More Raheem Could Have Bucs Leaning Defense
March 15th, 2011
Mike Lombardi’s column on NFL.com today talks about all the extra free time coaches now have in the lockout mess and about how coaches need to use the time wisely.
Well, for a guy like Raheem Morris, who already has his systems firmly in place, it’s a safe bet Raheem’s diving even deeper into evaluating potential draft picks. It’s a process Raheem already enjoys and gets involved with as much as he can, so he’s said publicly many times.
But with Raheem having all this extra time to watch film and wield his powerful influence in the Bucs’ draft process, rather than text and call all his players and drill them with core beliefs, Joe has to think the Bucs are going to lean in a defensive direction when late April rolls around.
How could they not?
Raheem’s been the star witness of the Bucs getting gashed over and over and over again in the running game, and failing to get to the quarterback.
If Raheem’s not pounding the drums for a violent linebacker and a manbeast defensive end, then Joe’s got him pegged all wrong.
March 15th, 2011 at 12:39 pm
Nicely said, Joesus.
March 15th, 2011 at 12:48 pm
D being a priority is a given no matter how much time Rah had to prepare. I think his increased influence will benefit us during the draft.
And let me pre-empt the morons who come come running to post on this one:
1) Rahs influence will only lead to disaster
2) There isnt enough time in the world to make him a good talent evaluator
3) Great, now the credit for a good draft will undeservedly go to Rah
4) Glazers are cheap
5) We are all sheep
Did I miss anything?
March 15th, 2011 at 12:50 pm
* will come running to post on this one (like flies on the skidmarks in Thomass’s dirty laundry hamper)
March 15th, 2011 at 1:40 pm
I hope we do improve the defense but I am not opposed to making the offense lethal witih a weapon or a nasty LG to plow people. This is a great situation to have because we are not desparate.
March 15th, 2011 at 1:47 pm
Tight End…
March 15th, 2011 at 1:58 pm
Thanks gary. You forgot: the practices that will be run by free without rah will be better organized, productive and cohesive.
March 15th, 2011 at 2:17 pm
We have 1 pick in each round (7). We may get a comp pick after RD3. If we get a CBA before the draft, we could get a 4th or 5th for Josh Johnson to SF. Thats 7 for sure, possibly 9. I will bet of the first 3 picks, two are defense. If we get 7 picks, of the remaining 4, only 1 will be defense. If we get 9 picks, of the remaining 6, only 2 will be defense. Morris can only recommend, but Dominik wants this to be an offense-driven team.
March 15th, 2011 at 2:22 pm
“Thanks gary. You forgot: the practices that will be run by free without rah will be better organized, productive and cohesive.”
————-
Kind of like how the last couple weeks on JBF without Thomas’ comments were enjoyable, informative, and entertaining.
March 15th, 2011 at 3:59 pm
Hawaiian: It doesnt have to be fanatical, rosy, pro-organizational propaganda to be informative and entertaining – as much as you want it to be.
There is a faction of fans, yes fans, who arent happy with this team, its head coach, and its ownership. The team is not good except for the qb, especially on defense where they are terrible which is the resp. of the HC since he is also D Coordinator after firing the previous one. By his standards he needs to fire himself.
I dont hate the Glazers b/c they are cheap. I dislike them b/c they are not honest about it. It would be the miracle of all coincidences if the Glazers just happened to get cheap right when MANU was purchased. When they wrap they cheap-ways around a slogan “we are building through the draft” that you sheep choked down like a rat to a snake – it is very irritating to a paying customer. I dont like deception. The Rah hire was also deceptive. I understand firing Gruden, I understand finding a cheap replacement b/c you were on the hook for the Gruden salary – I don’t like the bs being sold to the public as to why they were doing it.
They were doing it to cost cut until Gruden was off the payroll and the CBA situation was worked out and they restructured their debt mostly MANU debt. Since about 06 – the upper levels of this org could have cared less about winning. Sure they wanted to win, but they werent going to make the financial commitment to do it. That my friends is the unfiltered truth.
I am okay with Dom, he has done a fair job. He made his mistakes (Clayton, McCown, Lefty, Nugent, Crowell, McCoy, McCoy Price back-to-back, Kyle Moore, Brent Bowden) etc. But he has been more good than bad. I say keep Rah miles away from that draft room, I think that ownership should lock him out.
