Raheem’s Thinking About Money
February 10th, 2011Esteemed Tampa Tribune Bucs beat writer Woody Cummings has penned an excellent look at the Bucs decision to hire two defensive line coaches and how they will fit into the system.
Cummings cornered Raheem Morris to get great stuff for this excellent read.
Off the D-line coach topic a bit was a comment from Raheem that really stopped Joe in his tracks.
“The way I see it, we have so much money and so many draft picks invested in our defensive line that it’s a great idea to have two guys coaching those players,” Morris said of his decision this week to hire Keith Millard and Grady Stretz as co-defensive line coaches.
Very odd to Joe that Raheem would bring money into the equation when speaking of hiring coaches. What the heck does money have to do with building a winner? And why is cash even a topic of consideration for a coach?
Joel Glazer himself last year said “Money will never be an issue,” when it comes to building the Bucs into a lasting contender. Was Raheem listening to the big boss?
This is the same staff that left Josh Freeman without a dedicated QB coach for nearly the entire 2009 campaign, when Greg Olson was admittedly too busy to be his best self on that job after getting tossed into the offensive coordinator gig in September. And surely Freeman’s rookie year at the position was as important as the 2011 D-line.
Raheem’s comment was just strange to Joe, who thinks way too much about such matters.
February 10th, 2011 at 5:26 pm
He was referring to the “money” invested in the D-Line between GMC, Price and the eventual 2011 DE acquired in the draft…
February 10th, 2011 at 5:32 pm
HIRE GREG OLSEN
That is exactly the way took it, still a little odd to even mention it, but not a big deal… I think
February 10th, 2011 at 5:40 pm
He might be using the quote to quiet down the Glazer criticism of spending the dough.
February 10th, 2011 at 5:47 pm
What Morris said was absolutely correct, so what’s the problem with that?
They have 1st, 2nd, and 3rd round draft picks along with their contracts sitting at DT and probably a high pick this year at DE. Sure looks like a hell of alot invested along the line to me.
All Morris was basically saying is that they’re going to protect their investment by hiring not one but two coaches to bring the most out of those players. Sounds like a pretty damn good idea to me.
February 10th, 2011 at 6:09 pm
Which one is gonna be the assistant D-line coach?
My point is; sounds good, but hope they won’t butt heads on who’s in charge of the D-line overall.
BTW I also understood it that way too, Hire.
February 10th, 2011 at 6:16 pm
Oar, it seems to me that Dom thought about who would work well together & put that in the equation.
As far as the mention of having the money to hire who they want, I don’t see that as a big deal.
February 10th, 2011 at 6:20 pm
Pete,
I hope so! But, seeing has to how Dom is working out as new GM, I’m sure he must have.
February 10th, 2011 at 6:31 pm
A friend of mine is a GA for Arizona State (and also played DT at Oregon State). He worked closely with Grady Stretz. He says that Stretz can dissect a running game like no other coach.
I’m guessing that Millard will be the everyday technique teacher, while Stretz game plans for upcoming opponents.
February 10th, 2011 at 6:53 pm
I stopped reading this report when I read this,
“Stretz, who has spent the past two years working for former Bucs defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin at the University of Tennessee and University of Southern California, will concentrate primarily on improving the linemen’s run stopping skills and on game planning the rush defense.”
Come ON! Mr. Roy Cummings did you do ANY check on the subject?
This is the same Grady Stretz below correct?
Feb 8, 2011 … ASU football defensive line coach Grady Stretz leaving for Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Arizona State defensive line coach/recruiting coordinator
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/asu/articles/2011/02/08/20110208asu-football-grady-stretz-buccaneers.html
Oops!! The Coach you where thinking that has worked the past two seasons under Monty Kiffin is a quality control coach Tyrone Pettaway, who spent the past two seasons in college at Tennessee and USC, Before The Bucs hired him.
