Yahoo! Sports Down On Raheem
November 9th, 2010
It was a bitter loss for the Bucs to take in many ways. Questionable spots by the zebras. Giving up way too many points in the first half. Coming inches short of a first-and-goal late with a chance to win.
It didn’t take long for Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports to dump a load on Bucs coach Raheem Morris. In Robinson’s “Winners and Losers” he lumps Raheem in with the latter group.
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Raheem Morris
For a minute, the Bucs had you believing that maybe they were going to live up to Morris’ proclamation that they were the best team in the NFC. But while this one could be counted as a moral victory, you have to wonder why Morris took the ball out of the hands of his playmaker, Josh Freeman, when the Bucs had it first-and-10 at the Atlanta 11. The Bucs ran it four times and turned it over on downs. Freeman should have gotten the opportunity to finish. He has earned it.
Well, if one must nitpick, it was Bucs offensive coordinator Greg Olson who called the play in question, not Raheem.
There were a lot of places one could lay blame on this loss. Raheem wouldn’t be one of them.
November 9th, 2010 at 8:52 am
Hind site! If Charles Robinson wanted ta put on the pads and play the game last sunday,he gets a Lil credibility. Otherwise he’s just one of a million Monday morning Quarterbacks. No shortage of those presumptuous assh%#es
November 9th, 2010 at 8:55 am
What everyone seems to be forgetting is that even if we did score the Falcons would have gotten the ball back with more than enough time to get into FG range down by 1. The way the D was playing, it could have turned into an even more painful loss.
Running the ball there was the right call, we needed to take some time off the clock (or make them burn timeouts). We can all second guess, but seriously, I will take Blount vs. Decoud all day everyday. He would have ran that fool over 9 times outta 10.
November 9th, 2010 at 8:57 am
What I want to know is who called the onside kick and fleaflicker. Is that Rah or Olsen. That took some heavy brass ones, and I loved it! We came so close on the onside.
November 9th, 2010 at 9:05 am
haha for a minute we had him believing….we were 1 yard away from winning that damn game, and this is when we were playing uncharacteristic football, with 5reeman throwing 2 pics and our defense having 0 turnovers. If we get that first down, we run the ball 2 times and make Atlanta burn their timeouts and score giving them with ball with less than a minute and a half to play. The defense would have shut Ryan down for sure. Too many Buc haters. We need to get LG going earlier, then we wouldnt have to come back in the 2nd half every game.
November 9th, 2010 at 9:18 am
#1. We didn’t run the ball 4 straight times. On 2nd down we threw a quick WR screen to Preston Parker for a 6 yard gain. So there go this guys creditbility.
#2. On third down running Blount was a good call considering he picked up the first and goal. It’s not our fault the refs put it a yard back and called it 4th and 1.
#3. With a 250lbs man beast RB like Blount that has been unstoppable, why do so many people think a QB sneak was the smart play? It took Freemn three efforts to just barely pick up the 1st on the earlier QB sneal. We don’t have the big dogd on our offensive line to make that a good call, no matter how big our QB is.
The play called was perfect. The entire defense bit on the fake and the initial surge went right towards Miller, Blount then had a hole to the inside left that he should have taken, but he went outside and got caught going east and west instead of north and south. Not a bad play call, just bad execution.
#4. This would all come down to Olsen, not Raheem, so if you don’t like how it went you should be dogging Olsen. This Charles Robinson is obviously a moron that only watched the highlight reel of the game and made an ignorant post that he had already planned on writing when the Bucs lost.
November 9th, 2010 at 9:50 am
I agree with lovethepewters takes. A first down and running down the clock or making the Falcons burn time outs before scoring whould have made a ton of sense. I think Rah is doing a very good job with this team and yes I know the defense is the weakest link and Rah is wearing the hat of defensive coordinator as well but considering the talent level of the players he is working with, he is doing pretty damn good. We all love Monte Kiffin and look how terrible his defense is doing now in college ball. It takes good players to be an elite team regardless of coaching. Rah is making sub par players look average to good. I think that whoever scouts the defensive linemen at college for the Bucs is a clown too. We have not drafted a really good defensive lineman since Sapp and I think we need to stay away from first and second round picks in that area because we keep wasting picks. We may just have to spend some money and grab some proven defensive linemen in free agency if the NFL is having a season next year. IMO
November 9th, 2010 at 9:57 am
Agree with JDouble and I might add, I don’t think there is any “blame” that needs to be mentioned. We were aggressive and played well. We had our chance to win and didn’t execute. I would not say ATL beat us, but they did get the win – if you catch my drift.
