“Feeling There Will Be Staff Changes Made”
November 30th, 2011
Will linebackers coach Joe Baker have to pay the price for poor outside linebacker play this season?
Before Joe gets rolling here, Raheem Morris is safe.
Joe has heard that from many sources and Joe himself is of the opinion barring the major collapse continuing, Morris will be your Bucs head coach for the 2012 season.
But “The Professor,” John Clayton of BSPN, speaking this afternoon on The Fabulous Sports Babe Show heard on WHBO-AM 1040, has a hunch that the movers and shakers at One Buc Palace will make “staff changes” amid the assistant coaches.
Clayton was harsh on the Bucs coaching staff and Joe quickly transcribed Clayton’s thoughts.
John Clayton: I think when you look at the whole Tampa Bay team, you can see a regression on this team that is very, very concerning. I was at the Bucs-Saints game in New Orleans and guys didn’t know how to line up, it was a cluster, guys yelling at one another, [Josh] Freeman, [Kellen] Winslow… [the coaching staff has] to take more control of the offense, the coaching staff has to eliminate the mistakes and there are way too many for this team. The team is pretty sloppy. They can’t even shoot a gun straight.
Fabulous Sports Babe: Why is that, are they just goofing off, are they not practicing properly, are they stupid?
Clayton: You have to take it back to practice. If you practice the things you should do then you shouldn’t look lost and right now they look lost and it is continuing. How many mistakes do these guys make? How many false starts do they have? Raheem says they are practicing well, but it’s not carrying over to the field. That has to be cleaned up.
Sports Babe: Is Raheem on the hot seat?
Clayton: It’s lukewarm but it’s warming up because of the season. You have a feeling there will be staff changes made, but Raheem stays.
November 30th, 2011 at 3:22 pm
LB and WR coaches should go IMHO.
Hire a DC also.
I think Raheem needs to take off the kid gloves and the optimistic attitude and always looking to play these guys up and put a positive spin on everything. For the first 2.5 years with a young team, I get it. It is about making them believe they can win.
Well, they did win 10 games last year.
Now he needs to develop and get on their arses a little more and call them out.
November 30th, 2011 at 3:33 pm
Raheem probably stays if they win two more games. If not, my money is on him being replaced. If they lose to the Panthers this Sunday look for a slide all the way to a 4 or 5 win season.
November 30th, 2011 at 3:41 pm
“Joe himself is of the opinion barring a major collapse, Morris will be your Bucs head coach for the 2012 season.”
If you think that Morris is safe now what the hell do you consider a major collapse?
We are almost 100% set to have a losing season.
We’re on a 6-1 record with 5 straight losses.
We allow the 2nd most yards a game but allow the most yards per play.
We allow the 4th most points a game.
We allow the 5th most first downs.
We’re among the top few most penalised teams
The offense is middle of the pack at best for most stats but bottom 8 for scoring.
How do collapse from that?
Become bottom ranked accross the board and extend the losing streak to 10?
The next 5 games should determine nothing, everything that needed to be seen has been, Morris has shown he and his staff are in so far over their heads that they can no longer even see the surface.
November 30th, 2011 at 3:42 pm
we arent in a major collapse?
November 30th, 2011 at 3:48 pm
greig said it all. this is by far the worst season i’ve ever witnessed. nothing at this point will lead me to believe that anything has been fixed by this staff. i fully expect this garbage to continue till the end.
November 30th, 2011 at 3:51 pm
Joe losing like the Bucs have can be fixed? How? With a cupcake schedule like in 2010? So Joe believes that coach Rah can take the Bucs to the promised land? PS I’m not talking about Israel either
November 30th, 2011 at 3:53 pm
I’ll say it again – better fire Fischer before Jacksonville does
November 30th, 2011 at 3:54 pm
Joe here,
@Greig & @ Eric — Joe adjusted the language to reflect the continuation of the major collapse. Originally thought that was clear.
@Mr. Lucky — Don’t invent stuff. Joe offered no opinion here on fixing the Bucs or Raheem, other than that the guy appears safe.
November 30th, 2011 at 3:56 pm
eric:
No. The Colts, however, are in a major collapse.