We wonder why we do not get any national news attention about the Buccaneers, well this might be one of the reasons. Total lack of believable local Buccaneer News Paper reporting.
As to the Hiring of two coaches to coach a Dline with several top 3 round draft choices, why would we not want to have more good coaches around talented players. some have referenced Olsen’ Qb coach duties in 2009 after that season we went out and got both a QB coach and a WR coach who are good coaches. Van Pelt & Yarbor where excellent coaching choices. They filled spots that where short of coaching, they went out and got some who have a desire to succeed as this positions coach.
We got a good group of Dline coaches working with several million dollars a year worth of Players, Hell yeah I want to find those that want to hang around a few seasons not looking to jump ship at the first sight of $ land.
February 10th, 2011 at 6:55 pm
Just as in the second year Freeman made a huge jump with the assistance of a QB coach, I see the DL making strides. The mention of money wasn’t a ig deal. Keep up the good work Rah & Dom.
February 10th, 2011 at 7:02 pm
Joe here,
Point is the logic is flawed that says 2 D-line coaches is espcially advisable because the Bucs have so much invested in the position. One should have nothing to do with the other …If that were really the case, wasn’t this a “great idea” last year when these gusy were even more impressionable? And it hardly was a fresh concept, considering Chucky had two. …The money comment is odd.
February 10th, 2011 at 7:03 pm
Good find, Rusty Rhino,
But I think it’s a stretch to blame Roy Cummings for the lack of national attention.
ESPN isn’t clamoring up to the Red Sox because Dan Shaughnessy is such a fantastic fact checker…
It’s all about the number of eyeballs they can get to watch their coverage…
February 10th, 2011 at 7:07 pm
he might end up as a one trick pony…..but the whole world is waiting for his next trick……historical perspective…
Little League base ball try outs….
said to all the knee knocking 7 years old…
“I don’t care if you hit the ball sitting on the toilet”
wise words I’ve lived my life my…
February 10th, 2011 at 7:11 pm
My thanks to RustyRhino for pointing out my brain cramp. Somehow got Stretz mixed up with Tyrone Pettaway. We’ve corrected it on TBO, so you can finish the story now Rusty.
February 10th, 2011 at 7:11 pm
Thanks for the inside knowledge Hire Olsen! I’m excited about these two guys! As far as the money comment goes, I don’t see the big deal. There were premium picks spent on the D-line last year and at least one more early round D-line pick upcoming this year. There’s gonna be a few hefty contracts along the line and Raheem wants to protect the organization’s investments.
February 10th, 2011 at 7:12 pm
RastaMon,
That’s the worst haiku that I’ve ever read…
February 10th, 2011 at 7:15 pm
oh…yeah…I forgot the historical perspective…1956-7
February 10th, 2011 at 7:17 pm
Weird interpretation there Joe. The NFL works within the confines of a Salary Cap. You only have so much money to spend on the team. When you have a first, Second, and third round at Dt, that’s a lot. Add in a 1st rounder at DT this year, and you’ve spent alot of the team’s money on one posistion. That’s fine, but to be worth it, that posistion better produce enough to be worth the allocated resources. In other words, if it cost like a BMW, it better drive like one. So, two coaches help ensure they get maximum return for there money. Just common business sense. If you spend a fifth of the team’s budget on fullbacks, they better be knocking LBs into the bleachers, and averaging 8 yards a carry. Nothing sinister or conspiratory about it.
February 10th, 2011 at 7:18 pm
I agree with the commentors and disagree with Joe… even if i spelled disagree wrong.
When they hired not one but two D-Line coaches, one to teach run defense and the other for pass rush, it made me think that, wow, these guys really want to make sure that these high draft picks pan out. They want to make sure that the young guys with a lot invested in them, pan out. It made sense to me. I think it not only is a good idea, but shows that they want to ensure what happened to Gaines Adams doesn’t happen to McCoy and Price… not to mention Okam and Miller… not to mention Magee and the new high draft picks at DE this year to be added to the mix. They want to get it right.
