Win Now Is Raheem’s Mentality
August 21st, 2011
Raheem Morris loves to live by the phrase “mentality before reality.”
As Raheem says, that’s one of his “core beliefs.”
And the mentality is simple nowadays, the head coach explained to St. Pete Times columnist Gary Shelton, win now.
This year, when many expect this team to backslide, he talks about winning the NFC South. Mention having time to grow, having time to build, and Morris shakes his head.
“There isn’t any such thing,” Morris said. “Did the 1990 Cowboys (7-9) feel they were ready? They were young and hungry, and most people felt they were two, three years away. (Dallas won the Super Bowl two seasons later.) I’m not going to let anyone tell us we’re two, three years away.
“Wait two, three years, and people can get hurt, or they can leave. The window is short in this league, man. You have to jump in while you can.”
Joe suggests you click through above and read Shelton’s excellent column. It should sufficiently fire you up for Bucs football.
Joe’s ecstatic that Raheem has high expectations. Every fan should. You don’t go 10-6 and then think something less the next season is progress. To be a lasting contender, you must contend. And the Bucs need another playoff-caliber record this season.
Interestingly, Shelton makes a reference to Raheem likening Josh Freeman to Magic Johnson. Man, Joe would love to hear Raheem flush out that analogy one day. On that note, it’s still a bummer the Bucs don’t have a speedy Norm Nixon-type in the backfield.
August 21st, 2011 at 10:35 am
It’s a bummer that Raheem has trouble calling a defense in the 1st half of games too.
August 21st, 2011 at 10:45 am
He got reallity against the Pats…His mentality is he thinks hes something he isnt a real nfl head coach. he needs to back to db coach
August 21st, 2011 at 10:53 am
It is ok, we are still putting the pieces together on this young and talented unit.
One thing that will tick me off is if Roger Gooddell decides to drop the hammer on Talib just before the season starts. I am with the Steelers on this one, his punishments are inconsistent and flawed. I appreciate that he is trying to inject “professionalism” into the game, but there is no logic, rhyme or reason for how the dictator works.
I fully worry (somewhat expect), Gooddell to suspend Talib just before the regular season starts, thus leaving the Buc’s Secondary high and dry..
Against the Pats, I wasn’t shocked about the outcome. That team has been a well oiled machine for the better part of 10-11 years (we are in year 3).
August 21st, 2011 at 11:43 am
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Chad-Ochocino-promises-to-reimburse-Mason-Foster?urn=nfl-wp5459
Ocho is paying for Fosters fine… Goodman lol
August 21st, 2011 at 11:44 am
I am continually stunned at how down on their team some Tampa fans are. I understand “lowest common denominator” prevails, but man…I’ve got a friend who’s a Buffalo fan that spews less venom than some of these posters I read, or callers I hear.
August 21st, 2011 at 11:52 am
If memory serves correctly, the 1990 Cowboys went 11-5 the following year with the Redskins winning the Super Bowl (and the division). The Cowboys didn’t win the big game until 1992.
I’d be happy if we improved our record again this season and have compared the Bucs and Raheem Morris to the Cowboys and Jimmy Johnson. Both teams had rookie head coaches that looked over their heads (3-13 for Morris and 1-15 for Johnson in their first seasons), both teams drafted their future hall-of-fame QBs that same season. Both teams improved tremendously the following season, the Bucs by 7 games, the Cowboys by 6. Both teams were led by very young star QBs (Freeman, Aikman), RBs (Blount, Smith) and WRs (Williams, Irvin)… hopefully the similarities don’t end there. I’ll take a trio of Super Bowl wins in the next 6 seasons.
August 21st, 2011 at 11:56 am
Yes, Raheem can’t coach at all… everybody knows that Super Bowls are won in the preseason. You have to win preseason games at all costs. Look at how good Spurrier’s Redskins were, they were awesome in preseason and that’s what really matters. When the Redskins were winning Super Bowls under Gibbs in the 80’s, they routinely went 1-3 in the preseason… that incompetent dummy should have been fired.
August 21st, 2011 at 11:57 am
Dylan, the NFL came out yesterday and told Ochocinco that he can’t pay Foster’s fine if he is fined.
August 21st, 2011 at 12:04 pm
Goodell won’t just suspend Talib right before the season starts. Do you think he can just play games with the Bucs like that? The Bucs have already made it clear that Talib is their starting CB for this season. This means they have already spoken with Goodell and already know that there won’t be action taken against Talib this season. Stop worrying. Talib isnt going anywhere. For this season at least.