November 30th, 2011 at 3:58 pm
Ah yes, there’s no better way to improve your team than replace a couple of position coaches. It’s always their fault! Everyone was having an orgasm last offseason when they hired Keith Millard to be D-line coach – how’d that work out? Only one position coach needs to be replaced and that’s the DB’s coach turned head coach!
November 30th, 2011 at 3:59 pm
I hope there would be forced changes made to this staff if the team keeps underacheiveing as it has. NO more cheap buddies hired (ie olson’s oline buddy, and raheem’s buddy joe baker). Really I think our lb’s have regressed since he became coach and that’s pretty bad. When is it a good idea to hire your db’s coach as your lb’s coach? Then he gets injured jumping celebrating a db pick? What an A$$Clown. So Dominik or morris can start there and work themselves up by replacing lbs coach, take out one of the dline coaches (no gap integrity!!), offensive coordinator, D coordinator. And if morris somehow finishes last place in the south, head coach at the top of the list.
November 30th, 2011 at 4:12 pm
Joe so the Glazers will bring in some people to prop up the real problem? Good luck Glazers selling ANY TICKETS NEXT YEAR LOL!!!!!
November 30th, 2011 at 4:14 pm
Joe has very astutely pointed out in the past that getting quality assitants to coach here will prove difficult for a coach in the last year of a contract. So what sense would it make to keep Morris around if it will hinder finding suitable replacements? The answer is none. The answer is that they either need to replace him or extend him. God help us if its the latter!
November 30th, 2011 at 4:18 pm
“Joe has very astutely pointed out in the past that getting quality assitants to coach here will prove difficult for a coach in the last year of a contract. So what sense would it make to keep Morris around if it will hinder finding suitable replacements? The answer is none. The answer is that they either need to replace him or extend him. God help us if its the latter!”
If the Glazer boys extend Raheem’s contract, I think that just might break Joe’s website.
November 30th, 2011 at 4:22 pm
Hire a senior-level OC and DC such as Norv Turner and Jack Del Rio. It is what should have been done day one albeit the right people. If you put an inexperienced, possibly incompentent manager (coach) in a new position, surround him with senior-level subordinates (OC and DC) allowing them to “manage upward” limiting the damage that could be done should the superior turn out to be incompetent. This was done properly at Pittsburgh when Tomlin was named HC. We doubled down here when we allowed Morris to also assume the position of DC, turning an on-time failure into mutually assured destruction! It is the purest application of the Peter Principle – a principle most likely at work in some of the most successful organizations in the world. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Principle
November 30th, 2011 at 4:25 pm
Hire an OC, DC, LBC, and WRC coach please. Why not two at each position like the DL? Perhaps then they will succeed lol
November 30th, 2011 at 4:30 pm
What is interesting is the same people screaming about how bad they are are the same ones who:
1. NEVER gave them credit for 10 wins last year
2. NEVER gave them credit for playing through a ton of injuries
3. NEVER gave them credit for FAR exceeding expectations
4. Claimed they would barely be a .500 team this year.
If that is what you thought, then why are you so shocked and surprised by where they are?
I am, but I felt they would not step back this far. I think they need coaching changes (LB & WR) and Ra needs to give up the DC position.
Just don’t get some of you and why you want to change everything and fire everyone so fast. About 1 month ago everyone was talking about the great GMs and Coaches ALL the Tampa Bay pro sports teams have. Now it is FIRE THEM ALL!!
Good God… you sound like Boston fans after a bad month
November 30th, 2011 at 4:33 pm
macabee
Please stop pushing Norv Turner.
He never did ANYTHING. The Cowboys in the 1990’s won because of talent alone. That offense was extremely dull, bland, boring, & predictable, they were just better so no one could stop them.
It was Smith right, Smith left, Irvn 12 & out, Irvin slant, Novacek curl route on 3rd down. Oh… and once a game throw over the top for Harper.
It really was very basic stuff, they just had the talent. Show me where Norv Turner has done anything since then.
November 30th, 2011 at 4:34 pm
I also do not want Del Rio here if he was coming in late and leaving early and just not caring anymore and throwing his other coaches under the bus.