Listen, your high draft picks are your biggest investments. Having them pan out is paramount. So why not go get coaching that can develop these guys? With two d-line coaches, that establishes double the coaching and attention that these linemen will be getting.
When they signed two D-Line coaches, the message to me was that they were serious about ensuring that their investments along the line would have a greater chance succeeding by providing more supporting resources to them by way of coaching.
When Raheem confirmed this, it again makes sense.
Oddly enough, this time Joe, I agree with Raheem and not your position on this post. 🙂 (don’t ban me… 🙂 )
February 10th, 2011 at 7:20 pm
Joe here,
C’mon, Captain & Guest 27. There’s no salary cap for coaches, and every team needs everything possible out of every position. You could make the argument that lesser players need maximum coaching. Regardless, there should be no corners cut at any position when it comes to coaches. No reason for it.
It’s a strange comment coming from the head coach. Either you need the coaches to “be your best self” or you don’t. Money is not an issue, yet Raheem says it is a consideration in this case.
February 10th, 2011 at 7:21 pm
Joe……….
Were you indulging in Happy Hour again???
February 10th, 2011 at 7:22 pm
I would think good coaches across the board is beneficial, whether you spend a first round draft choice on the position or not.
So you don’t bother with good coaching if you have a low round low paid player at a certain position?
Strange comment IMO.
February 10th, 2011 at 7:22 pm
Make sure to call Paradise, the streets are slick.
February 10th, 2011 at 7:25 pm
Joe here,
@ Eric — Thank you.
@BigMac — Joe is currently beer-free and working. Good call on Paradise http://www.ParadiseWT.com
February 10th, 2011 at 7:25 pm
I think maybe they hired 3 coaches the other day in hopes to land at least one keeper. If you have to throw one back, you’re still in good shape.
February 10th, 2011 at 7:28 pm
Joe is right on (Joe probably cringes when I write that)! But you should staff appropriately – not by allocating certain money for assistants at certain positions based on the player’s salaries – that is insane.
So, if you have very little $ invested at Linebacker you shouldn’t hire a solid linebacker coach.
Also, I think the reason they hired two DLine coaches is to save face. Despite what you “optimistic” buc fans want to believe, GMC was WAY worse than expected last year. Miller is stuck on below average, Kyle Moore is a bust and Price, well, who knows.
I think that they realize how bad these guys are and are hoping that 2 chiefs are better than 1 – this rarely works long-term and is bound to cause competition and one will leave soon.
I hope it works to help GMC figure it out, Millard seems like he has the experience to “possibly” save even someone that confused. I frankly think based on a small sample that Price may be pretty good. Millard can probably help him if Price can stay happy.
February 10th, 2011 at 7:35 pm
I guess you can interpret it in many ways, especially during this slow season. However, I think this is much to do about absolutely nothing. The way I interpret it is the DL is young but incredibly talented (early draft picks=lots of money invested), and they want the DL to develop into the strength of the team. Otherwise, why would they have drafted them so high? Regardless, having 2 coaches appears to be a very good choice, which I see very little downside. I’m willing to bet Eric and Thomas disagree, but what else is new?
February 10th, 2011 at 7:37 pm
Eric,
Where exactly do you see that we are not investing in good coaches at other positions? Damn, you are one negative dude!
February 10th, 2011 at 7:51 pm
They are especially “focusing” on the d line with draft picks and coaches….as they should for obvious reasons. What’s the problem?
February 10th, 2011 at 7:55 pm
Joe, have re- read the quote. Still the same. He’s not talking about spending money on the coaches, he’s talking about the money they have, and will, spend on D-lineman.
February 10th, 2011 at 8:05 pm
Joe here,
Exactly, Capt. You spend money on coaches because you need the best mix of coaches possible at every position, not because you’ve invested a pile of money at a position. That’s why the money comment is odd. Money should never be an issue when it comes to coaches.
