Handicapping Raheem’s Replacement
December 30th, 2011
Joe will grill meat products and drink hops products Monday morning outside the Outback Bowl while he awaits the potential firing of Raheem Morris.
Despite the glorious football games that day, Joe’s plate is cleared in anticipation of what could be a landmark day in Bucs history.
Former Bucs beat writer Don Banks, now a lead NFL writer for SI.com, says he’s confident Raheem Morris will be fired and includes Raheem in his recent feature on Black Monday (the nickname for the mass and immediate postseason firing of NFL coaches), Banks even studies Raheem’s potential replacements.
Here are a few names that fit the bill as I read the Bucs’ situation: Ex-Packers head coach Mike Sherman, who recently was let go by Texas A&M after five seasons as head coach, but went 59-43 (.578) in Green Bay from 2000-2006, winning three division titles and going to the playoffs four times in six seasons. Sherman will get interviews for NFL coaching jobs this year, count on it. And in retrospect, especially in this year’s field of candidates, his track record and reputation for developing quarterbacks looks pretty darn impressive.
Another possibility in Tampa Bay is Falcons offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey, who not only knows the NFC South well, but who started his NFL coaching career in Tampa Bay on Sam Wyche’s staff in the early ’90s. Mularkey spent two years as Buffalo’s head coach in 2004-05, went 14-18 with a 9-7 season in 2004 (the Bills’ only winning record since 1999), and resigned that gig, without being fired. He has not hurt his resume any by working in Atlanta with quarterback Matt Ryan.
Click on through above to read more of Banks’ interesting take on the Bucs’ potential head coaching search that includes other names.
For Joe, Mularkey is an intriguing possibility. He has experience with the Steelers’ way as a player and coach, which Bucs management seems to want to emulate, and he brings a load of credibility, success and diverse experience.
December 30th, 2011 at 12:07 pm
The fans hate Mularkey in Atlanta. I’m not against him necessarily, but he is not popular in Atlanta.
December 30th, 2011 at 12:13 pm
“but he is not popular in Atlanta.”
Couldn’t that be construed as extra motivation for him to come here and stomp them into the ground twice a year? 😀
December 30th, 2011 at 12:17 pm
Could be Brian Billick ..
December 30th, 2011 at 12:21 pm
We don’t need an Offensive coach, with a couple of tweaks our offensive will be fine. We need a defensive coach that will overhaul our defense and be a disciplinarian.
December 30th, 2011 at 12:23 pm
All I can remember about Sherman is when he tried to get in Sapp’s face after the Clifton hit. He looked so pathetic.
December 30th, 2011 at 12:24 pm
hire sam wyche
December 30th, 2011 at 12:27 pm
No Mularkey. He’s unimpressive everywhere he’s been – yes, even ATL.
Give me Billick, maybe Sherman, as OC. Give me Spags or Del Rio as DC.
December 30th, 2011 at 12:35 pm
Unfortunately, their is no head coach coaching vacancy in Tampa. If there is in a few days, there is no guarantee the Cheapsters will spend on experienced coaches or free agents. We desperately need both. If we pay for quality and proven experienced coaches, and pay good players to come here, we will win. Gonna have to spend some of the precious Cheapsters dollars though, you know, spend the millions we have UNDER the salary cap. Starts with the Cheapsters folks.
December 30th, 2011 at 12:45 pm
We need Jeff Fisher
December 30th, 2011 at 12:53 pm
People always hate their offensive coordinator
December 30th, 2011 at 12:53 pm
jeff fisher, tom clements, russ grimm- cody’s dad
December 30th, 2011 at 12:57 pm
Why does everyone dislike Sherman? The guy was very successful in Green Bay
December 30th, 2011 at 12:59 pm
of the coaches named in these replies – I personally like Fisher.
…but, if you didn’t like Gruden…you’re not going to like Fisher.
Why not make a serious run at Cowher?
December 30th, 2011 at 1:08 pm
If we go the coordinator route Fangio from San Fran has to be #1.bring our d back to glory.chud from Carolina is intriguing as well.