August 21st, 2011 at 12:05 pm
If Foster gets fined after the tape is reviewed there is a serious problem. What needs to happen is that the league needs to come out and admit it was a blown call with no helmet to helmet contact.
August 21st, 2011 at 12:28 pm
Good thing 3 59’s jersey reads “Foster”, and not “Harrison” or else he’d be def fined lol.
August 21st, 2011 at 12:32 pm
Lets break this down:
1) how could his mentality be anything other than win now? He is 13-19, never finished better than 3rd out 4. He is in his third year, no playoffs should cost him his job.
2) playoff caliber record? What the hell is that? 8-8, 7-9. Sounds like a preseason excuse for a step backwards. Playoffs or new coacj.
3) a very small % of this community is buying into this rah-era, just look into the stands at all those empty seats. If you talk to non-fanatics, they all believe that last year was a gift schesule full of bad qbs. It was not what the fanatics argue it was.
My theory: the strong-anti-Gruden faction led by Duemig are so subjectively invested in this regime that they will make excuses for everything, and spin everything in their pre-conceived direction. That is fine, but Rah Rah better win now or there will be about 20k fans left and the team will have no choice but to hire a real head coach.
August 21st, 2011 at 12:41 pm
Thomas, you are SPOT ON Brotha!
“My theory: the strong-anti-Gruden faction led by Duemig are so subjectively invested in this regime that they will make excuses for everything, and spin everything in their pre-conceived direction.”
Chip it in stone my man. 🙂
August 21st, 2011 at 1:08 pm
2) playoff caliber record? What the hell is that? 8-8, 7-9. Sounds like a preseason excuse for a step backwards. Playoffs or new coacj.
That is when you win enough games to get you too the PLAYOFFS!! If we go 8-8 and make it to the playoffs then that is a step forward not backward.
August 21st, 2011 at 1:12 pm
Weneeddefense- Tampa is rated the BEST forth quarter team in the league last year!! That is the quarter that matters. That’s how you win 10 games. What that proves is that Raheem is able to make adjustments better than the opposing coach. Thus, is a better coach. The only “spot on” is on yer forehead. The scar the drill left while performing your lobotomy! ( due respect to the Ramones!)
That said, either Raheem is lying( I doubt it), or he and Dominick aren’t reading the same book anymore. Both have said repeatedly- when the team has drafted a solid core, and is ready to make a playoff run, then they will sign free agents to fill any holes. Just like the last SuperBowl run.
Since Dom sat on his hands( and contracts)- must mean he first think we’ve reached that point.Raheem is implying otherwise. I think Raheem wanted to keep both Ruud and Caddy one more season.I think it was Dom’s call to cut them lose. I also believe it sit the team back. When Brady shifted the offense, Quincy couldnt make the correct adjustment in time, and the defense got caught in mid shift- over and over.
On offense- same thing. When the defense shifted, Graham didn’t make the correct adjustment to the blocking scheme- and Freeman ate grass.
I’m worried that Mark Dominck has gotten so much praise about his ability to draft and sign Undrafted free agents, that he’s determined to build the whole team out of them. Wants a SuperBowl team comprised entirely out if his picks and Ufa pickups. If he can do it- more power to him. But if his attempt sets the team backwards(Ruud, Caddy), then it’s Not the way to go
Raheem is saying he thinks the window is open. Dom’s actions days he thinks otherwise! Personally, I think Raheem is right- we aren’t a SuperBowl team yet, but we should be getting Freeman playoff experience. I didnt see Dom making any moves to improve the team, or help Freeman get there, this off season
August 21st, 2011 at 1:20 pm
Thomas- Raheem is 10-6. We all voted, and agreed that the 3-13 season was on that damn Chucky, for leaving us such a crappy mess of no- talents. It’s what we all( well , “but you”)decided and agreed to. Sorry, but that’s just the way it is.
August 21st, 2011 at 2:15 pm
@BecklesHeartsRuud
You’re crazy. Check out the highlight ( http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/09000d5d82190172/85-gets-eighty-sixed ).
There’s no way you can look at the second replay (starts at about 00:23 in) and definitively say there was no helmet-to-helmet contact. From that angle — the best angle — it certainly looks like there was.