February 10th, 2011 at 8:29 pm
Just my opinion though. Guest 27 ( don’t ban me!) – lol
February 10th, 2011 at 8:41 pm
Joe,
Where in that comment does Raheem mention money referring to the coaches (or is that not the entire quote)? Isn’t he referring to the money invested in the players, so having 2 coaches is beneficial to what is supposed to be the strength of the team? Am I missing something, because I truly don’t see it.
February 10th, 2011 at 8:42 pm
Ok, let me add to the comment what should have been added, but wasn’t in order to not throw Wash under the bus.
“The way I see it, we have so much money and so many draft picks invested in our defensive line that it’s a great idea to have two guys coaching those players,”
AND, when we saw so little progress with the one coach we had last year, we find it very important to make up for the lost time training up these great young players and feel that two coaches may be able to speed up the process.
It’s not so much the money invested, but the high draft picks spent. Money is a by-product of round selected. When you have so much invested (draft pick, money, whatever), you want to do everything possible to get a return on investment. The didn’t get that return last year to the extent they wanted, so they’re making changes, adjustments, to get better return this year. Why so much drama over such a little thing?
February 10th, 2011 at 8:42 pm
So do you think by not hiring 2 coaches for every position, they place no importance in that position? I’m really confused as to why that is an alarming quote.
February 10th, 2011 at 8:43 pm
I think you should have finished the post with that logic then Joe. I mean, you didn’t make it clear that you think the Bucs should get the best coaches at every position regardless of money.
February 10th, 2011 at 8:48 pm
And about Raheems comment, he never alluded to the notion that they were going to, on the flip side, save money by promoting from within for the special teams coach or save some cash by not getting the best LB coach out there.
And since he never said that, it makes your suggestion rather odd Joe. And all this after you hung out with the guy at the Bolts game… Jeez man. See if you ever get an invite into the man’s abode again.
Lol
February 10th, 2011 at 8:53 pm
$50 says this is a case of misinterpreting a quote because it was read and not heard…
February 10th, 2011 at 9:03 pm
C’mon, let’s not make more of this than what it is. Raheem has made off the wall quotes since he started this gig. Maybe Grella is on vacation and Raheem didn’t have anyone to coach him up.
February 10th, 2011 at 9:04 pm
None of that makes him a bad coach though.
February 10th, 2011 at 9:04 pm
Yeah, you’re right about that, Joe. that’s true. Meybe he was justifying hiring two coaches?
February 10th, 2011 at 9:12 pm
It seems to me that they hired two D line coaches because of all the youth along the line. There is a lot of teaching that needs to be done and fast. Don’t let these guys flounder too long or they will develop bad habits that will set them back. And although the money comment is a bit curious let’s not make too much out of it. What’s the ramifications of the comment? I see little if anything of concern, but what the hey, it’s the off season. Beats talking about politics.
February 10th, 2011 at 9:27 pm
@Guest27 — Why should Joe have to make it clear that the Bucs should hire the best coaches at every position? That should be assumed.
I agree with your take Joe. …And it does beat talking politics.
February 10th, 2011 at 9:46 pm
Not sure which is funnier: Joe’s apprent reading problem or 40+ comments about Joe’s apparent reading problem.
The Bucs do have a lot of money (and hope) invested in the D-line.
Soon Morris will go the way of most NFL coaches, which is to say nothing but slogans and pablum, and some will look back wistfully.
February 10th, 2011 at 10:37 pm
““The way I see it, we have so much money and so many draft picks invested in our defensive line that it’s a great idea to have two guys coaching those players,” Morris said of his decision this week to hire Keith Millard and Grady Stretz as co-defensive line coaches.”
Raheem never mentions not getting the best coaches at other positions.
To me, again, Rah is 100% right in the context of his comment.