December 30th, 2011 at 1:12 pm
Patrick:
A nondescript coach who has had bad blood with the Bucs in the past.
December 30th, 2011 at 1:15 pm
Maybe the Royal’s will try Bill Parcells again. Third time the charm? LOL
I don’t mind telling you I’m worried about this one.
One year ago I believed we were on the cusp of greatness! Everything was looking up. Now? Amazing how far down things have gotten so quickly.
Can an entire new coaching staff really turn things around in a year or two.
Guess we have to hope so.
BTW, does winning or losing this Sunday affect our draft position at ALL? There’s always the hope factor in April, even now……..
Happy New Year!!!
December 30th, 2011 at 1:19 pm
Both sound like decent candidates. I have always wondered why Atlanta has such a disdain for their OC. They have been very successful under him.
December 30th, 2011 at 1:21 pm
Like what Joe? A little scuffle with Warren Sapp? big deal.
December 30th, 2011 at 1:27 pm
Sherman is a Dufus .. Tom Clements is a name I keep hearing … No thanks … OC ?? different story … No More Position coaches straight to HC.
Plus you always have the worry … Did Clements develop Rodgers … Or is Rodgers just a superstar ??
December 30th, 2011 at 1:29 pm
Draft position –
Lose – Pick as low as 3rd
Win – Pick as high as 8th
December 30th, 2011 at 1:42 pm
Jvato are you suggesting we lose on purpose?
December 30th, 2011 at 1:44 pm
Perhaps the Glazers can develop a Steinbrenner-Billy Martin routine and bring Chucky back for another go round
December 30th, 2011 at 1:50 pm
Ex-Buffalo Bills coach… zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…
As long as it’s not that fat slob DC roaming the Dallas sidelines, I won’t complain much. His Ds sucked in Cleveland too. Don’t care what his last name is.
December 30th, 2011 at 1:51 pm
Ill let fate play out .. if we pick 8th it opens the door to some other prospects who IMO may be about the same talent level as the TOP 5
December 30th, 2011 at 2:10 pm
Jim Levett
December 30th, 2011 at 2:12 pm
way too much speculation on who the next coach will be. are you all that confident that raheem will be fired. as time goes by i feel like he will be retained. in fact i think the only change will be for an unknown college coach to come in and take over as d coordinator. no one worth their salt will coach with a lame duck but a coach trying to prove himself from college. i think olson will be back to give freeman one more year in the same system. that will eliminate the excuse of him learning a new system. raheem will play out his contract without an extension and will be resigned only if much much improvement is showed in 2012. i think many of you agree with this assessment you just don’t want to admit it.
December 30th, 2011 at 2:15 pm
Who has the same talent level as Trent Richardson????
December 30th, 2011 at 2:17 pm
Russ grimm
December 30th, 2011 at 2:20 pm
They will hire Jim Tressel and Brooks will come in as DC and they will both wear vests in the 98 degree heat while the fans scream for the return of Olson because now they know what a boring offense is truly like!! Meanwhile, we will be banned from the Superbowl because Talib sold his NFL handgun for another stinkin’ tattoo and Freeman will be traded to bring in Troy Smith. Go Bucs!!
December 30th, 2011 at 2:21 pm
Might be ok if they can Dominik and hire somebody from the Steelers front office that knows what they are doing.
Gonna be interesting to me to see how he saves his hide, if he is able to do so.
I feel confident that is foremost in his mind.
Still hoping the roof guys scoop is accurate.
December 30th, 2011 at 2:27 pm
Raheem stays. A new DC (Del Rio?). A new OC (Billick?). A new LB coach. Millard stays but the other DL coach goes.
December 30th, 2011 at 2:30 pm
How come Herm Edwards doesn’t come up in the conversation as a possible replacement? He knows the “system.” He could inject some discipline and wouldn’t tolerate all of this apathetic play.
“You play to win the game!”
December 30th, 2011 at 2:36 pm
Really, I’m not in favor of bringing in a college head coach. Most of them fail in the NFL (Steve Spurrier, Nick Saban, Dennis Erickson).