November 30th, 2011 at 4:36 pm
I agree with Jake. There is no point in keeping Raheem if we’re talking about gutting the rest of the coaches. Just rip the bandaid off and get it over with. We need a new head coach.
November 30th, 2011 at 4:41 pm
If Raheem gets an extension let me be the first to jump off the skyway bridge LOL… God help us all. So basically we have to pray we lose every game the rest of the year and also get blown out so we can have a good team in the future????? Great Glazers thanks for the awesome ownership.
November 30th, 2011 at 4:44 pm
Dave a bad month???? Try a bad 3 years, last year was an abberation we all new would come to an end. You must have your head under a rock. We got rid of Dungy and Gruden for much less. Raheem does not have a clue, no discipline and can’t coach his way out of a paper bag. Please don’t compare us to whiny Boston fans who win championships year in and year out. We have ONE!!!!
November 30th, 2011 at 4:44 pm
Um, Dave, some of us want to “change everything” because the Bucs have:
1. NEVER won a playoff game since their Super Bowl victory (almost 9 years)
2. NEVER even made the playoffs since ’07
3. NEVER in their history had as bad of a defense as they do this year
As far as I’m concerned it’s not fire them all – it’s just fire Raheem! I feel sorry for some of these position coaches who have a buffoon for a boss.
November 30th, 2011 at 4:58 pm
Not watching this team if Raheem returns in 2012. Its garbage football. Unwatchable.
November 30th, 2011 at 5:09 pm
Dave:
Norv is actually a good quarterback coach. As a head coach he is horrible.
November 30th, 2011 at 5:20 pm
I was one of the ones that disliked his promotion to Head Coach to begin with, but was willing to give him a chance and benefit of the doubt. Well, my benefit has fallen from the Raheem chance wagon and has left me standing with my correctly original doubt!
November 30th, 2011 at 5:28 pm
Joe
I have to agree with Norv being a good quarterback coach. If I remember correctly, Troy Aikmen was highly upset with Dallas not retaininng him?
Also would like to add, that Del Rio makes a good defensive coordinator. In 2002 he was the Panthers DC and they were ranked number #2. He was also an awesome linebackers coach for the Ravens in 1999-2000.
November 30th, 2011 at 5:33 pm
Dave, I don’t want to fire Morris……yet! I read your post and surely you can’t be satisfied with the way things are going. The people who talk to the people that make the decisions are trying to tell us that at a minimum, changes are going to be made. The point of my post is not to hire Norv Turner per se, but to hire senior-level coordinators, ones that have been around the league, acquired a varied depth of experience such as Norv Turner that could be a braintrust to a new coach. I would take that approach first before we get rid of the HC because if we do, We are rebuilding all over again. No top-level coach is going to come here expecting to compete in one of the most competitive divisions in the NFL, buy into the current Glazer/ Dominik Austerity program and pick up where Morris left off without having total control. That means goodbye Dominik or hello to another Morris clone who wants to be coach so bad he would take the job for free. So pick your poison!
November 30th, 2011 at 5:43 pm
macabee
Unfortunately, our choices seem to be anthrax or ricin!
November 30th, 2011 at 5:58 pm
JOE: True, Truner is a good QB coach, Aikman has credited him with that.
macabee:
No, I am not satisfied, I am just not as knee jerk as many fans. Raheem was an up and comer according to ALL inside sources. He is a guy players want to play for. He was obviously given the reigns to soon, but I would give him a little longer.
November 30th, 2011 at 6:00 pm
I did mean 1-6, not 6-1, in the original post
Just a mixture of wishful thinking, beer and undiagnosed “Idiot Dyslexia.”
November 30th, 2011 at 6:01 pm
Dave remember Josh McDaniels, there is another up and comer. The one the Broncos chose instead of Raheem. Where is he now?
November 30th, 2011 at 6:04 pm
Why exactly will Raheem be here next year? What has he done, what has he proved, nothing. Everything that was wrong with this team in 2009 is still wrong in 2011. How did he ever even get the chance to be a head coach in the first place? Most coaches prove themselves as an good OC or DC before they are even considered for head coach. He coached a college defense for one year and they sucked, his defense now sucks, he has proven he can’t run a defense so why does anybody think he can run an entire team. He is a joke a total zero and an embarrassment to this franchise.
