the comment about the players ‘took notice’…well..not all of them did. I can remember a teammate discussing his ‘displeasure’ with a reformed practice schedule the first year (Sam Wyche held a lot of night practices). That particular teammate hit the waiver wire and was on the street less than 24 hour later. True ‘nough!
My point is, not all the guys liked the changes and were on board from the start. But in time they either adapted or were sent packin.
Should Raheem have hired Jags and Bates? Prob. not. But the fact that he saw their shortcomings early was a good sign.
All i’m saying is don’t be so quick to judge. Everyone makes mistakes at first. Raheem may fail, but he may also succeed. It just takes time.
July 25th, 2010 at 8:13 am
FormerBuc, great post again! As ravid fans if the team, nothing makes us happier than insight in to the team that only a player can provide! Your post is greatly appreciated by all if us! Which former Buc are you? It sounds like it took Coach Dungy awhile to get everyone on the team to ” buy in” to his philosophies. I think that is ussually the case with any new coaching staff. The thing that gives me reason to believe in Coach Morris, is the amount of player support he has on the team. From former players to current players, they all seem to give him their full endorsement. That tells me they believe in him. One thing we all saw last year was effort. Despite an otherwise terrible transtition year, the effort was there during every game. The team played hard for Raheem. I think that is a really good sign for the future! ( now Capt.Tim, reading a post from a former player, that says EXACTLY what he has been saying for months, sticks his thumbs in his ear. He proceeds to simultaneously give “moose horns” and “The Raspberry” to his buddy Eric, who has ignored the Captain’s flawless logic to this point!! Lol)
July 25th, 2010 at 8:25 am
Another note on Coach Dungy. As much as we all respect him, he also was not ” Perfect”. While he built this team into a perennial SuperBowl contender, his overly conservative play calling in the playoffs may have cost us another Superbowl appearance. Dungy did a great job in building a dominate defense, but it frequently seemed handcuffed to an offense that was playing” not to lose”. The offense had talent, and won games all season long. But ultra conseratism in the playoffs really held them back. Just proves what we all know- even a great Coach, with a great team, still isn’t enough to guarantee the trophy. It ain’t easy ta get!!
July 25th, 2010 at 9:06 am
Was Tony Dungy perfect? Of course not. No coach is.
Even guys like Landry, Shula, noll lost their effectiveness at various points in their carreers. Remember Jimmy Johnson getting beat by 50 points in his last playoff game? Bellichick’s patriots were blown out in the first round last year, and did not make it at all the year before.
However, if you take where the bucs were before Tony, then look where he took them, he did one of the best turnaround jobs in NFL history. He took a culture of losing and turned it into consistent winners.
I have heard that the team plays hard for Rah and he was referred to as a great motivator. Did any veteran players really, aside from K-2, distinguish themselves last year? Play better than they did before?
What I saw was across the board digression. Remember Clayton after the Dallas game, talking about he didn’t think he could be happy after a loss, but he was. That isn’t Dungy style motivation. The man actually only had 16 catches in him? Did Ward seem highly motivated? The O-line? The 32nd ranked run defense?
How bout the totally humiliating losses to the Giants, Jets, Patriots etc. That was really the best those guys could play?
If that team was super motivated by Rah then we may be in worse shape than I thought.
If you took the current Raheem Morris back in time to 1996, snd substitute him for Tony Dungy, I don’t think the turnaround would have taken place. Tony was uniquely qualified to make that happen. Thats where the “were gonna do it like we did before” argument falls apart.
Tony Dungy v. Raheem Morris? C’mon. You guys know better than that.
July 25th, 2010 at 9:47 am
Eric- ” if you took the current Raheem Morris back to 1996, I don’t think that turnabout would have taken place”. Why? What was Dungy’s record his first year here? Playoffs? SuperBowl? Ten guys in the Probowl? That great .” mike Shula-OC” hire? Is it because( and only because) he was a better public Speaker? You ever listen to Bellichek talk? What else leads you so conclusively to the opinion that Dungy(or anyone else) is a better coach than Raheem? HOF Jimmy Johnson was proclaimed ” a college coach who has proven to be in waaay over his head at this level” by sports illustrated , after his first year. He turned out OK. You can voice your “opinion” about Raheem all you want, but it is just that- your opinion. Not facts, not the widely agreed on concensis, not any fact. Just your opinion! I, like the majority, haven’t seen enough of Raheem to make a firm “opinion”. As “formerBuc” said, nobody knows yet, patience is the key. Your “opinion is based on your impatience, not any facts. The facts will present themselves to us soon enough, and they just might leave you with egg on yer face!