August 21st, 2011 at 2:23 pm
All means you and the others who agree with you. Captain that damn chucky was just 9-7 with that damn talent. Only a coach as bad as rah could coach them to 9-7. Many of you have argued repeatedly that the vets they cut (brooks, dunn, hilliard, june) were done anyway and their departure made the team better. Rah Rah owns 3-13. He chose to start Lefty after McCown beat him out and not start Free. He chose to hire and fire jags and bates. He chose to move phillips to lb. He chose to cut Matt Bryant and on and on and on . .
August 21st, 2011 at 2:31 pm
Sorry: coach them to 3-13.
August 21st, 2011 at 2:39 pm
Thomas,
Just for you from the St. Pete Times….
“In the coaching profession, that’s a lot of it. Think of it like this: Morris has won 13 games in his first two seasons. Bill Belichick won 13 in his first two, too. Bill Walsh won eight. Chuck Noll won six. Mike Shanahan won eight. Marv Levy won 11. ”
Morris will “own” that 3-13 season, as well as the 10-6. 13 wins in the first two seasons isn’t bad when compared to others that have ended up having pretty good careers. And that’s not even the full list, just what the Times listed.
You’re right about those choices, but what you listed was year one… why not a year 2 list? Maybe because the list isn’t very long? How about year 3? Ruud and Caddy? We don’t even know what affect that will have yet, so it’s too early to say.
August 21st, 2011 at 2:50 pm
Knew that would wake up thomas, on a slow Sunday
What did you guys think about the latest signing- DT John Macargo?
Good ratings as a DT outta college. Bills moved him to DE, and he didn’t seem comfortable there. Guess EJ Wilson is done for the season. Bummer. He was having a good camp
August 21st, 2011 at 3:32 pm
Solid points bambam. I have agreed that there was evifence that rah improved some last year. I think that the bulk of the team’s improvement (other than the favorable schedule) was Free and Williams and Olson.
Rah is a horrible game planner which is why they start so slowly. He seems to adjust at halftime or Free just takes over in the 4th.
Rah is and will never be 2% of Bellichick.
August 21st, 2011 at 5:20 pm
It is time for an O Line change up. Jeff Faine is inept and can’t block or else refuses to. The O line finshed strong last season so why are we back to this crap? If this Oline stays the same all year, freeman will get sacked 50 times and LeGarrette Blount will average 20 yds per game. If the Patriots didn’t expose this problem someone is blind and this new O line coach may not be all he was cracked up to be.
August 21st, 2011 at 5:31 pm
@Capt Tim, I was just gonna post about McCargo, the DT we just signed from Buffalo, but you beat me to it. I bet Joe has a whole post coming, dedicated to him ?
The guy is a complete mystery to me, but I do know he was the 26th overall player selected in the draft by Buffalo. Tampa is short of defensive tackles, with all the injuries lately to Price, etc.
August 21st, 2011 at 6:33 pm
Yaaay!!!! John McCargo!!!! At least the Youbooty signing was interesting for all of five minutes because of his awesome name. Nothing to see there apple roof. Move along. A quick google of McCargo shows he is a total bust. He was signed to have the proper number of bodies at DT while Miller, Price, etc. are still nursing their injuries. ZERO chance of making the roster.
August 21st, 2011 at 6:42 pm
Thomas- Rah is and never will be %2 of Belichek? Don’t forget the rough start Belichek had in Cleveland. He had a losing record in Cleveland and was fired. Back then I’m sure Cleveland fan was saying “he will never be %2 of Bill Parcells”. Tom Brady sure has made Belichek look like a genius. A franchise QB will do that for a coach He wasn’t a genius with Bernie Kosar, just a mean looking guy in a hoodie. Josh Freeman started to do that for Raheem last year. Either way the coaches get too much credit and blame.
August 21st, 2011 at 8:57 pm
I agree with Rah, the window closes quickly.
Lets hope he doesnt accomplish something in 2011 that Mr. Gruden never did in eleven years as a head coach in the NFL………………….three straight years without a Division Title.
Should be a piece of cake for these geniuses.
August 22nd, 2011 at 1:25 am
how someone like thomas is not beat up daily is mindboggling
August 22nd, 2011 at 11:49 am
Tomny, nah, this place would be less fun without Thomas and Eric. They are always good for a chuckle. Every once in a while they bring up a good point.
If everyone here agreed all the time, it would be boring. There are lots if guys here that I disagree with strongly on one post, then totally agree with on another. Sometimes, they prove to be right, and I’m wrong. They are alright. Somewhere down deep, I think they both are Bucs fans. They just can’t get over the Gruden firing. They are alright. They eventually grow on you, sorta like mOSS- lol