November 30th, 2011 at 6:28 pm
Joe: I am not sure 0-11 without your franchise hall-of fame qb is worse than 0-5 or 1-6 with your franchise qb.
Indy knew they were in big trouble minus Payton. You and some others here were confident that they would win 10 or more games. I remember one of the Joes ridiculing a comment I made pre-season that the Bucs would be closer to challenging the Panthers for 4th than the Falcons for second.
I believe that the Glazers know that changing assistants means nothing to the consumer- Look at how many assistants have been let go or high tailed it since Rah started – blackouts continue. I am told to expect less than 45k actual attendance Sunday. Firing Jimmy Lake and replacing him is an exercise in futility – which is expected with this org.
November 30th, 2011 at 6:37 pm
I know some of you will be thrilled to hear this, but if they retain 17-26, no playoff rah in 3 years I am done with this mess/debacle after 30 years, and I am not alone.
Thankfully, things are starting anew in Jacksonville!
November 30th, 2011 at 6:39 pm
Hey Joe: How about JoeJagsFan.com?
November 30th, 2011 at 7:03 pm
if guys don’t know where to line up game after game that is just flat out ridiculous, the thing is this is the same defense we played in last year, WHY DO PEOPLE NOT NO WHERE TO LINE UP, do these guys think they are LAVAR ARRINGTON or something who never lined up properly and flew all over the field. that man might have gotten in trouble for his sloppy play but he atleast MADE FRIGGEN PLAYS unlike our slobs
November 30th, 2011 at 7:17 pm
Thomas 2.2:
If you know of a Jaguars fan who is interested in starting a blog, feel free to e-mail Joe with is requisite information.
November 30th, 2011 at 7:20 pm
Thomas:
Joe does. Weren’t the Dolts a playoff team last year? So you go from the playoffs to losing every game just because you lose a quarterback, no matter how good he may be? That’s pretty pathetic and if Joe didn’t know any better he’s be convinced the team was tanking every game in order to get Andrew Luck.
Shoot, the Bucs gutted their team two years ago and were able to win three games.
November 30th, 2011 at 7:21 pm
Maybe the Glazers can move the Bucs to London and Shahid Khan can bring the Jags to Tampa.
November 30th, 2011 at 7:51 pm
@Joe
Don’t forget, this team struggled to even beat the Colts. The freaking 0-11 Colts! Curtis Painter…..sucks horribly, yet burned our secondary several times that game. When that happens, you should be ashamed of yourself as a defense…..seriously.
November 30th, 2011 at 8:30 pm
@Dave You wrote: “Raheem was an up and comer according to ALL inside sources. ”
Hey Dave there was a QB who was an up and comer according to ALL inside sources and his name was RYAN LEAF.
NUFF SAID
FIRE RAHEEM MORRIS – IHCRC
November 30th, 2011 at 10:48 pm
@ Thomass, if the bucs go 17-26 and miss the playoffs, and you give up on the bucs, does that mean you will stop posting on this site? If so, then I have no heartburn with the bucs losing out the rest of this season, and will hold you to your promise!
December 1st, 2011 at 3:15 am
Greg…RIGHT ON!
You guys sound like CLeveland talking about Billechick…Just saying, he sucked ass there…I wonder if they would have loved him a few years later. that may happen hear. He made worse decisions than Morris has, was fired, retained as a DC, and the rest you all know. What if the Browns gave him a couple years more? Would he be on the streets, or would the Browns be the Pats today? It is always a gamble, and timing is everything. Will Morris be the next Bill N? Who knows? If so, he will do it with more style than Bill though!
Someone referenced this as the worst Bucs team ever…They nust be young, ’cause I am only 40 and remember many years of bad teams.
December 1st, 2011 at 3:48 am
McBuc:
Belichick actually got the Browns to the playoffs one year.
December 1st, 2011 at 8:06 am
If THIS is the worst season you’ve ever seen as a Bucs fan, you havnt been a Bucs fan very long.