And for me being a non Rah supporter, as far as him as a DC and a HC, saying that Rah is on the money with the comment means it’s a not odd at all. So much so that, if Roy asked him a follow up question about skimping on other position coaches, I am convinced even Raheem would have said, “Of course we are trying to get the best coaches at every other position too.”
Now to throw out a contrairian perspective, or a non supporting position to that rebuttal should it have played out like that… The Glazers have already proven that they were skimping on the coaching staff by hiring Raheem Morris. Zzzzzziiiiiiiiiinnnnnnngggggggg!
February 10th, 2011 at 10:42 pm
Good point Lucas. It’s going to suck when Morris has finally had enough of the media sh!tting on everything he says. For me at least, it’s been refreshing to have a coach that just says it how it is and seem genuinly excited about what he’s doing. The guy speaks his mind and keeps it really real and he gets burned at the stake for it.
It was an honest, innocent comment, don’t read so much into it.
February 10th, 2011 at 10:43 pm
Joe, I get what you’re saying.
Even if we had Hovan and another cheap DT instead of Price, Miller, and McCoy, Morris should hire the best defensive line coach or coaches available. However, I wouldn’t look too far into his comment. I personally think he would hire the best defensive line coach available, no matter what. He probably just said that to persuade the writer/fans that this was the right hire…not thinking that someone like Joe would examine the comment and try to make something that he doesn’t really mean out of it.
February 10th, 2011 at 11:21 pm
True, but Rah gets even with the local media at his press conferences, especially Ira & Anwar….and Steven Holder whom he often calls Anwar. If you’re a black Bucs’ beat reporter(2 only), Rah thinks your name is Anwar. It’s a pure case of Rahcism.
February 10th, 2011 at 11:32 pm
JOE
I don’t see where in the quote, “The way I see it, we have so much money and so many draft picks invested in our defensive line that it’s a great idea to have two guys coaching those players”, Morris says anything about spending money on the coaching staff. Sounds to me like he is talking about the players who are already signed on the roster.
Please enlighten me.
February 10th, 2011 at 11:37 pm
Joe, you’ve got the full support of Thomas 2.2, which is nice.
Any doubt it is the offseason? Parsing Morris to find an “odd” comment? In the actual article, he goes on to say that he worked in a dual coach system with Tomlin and that both coaches are great coaches. Guess those comments weren’t as susceptible . . .
February 10th, 2011 at 11:46 pm
Joe here,
@Lucas Jackson — Nobody is parsing Morris. He said it. And it’s not a typical comment from a head coach to link a decision on hiring staff to money invested at the position.
If you don’t get it, you don’t get it.
February 10th, 2011 at 11:50 pm
Joe here,
***The esteemed Roy Cummings commented above in this thread to reference a correction. It took Joe a while to see his comment and get it approved. Apologies there. And thanks for chiming in, Roy.
February 11th, 2011 at 1:06 am
Joe, any humor in Morris’s comment? Was he smiling when he said it?
February 11th, 2011 at 2:04 am
look at joebucs gettin love from cummings, wonder if all local sports writers check joebuc daily for buc news????…..i do see what joe is saying the comment was weird and money had nothing to do w it so why bring it up unless it did…do also think that like many other times b4 that rah just didnt use the best words to get his point across..and did someone say Mccoy way underperformed last yr??…dude was ballin b4 he got hurt playin against grown men who are seasoned professionals..please
February 11th, 2011 at 10:13 am
A bit late on this, but…
What if instead of ‘money’ he had said ‘talent’ or ‘potential’?
The point is, based on the guys we now (and will) have on our D-Line, we have the opportunity for it to go from a position of weakness to a position of strength.
So it is VITALLY IMPORTANT to get the absolute best coaching in front of these guys, ASAP.
That’s what I took it to mean.
February 11th, 2011 at 1:25 pm
Such a reactionary. How do you go about your day, you paranoid freak? No wonder you drink so much. “Oh my god, money was mentioned!!! This must be a commentary on the Glazers that only I can see!!!”