March 15th, 2011 at 4:11 pm
So, Thomas, what is it you don’t like about Raheem Morris? Besides he was cheap (i’ll admit that, not gonna admit thats the reason the Glazers hired him), his name is not Bill Parcells, and the 10-6 record made you and a bunch of other people look foolish.
March 15th, 2011 at 4:20 pm
This sheep sometimes loves crow!
March 15th, 2011 at 4:25 pm
Thomas,
Go back and look at the seasons. The Glazers “got cheap” because they were being penalized by the league for being “over the salary cap”. They had to cut back and cut back drastically. That’s why they couldn’t re-sign players like Sapp and Lynch.
Then, look at all the drafts in the 2000s. There weren’t ANY players drafted worth huge contracts over that time. Michael Clayton? No. Carnell Williams? No. Gaines Adams? No. A couple years we didn’t have first round draft choices due to getting Gruden in here, which left us even more void of talent to sign to big contracts. Only a few are even worth considering now with new contracts. Ruud, Joseph, and soon Talib. If you don’t have players to sign to big contracts then you’ll have a low payroll.
As for the defense being bad… yeah, the run defense has been pretty bad. But the team was 9th best in the NFL in points allowed in 2010. I think that’s way more important than “did they give up a 100 yard rusher”. The team hasn’t had a player on the entire roster get double-digit sacks since 2005 when Simeon Rice did. Yeah, 2005. That’s 3 years of Gruden and Kiffin that couldn’t get a guy into double-digit sacks either. It’s too early to tell if Rah will get someone in that category or not, but I’m sure with time, and good drafting, they’ll have a solid D-line and pass rush and run D.
You may not like the way things are right now, and that’s ok. But understand why some of us are excited about the direction of this team. We’re seeing better talent evaluation and drafting than we’ve seen in a long time. Either that, or the talent is the same, but the coaching is so phenomenal that it just looks like they’re drafting great. Either way, something is looking better now than it was 3 years ago. Something is looking like the team has the opportunity to win games for a long time with the talent (or coached up guys, whichever thought process you agree with) we have.
March 15th, 2011 at 5:00 pm
Well put BAMBAM
March 15th, 2011 at 5:32 pm
A bunch of fluke wins last year against lousy teams, a lot of which were crippled by injuries.
Unlikely to keep getting lucky like that in 2011.
Be fortunate to eak out 5-11.
March 15th, 2011 at 5:39 pm
Thomas,
That’s fine if you don’t like this team. I could give 2 sh!ts whether or not you like Raheem or the owners. The problem I have with you is that you make up things to hate. You repeat yourself over and over, and you refuse to admit when you are wrong. Your constant unfair bashing of the team I love gets real old after a while, and you obviously do it for attention. How wrong must you be to have the creator of this site develop an entire article devoted to your stupidity. But no, I guess you are right, and everyone else is wrong.
March 15th, 2011 at 5:54 pm
@Eric,
I would offer to bet you, but we all know how you don’t honor your bets. You truly are bipolar, take your meds and get back to the logical Eric, because this one is a negative arse hole.
For the 100th time, there are no fluke wins in the NFL, especially when you have a legitimate All-Pro QB leading the team. Even if you want to whine about fluke wins, I can also point to a couple fluke losses as well, but it’s funny how you don’t mention those. A win is a win, a loss is a loss. Get over it, they have a good team, and Raheem will be here for a while. Stop crying about it and looking for anything negative, and just accept it. Retire that Alstott jersey and buy a Freeman jersey.
March 15th, 2011 at 6:17 pm
No way the bucs have a winning record this year, we will not be playing the worst division in football again. all losing records in the west,
March 15th, 2011 at 6:19 pm
The single most important stat for a defense is “points allowed”. The ability to keep the opposing team from scoring. The Bucs were 9th in the league last year in that category. Considering we were the youngest team with more injured starters than most, that stat is even more impressive.
March 15th, 2011 at 6:57 pm
@the_buc_realist,
So I guess since there is no way, we might as well not even show up. Maybe last year we should have boycotted those games so that we could play against the top division. Oh wait, we already did, it’s called the NFC South. Also, believe it or not, a team can actually improve from one year to the next, especially when we have so much youth. Funny how some expect us to be exactly the same as last year, especially when we had such a huge improvement from 2009 to 2010.