November 9th, 2010 at 10:05 am
I am happy about the decision and I have no regrets. Hindsight Freeman is not the team, he’s our leader and it takes men to build Rome and Sunday we put another brick in the foundation.
November 9th, 2010 at 10:36 am
I think we will get the victory next time we play them here in Tampa. We are getting better each week and were in position to win even though Freeman made a couple of mistakes which I am ok with because he learns from them. I believe he will be the best QB we ever had here when it is all said and done. I am excited about what type of an offense we could have maybe even a top 3 offense and I just hope we can at least get the defense to about 16th against the run and pass so we can really make a push for another Super Bowl in the next couple of years.
November 9th, 2010 at 10:37 am
This shows why Charles Robinson is a hack writer instead of a pro football coach. I stand behind Morris and Olsen.
November 9th, 2010 at 11:20 am
There were a lot of “what ifs”, that is the past and we can’t change it but the future is Mike Williams, Kevin Winslow, Regis Benn, Spurlock, and Blount with a line that can block and Josh with a bag of toys, lok out it is almost here. The D needs about two or three players or improvement in the present (they do stop people in the second half) and then lookout there. All of the teams that are going to have to play them the rest of this year are concerned because we don’t give up and we keep getting better.
November 9th, 2010 at 11:21 am
JOE, YOUR BLOG IS STILL ON DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME!!!!
November 9th, 2010 at 12:00 pm
ITS SO HARD TO FIND A STUD LINEMAN WHO PRODUCES STRAIT OUT OF COLLEGE,NEXT YEAR THE OFFENSE SHOULD BE VERY GOOD BECAUSE WILLIAMS IS A FREAK OF NATURE,BENN IS RIGHT ON TARGET,THE DEFENSE WILL BE ALOT BETTER MILLER WILL COME INTO HIS ON,MCCOY WILL BE ALRIGHT,HAYES WILL CONTINUE TO GROW,LAST YEAR WAS GROWING PAINS FOR FREEMAN TIME CURED THAT,BUT NOTHING IS THE CURE FOR RUUD.I JUST THINK THE D LINE IS YOUNG AND WE WONT NO WHAT WE HAVE UNTIL NEXT YEAR,MOST OF THOSE GUYS NEED TO GET THAT POWER THAT GUYS GET IN THERE MID 20s THAT COMES WHEN THEY GET THAT MIDSECTION A LITTLE ASS END,YOU CANT GET THAT WITH WEIGHTS ,
November 9th, 2010 at 12:09 pm
For all those questioning giving the ball to a 250 poind RB who has shown he can consistently fall forward for a yard… lighten up. Blount screwed up bouncing to the right. If he lowers and plows to the left, he gets the first. IF he goes airborne, he probably scores.
Oh well. Sh*t happens. I have no problem with giving him the ball though.
November 9th, 2010 at 12:16 pm
TO ALL BUCS FANS,you know Morris is doing a good job when reporters and experts talk about our team as though we were in the playoffs last year and full of veterans,not one of them remembers that we are supposed to be the laughing stock of the league,i guess thats there way not to eat crow from there predictions.IF MORRIS KEEPSS WINNING WE MIGHT LOSE SOME OF OUR GREATEST HATERS,IM GOING TO MISS THEM BECAUSE I SMELL A CONTRACT EXTENSION,MY SYMPATHY GOES TO BUC YOU,TAMPA 2,ERIC,THINK OF IT 9-7AND UPSIDE TO GET BETTER,AINT IT GREAT TO BE A BUC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
November 9th, 2010 at 1:52 pm
Raheem Morris for coach of the year