Before you fire Morris, think about two things…
1) How do you give Morris the job and tell him he can’t have any free agents, that he has to be patient, but yet you fire him one year after a 10-6 season? You have to give MOrris one more year, WITH Free Agents to help.
2)Before you root for a retread coach, ask yourself how Miami felt about Jimmy Johnson, Washington about Steve Spurier, or now about Shanahan, how Dallas felt about Parcells, Detroit with Marriucci, I could go on! Meanwhile 2011 teams are winning with new guys, 49ers, Lions, or last few years with Atlanta, New Orleans, Baltimore, Jets, and how happy are Chargers fans with their retread.
If you have to change coaches, and it would just be plain unfair for Morris to be fired without one year of Free Agents, go with someone fresh and new.
December 1st, 2011 at 8:12 am
BUCSFANLOSTINIOWA, but you weren’t saying this last year were you?
or are you going to tell me that this team hasn’t improved at all since 2009. really?
I’ll tell you why you keep Morris one more year. Because you don’t hire Bucsfanlostiniowa as head coach of the Bucs, and tell him you can’t have any free agents, you will have to be patient and build the team from the draft, then LOST patience and fire him after a season with the toughest schedule in 20 years, and no offseason that we KNOW hurts young teams more than veteran ones. No one is younger than the Bucs at the key areas.
You change a coach with a young team, you take a step backwards. So unless you really DO want to see 2009 all over again, instead of just a few games that looked like it, go ahead and fire Raheem. …and bring in a retread, then I can be “BucsfanlostinIowa” for the next 4 years and criticize the new guy for all his losses.
December 1st, 2011 at 8:16 am
Nick2 and all the other people who think there won’t be any ticket sales next year: The only people who want Morris fired are the people who don’t go to the games ANYWAYS!
Anyone I know who goes to Bucs games is a Bucs supporter, and by Bucs supporter I mean someone who supports the Bucs, and everyone ON the Bucs.
They will sell just as many tickets next year as they did this year, probably a little more because this year you can see the economy pick up a little, and we have two sell outs, which is better than none. All it takes is a Bucs playoff season, and the stadium is packed again.
If Morris can’t take the Bucs to the playoffs next year, I will personally lead the charge to get rid of him.
December 1st, 2011 at 9:25 am
Joe, true, and I am hoping Morris does that next year. It is looking a bit gliom for him though.
December 1st, 2011 at 10:23 am
I love how people like the Prof, when shredding the Bucs, make reference to the Saints. The Saints, as much as I hate them are still a powerhouse with Drew Brees at the helm. Take that QB away and the team will implode rapidly. The Saints have carved up other so called good teams like the Giants, which the National Media feel is a WC contender. The Bucs gave away the Titans’ game and shouldn’t have, but this team will grow and win under Raheem Morris. It would take an idiot to fire Raheem right now, but a smart man to look at the few real problems with the team, and fix those. I agree with the comments about finding a new OC, adding a DC and maybe Joe Baker has been here too long. We need a speedy back, and I wonder why Huggy wasn’t considered because I am no Lumpkin fan. I like the idea of Norv Turner for the offense, and I would also try and persuade Derrick Brooks to come in as the DC. It makes more sense than running the Storm, and DB can provide great leadership to a young group of players. Raheem needs to understand that you can never have too much help and having a DC is going to make him better when they both put their minds together. I also wan’t Raheem to take a more active role in the offense and with 2 COMPETENT coordinators he can do this. Have a great day guys.
December 1st, 2011 at 11:04 am
As bad as this season has been, the Bucs already have wins against the Saints and Falcons.
December 1st, 2011 at 11:14 am
NIko, I have come to the conclusion that you actually prefer the Bucs to lose then you can sit around and trumpet your own horn as the” greatest buc fan of all time”sitting in an empty stadium by yourself, posting your videos of the glory days gone by. I’ve seen coaches come and coaches go, and this clown needs to go. Get ready for another single digit winning season next year “optimist”!
December 1st, 2011 at 11:20 am
And I’d also like to add that last year when we were 10-6 I was pointing out stuff like too many penalties, and Olson’s crappy offense, would have to change or it would come back and bite us on the ass in 2011,guess what I was right. And this team that will end up 5-11 is a little better than 3-13 but not by much.