March 15th, 2011 at 7:29 pm
eric,
It’s funny that last off-season, when us “sheep” would point out the “close losses” and “seeing improvement even in a loss”, you were so quick to say “a loss is a loss, there is no good loss”. Yet now, you are the one talking about “fluke wins”. A win is a win. I’ll agree some were pretty ugly. I’d point specifically to the Rams game for that (although the Rams were also an improving team). I’d also say some losses were unfortunate. The 4th and a foot we couldn’t convert against the Falcons. Very tight game with Baltimore except for a blown coverage by Sabby against a TE that turned the game (and he was cut the following week). And a call the NFL even apologized for against the Lions. Yes, those were losses, and the wins (no matter how ugly) were wins.
You’re also right that our “luck” is bound to change in 2011. If there is football this year, the young teams luck should become more skill and less luck. As the young guys progress and get better, they should win more convincingly than last year. It won’t be “luck”, it’ll change as the talent changes. If the young guys get better, the team will get better. If the young guys skills remain stagnant, the team will need a whole lot more luck than we had last year. I’m on the “skills improving” side of things. You’re obviously not. That’s ok, you’re entitled to your opinion. I hope they prove you wrong again this year.
March 15th, 2011 at 7:37 pm
Great post BamBamBuc. I highly doubt Eric will respond. I don’t blame him, there’s nothing he can really say.
March 15th, 2011 at 7:53 pm
@Thomas
You’ve lost it man. I could sit here and point to players like Mike Williams and Blount, Price and McCoy and others, but we both know you’ve already made up your mind to remain blind to the truth.
As to the defense, of course it is subpar. The focus the last 2 years has been on offense for the most part. Last year we took a the DTs in the draft, but that was only the start of upgrading the defensive line. You are judging something before it is even finished being built.
And before you point at McCoy and say he is a bust, remember…he had a better rookie season than Sapp did. That isn’t to say that McCoy is better than Sapp overall, but that if Sapp could become great with the rookie season he had, McCoy certainly can with his.
Tell me something…how did the last generation of this team get built? Through the draft. And don’t tell me the Glazers also spent money in Free Agency, because that came later. Sapp and Brooks were drafted before they came along…when the team was still losing and the owner was “cheap”.
What irks me is that there are people that think we need to overspend in Free Agency to be successful. That just is not right, friend. Do you go to an overpriced fruit stand, see rotten fruit and buy it anyway? No.
While I agree there is a time to spend in free agency, it’s not until the other pieces are in place. You try to fill the holes through the draft first.
Then you try to fill them with trades. Why? Because Trades allow a team to acquire quality, proven players while they are still young.
And finally, when the first two sources have been exhausted and you only have a couple areas of need, then you spend more money in Free Agency.
Mind you, I’m not saying you totally ignore free agency until then, but you be wise about it. You look for players that can play at least 5 more years. You look for bargains.
Is it deception if everyone knows the truth? With the lockout approaching, it would be poor business sense to hire an expensive coach. The Glazers wanted to build the way their father did. He went for a cheap defensive coach. Raheem proved to be a better coach than they could hope for. Why? Because he was willing to adjust his plan to the team. He learned from his mistakes.
As you see it.
First, it makes good business sense to restructure for debt reduction. Second, you seem to forget that they had overspent leading up to that. McCay left us a heapload of cap issues, and it took Bruce Allen years to get it under control. By the time it was, the lockout was being talked about. The capless year was looming.
McCay also left us with limited draft picks as well.
You cannot ignore past issues that led to the current state of the Bucs.
So you might claim that those issues are in the past. And you would be right. As of 2 years ago, they are in the past. But by the time they were, the CBA issues were front and center.
First, McCoy, Price, and Moore could still be good. In fact, McCoy and Price have done well. Moore has this year to prove himself or will labelled a bust. But I wouldn’t give up on his just yet.
McCown was here already. Sorry.
And secondly, you have nothing to base your comment on Raheem on. In fact, his track record is good. He did seek Freeman, Williams, McCoy and Price. Dominick picked them at Raheem’s recommendation.
The way I’m looking at it
Give them this year as a final rebuilding year, assuming there is a full season. But they will have to produce next year. The team should be complete by then.
And, I would be fine maintaining the status quo in free agency this year…but by next year they should be ready to dive in if the talent is there (at an age that they can play a few years at a top level).