July 25th, 2010 at 9:53 am
What a bunch of bullsheeite… the only similarities between Dungy and Raheem is they are both black. It is unfair to Dungy to compare the two just because.
And that is what is so appalling… of course his brothas are gonna say good things about him… they wanna see another brotha succeed… no secret.
But there are a lot of Raheem supporters who like him just because he is black and there is nothing he can do wrong… ever.
The fans in Tampa are so divided it crazy… to villanize a winner and blindly support a loser just because he is black.
AND THAT IS THE COLD HARD TRUTH.
July 25th, 2010 at 10:03 am
I think in Tony’s first year they went 5-3 in the second half of the season. In year two 10-6. Never had a losing season thereafter.
Those arent opinions, they are facts.
And, he took over a team where the starting QB had 4 TD passes vs. 18 INT’s the year before. And an organization that had not won a playoff game in 15 years.
Its a rediculous comparison.
July 25th, 2010 at 10:20 am
Rahdomdaklansman, um, think you might be on the wrong site, the one yer looking for has guys wearing sheets on the home page! Eric, what was the record for Dungy’s first season- sorry, you were BSing around so much I musta missed it! Was it , like, 5-11? And they won some of their last games, sorta turned it around at Mid season? Is um, that right ErIc? Wow Sounds just like us last year!! DUNGY LIVES AGAIN ! Thanks Eric, the similarities are rather startling! It’s like 1996 all over again!! Now I know we are on the right track -choo choo!
July 25th, 2010 at 10:41 am
What is it that leads everyone to talk about coaches as if they are static. Coaches are on a learning curve just like every other human being on the planet. When Dungy first got here hwas full of flaws — HE WOULD TELL YOU THAT. On glaring flaw is that there was so little emphasis on offense. The Bucs should have won a SB earlier and should have contended for more if they had even a mareginal offense. The problem with the offense was lack of emphasis.
Dungy also struggled to win layoff games on the road. HE WOULD TELL YOU THAT because it is obvious. The Bucs could not win on the road despite an awesome defense.
THE POINT — It is stupid to compare Morris to Dungy other than in generla terms, because they were both at completely different spots on the learning curve. Dungy was a successful defensive coordinator. Morris was never a defensive coordinator. This is not to say that there are not similarities, because there are, but just that you cannot compare Morris NOW to Dungy NOW. You cannot even FAIRLY compare Morris NOW to Dungy THEN, because of the experience difference.
THE POINT (Part II) — Why is Morris being criticized for his lack of experience. It is not his fault that he lacks experience, right?? You cannot judge Morris NOW as a complete Head Coach because he is not. He is still learning the basic. If you want to be angry about the fact that he is still learning the basics, be mad at the owners BUT don’t expect Morris to be Don Shula or Tom Landry.
July 25th, 2010 at 11:28 am
No way I was reading 52 posts of the typical blah blah blah…
Clayton said bright young coach… not bright young head coach.
That statement made perfect sense.
as for the team being bad… as a fan that pisses me off, but is too early to call them bad. make the assessment at midseason to get a more accurate idea.
Problem is, it’s dead time and no one knows there @$$ from a hole in the ground.
5 days to TC.
July 25th, 2010 at 3:56 pm
Formerbuc,
Thanks for all the insight.
I also believe that a packed house, full of highly motivated fans, yelling at the top of their lungs, can lift a team up, and elevate them to do great things. That is our job, and no matter what the excuses, as a City of fans, we have fallen down on the job lately. We often have tons of other team’s fans. Many of our season ticket holders, sell their tickets on Stub-hub and rarely go to the games. The last packed house I saw was the Playoff game with the Giants, and that’s because 20,000+ were wearing blue jerseys. If more Buc fans would go to the games, it would surely help the team, and it would keep us from having to be civil to opponent’s fans, because all the seats would be filled with Buc fans. Many have said the Glazers haven’t given us a product worth buying lately, but I disagree with that, because the mere fact that we are privileged enough to be one of 32 cities that has and NFL team is enough for me. No take it or leave it here, I’ll take it because it is the only game in town for me. Go Bucs!