Raheem Morris Vows Pass Rush Will Improve
April 10th, 2011
"Man, while you're playing golf with Duemig Monday, I'm sweating bullets over a defensive end."
Last year the Bucs pass rush was horrid. There’s no denying the simple facts.
As eye-RAH! Kaufman points out, only the brutal Broncos generated less sacks than the Bucs.
But that will change in 2011, Raheem Morris says you can bank on it. In speaking with the Tampa Tribune, Morris is adamant the Bucs will soil more quarterback’s jerseys than last year.
“We don’t point fingers, we don’t point blame, we find ways to get better,’’ Morris said. “To invest in the two D-line coaches that we were able to acquire will be a big help in making the players we have on our roster better. We’re also looking to acquire talent in the draft and free agency and we’re very confident we’ll be able to get better up front.’‘
Former Vikings Pro Bowl defensive tackle Keith Millard, the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1989, will share coaching duties with former Arizona State defensive line coach Grady Stretz. Tampa Bay used its first two 2010 draft choices on defensive tackles and Morris is optimistic both Gerald McCoy and Brian Price will be major contributors after injury-marred rookie seasons.
“Usually with defensive linemen, it’s Year 2 or Year 3 that they really develop,’’ Morris said. “You stay with your fundamental core beliefs and you’ll get better. McCoy had a two-sack game and got hurt. I was really looking forward to him exploding onto the scene and finishing that process strong. When I watch the tape, I see a lot of splash plays by Michael Bennett. I see McCoy getting better and I see Price being dynamic when he played. It’s very exciting when you think about getting those guys back and bringing in two D-line coaches to get the most out of them.’‘
Of course, things should markedly improve. Brian Price should be healthy. GMC should be healthy. The Bucs actually have quality new defensive line coaches in place, one given the stamp of approval by no less than Warren Sapp himself.
Of course, the haters have zero patience for guys like GMC, especially since he began to put up numbers and disrupt when he quick listening to Todd Wash. Joe wonders if these same haters wanted to scalp Sapp after his rookie season?
April 11th, 2011 at 12:51 am
We haven’t had a legit dominant pass rusher since Simeon put up 14 sacks in 2005. FIVE damn years!
How great would it be to hit a homerun this draft? Interior pressure is great but a dominant edge rusher can do so much for a defense.
April 11th, 2011 at 1:25 am
I just hope we can count on those interior guys to stop the run this year. Stopping the run and forcing teams to be one-dimensional is what the Tampa 2 is predicated on. That’s when the pass covering LBs are most effective and guys like Ruud succeed. Stop the run and those interior guys can wreak havoc, pushing QBs to the outside guys (no matter who they are) and let the LBs and DBs drop into zones and make plays, intercepting passes. That’s what this defense is supposed to do, but when they can’t stop the run it all falls apart.
April 11th, 2011 at 2:19 am
“We’re also looking to acquire talent in the draft.”
Heyyy now Coach Morris, let’s wait until Draft Day to talk about what talent and positions the Bucs pick up.
April 11th, 2011 at 8:29 am
@Tuggz
hehe…yeah, he did kind of give things away, didn’t he? (not that everyone does not already know)
April 11th, 2011 at 8:52 am
There will always be haters. They expect a top draft pick to come in and be a pro bowler from day one. Those people have ADHD and a very low football IQ.
Most of us realize that most draft picks take a couple eyars to truly develop, especially at certain positions like D-Line.
They are the same people who scream about a draft pick 5 seconds after it is made and then never give the player a fair chance for the next 4 years. If they actually ran a team they would have cut almost every pro bowler to come their way within 2 years because of no perspective and lack of patience. OF course, in their mind, it would all be justifiable. They, usually, strongly believe a team can fill any hole with a bunch of big name free agents at any given moment, because we all know how well that works out.
April 11th, 2011 at 9:11 am
There ARe people like that, Dave…especially in Tampa…but I think the majority of Bucs Fans know the deal.
As for myself, I originally did not agree with the Freeman pick. But once it was done, I got behind him (after my initial reaction).
Unfortunately, there are a few people that visit sites like this to express hate on an epic level. Those are the same guys that can’t handle being disagreed with. But people like you and me just let things roll off our backs. That’s maturity, something certain individuals that visit this site have not an ounce of.
April 11th, 2011 at 9:59 am
BamBam,
I actually think the Defensive interior did a nice job at the line of scrimmage last year. For the most part they were able to keep Offensive Lineman off of the LB’s. It is great if a DL can get off their blocks and make the tackle at the line, but their other primary job is to funnel the play to a certain area where the LB should be free to make the tackle. If the DL are controlling their gaps then Ruud and the rest of the LB’s should be freed up to make plays. What bothers me about Ruud is the fact that everyone is now saying he is more of a safety. Well; he only had 4 passes defensed and 1 interception for the entire season. Are you dropping back into coverage or are you defending against the run? It’s really a legit question to ask! If you’re weak against the run and can no longer cover the way you used to then what purpose do you serve?
April 11th, 2011 at 6:36 pm
“You stay with your fundamental core beliefs and you’ll get better.”
WHAT ARE RAHEEM’S “core beliefs”???
Does anyone know?