March 15th, 2011 at 8:08 pm
eric, it helps to have your head out of ass before you start typing.
March 15th, 2011 at 8:16 pm
Spot on BamBamBuc! Unfortunately, you could type this kind of stuff until your fingertips bled. The opinions of a few posters on this site will not change.
March 15th, 2011 at 8:16 pm
Wow Pete, all that on one breath. Awesome.
I would like to see players start crossing the line and abandoning their arrogant useless Union. Florida is a right to work state and if the Bucs opened the doors, the players could walk right in and there isn’t a damn thing a defunct greed driven union could do about it. The players names on the suit kill me with Brady and Manning together making a quarter of a Billion dollars themselves. Trial by jury and the owners can slay these greedy employees.
March 15th, 2011 at 8:25 pm
@BigMacAttack
I have to say, I am totally on the side of the owners in this one. They made an offer that was an extreme compromise and the Players rejected it. They fully intended to desertify all along. No offer would have been good enough.
I do believe there should be protections built in for the players, but in no way do I think they should be getting as much as they do in revenue sharing. To me, they should be getting ZIP that way. They already get their contract money.
But I do feel they should get lifelong healthcare at the NFL’s expense.
On the 18 game season, I hear what the players are saying and I wonder if they said they same things when it went from 12 to 16 games. As a matter of fact, I could swear they are able to play longer than players did back when there were 12 game seasons.
The real irony is that it would not be anymore games than it is now. Two games would be trimmed off the preseason.
March 15th, 2011 at 8:28 pm
Joe,
With the union nill and void, what would happen if the owners suddenly opened their doors again?
Without a union, would the players qualify for the revenue sharing at all?
I was just wondering.
March 15th, 2011 at 8:30 pm
Pete Dutcher… Wow! Awesome post!
March 15th, 2011 at 9:08 pm
@ eric
Did Gruden not lead this team to fluke wins? (fluke losses too?)
Did Dungy not lead this team to fluke wins? (fluke losses too?)
What’s the difference if Morris leads us to fluke wins? (fluke losses too!!)
Does all that misery spill over into the rest of your life?(Do you have one?)
March 15th, 2011 at 10:08 pm
It is a little hard to breath like this.
March 15th, 2011 at 10:34 pm
Don’t worry about that eric, just leave it up there. It paints a much prettier picture of you for the rest of us.
Say hi to Thomas and WeNeedDefense for me while you’re up there.
March 16th, 2011 at 12:04 am
that dude gary is lucky you cant be arrested for being stupid…he ass would do life
March 16th, 2011 at 12:04 am
How many defenders did freeman shed this year? Juke? Run Away from? Trample? and then connect to Mike Williams or K2?
or did Blount truck? Run over? Run around? Hurtle? Drag down the field?
Folks, that isn’t Luck and it damn sure didn’t happen by accident? I believe Dominick knows what he’s doing and “poise” describes this young team far better than “luck” or “fluke”.
I say again, and NO, I will not let it go. One bad, wrong, BS, stupid pass interference call changed the entire outcome of the season, because the Packers never would have made it to the Playoffs in the first place. Thanks Ref, you blind moron. I hope you never officiate another game. A$$hole
March 16th, 2011 at 12:04 am
Why are you all entertaining Eric and his foolishness. Please don’t engage a tree or a non-responsive life form.
March 16th, 2011 at 8:22 am
how about a completely different direction for the draft….Mike Pouncy. It’s a safe bet that Mike and Markice will work towards playing together as soon as they can, leaving Pitt and Tampa as the likely beneficiaries. With Tampa being closer to home, warmer, tax free and having a competitive and younger team we might have the upper hand (it’s not like Pitt spends on F/A remember)
It’s a gamble and unlikely the team would take this route but at the end of the day would taking the best guard/centre be a horrible pick…nope. Then add in the chance to land a Pro Bowl guard centre in a couple of years, a stronger running game and it might be a smart pick. Let’s not forget a strong running game does wonders for a defence.
(ps centre and defence are spelled correctly – Canadian)
March 16th, 2011 at 8:50 am
Tommy:
WTF are you talking about bitch? What did I say that was stupid? I was mocking the haters if you can’t read.
Explain yourself.
March 16th, 2011 at 10:08 pm
just look in the mirror, that will explain everything!