The only ones I can think of that had success in both are Jimmy Johnson and Jim Harbough.
December 30th, 2011 at 2:40 pm
You have to wait until the playoffs are over to see who gets hot. I don’t necessarily agree with this philosophy, but that’s the way it usually works.
December 30th, 2011 at 2:42 pm
I think a poll should be created to ask the fans “What coach would bring the divided Dungy-Morris/Gruden fan base back together again?” at least at an 80 percent consensus would be refreshing.
Bottom line, I would love to have the fan base united once again, and not so polarized. The sentiment has gotten too black and white akin to politics… We need a united fan base once again.
December 30th, 2011 at 2:44 pm
In other news, the Lightning staged a come from behind victory last night, with Wyman scoring his first NHL goal. I have my tickets for tomorrow night’s NYE game against the Hurricanes where we can avenge the Panther beatdowns of the Bucs.
As for the Bucs, we don’t need a Lame Buc Coach for another season. I will take just about any HC at this point, but I still like Rich Bissacia, with a couple high power, high paid Coordinators behind him.
December 30th, 2011 at 2:51 pm
What about Marty Schott, i like hime over Sherman anyday.
December 30th, 2011 at 2:55 pm
Rich should have been the Bucs HC 3 years ago. Raheem should have been the DC at that time. Without Jim Bates to blame, I think Raheem still would have failed at DC even with Rich as a HC. That experiment would have been something that could have been sold to the fans as a tad more realistic. By making Raheem the HC, no savvy fan bought into that non-sense.
In the end who cares… we re-loaded with yougens, got them some game time experience and now are ready to reload with a real coaching staff, hopefully one that Shaun King will hate.
Shaun is doing nothing more than set himself up for a sure fire talking point… How? He knows if he sides with Raheem, and endorses no one else, he will have free reign to criticize any coach hired all in the name of protecting Raheem… And this will keep him aligned with “his and Raheem’s” loyal fanboys.
December 30th, 2011 at 2:57 pm
So, how can the fan base be united again?
December 30th, 2011 at 3:07 pm
Unless Raheem is fired prior to kickoff, I’ll be routing for for my beloved Bucs to be issued another biotch-slappin. I am not confident Raheem will be fired if the Bucs beat the falcons 3rd and 4th string. I just want to be able to enjoy the games again. The dream has got to go along with Olsen.
December 30th, 2011 at 3:20 pm
Yeah, i would be on board with herm edwards…..he dont mess with foolishness.
December 30th, 2011 at 3:27 pm
Brian Billick as the Head Coach, Norv Turner as the OC and Herm Edwards as the DC. That would be fun!
December 30th, 2011 at 3:29 pm
Of course I’d take Lovie Smith or Marinilli as the DC.
December 30th, 2011 at 3:33 pm
Herm Edwards….”you play to win the game”
Not get beat by 30 to the jags. Could you imagine herm on the podium after the bucs got slapped by the jags.
December 30th, 2011 at 3:39 pm
Herm Edwards would be a great option for DC as he’s familiar with this team and the Tampa 2……which we really need to keep.
But not as a head coach.
December 30th, 2011 at 3:49 pm
Herm Edwards for D Coordinator maybe, as a head coach? His lack of time management skills in NY and KC are still a joke.
Maybe instead of retreading old Bucs players they can hire some talent from teams from outside the organization that have shown longevity, smart drafting and toughness. Make Ozzie Smith from the Ravens? Make him President and GM, let him run the show, pick the coaches, players, draft, etc. I think he is GM only at this time but I’m not positive. The point is let someone from outside the organization at a GM level take it over.
Ozzie I don’t think would hire Billick again but who knows, he could be a candidate on his own but his offenses in Baltimore were pretty bad.
December 30th, 2011 at 3:56 pm
Perhaps he can play shortstop for the Rays, too. lol
December 30th, 2011 at 4:41 pm
Hire a coach to give this team some Discipline!!! Heart!!! and Pride!!! We need to have the “Youngry” Bucs taught to play in the NFL!!! Add some veterans and get some linebackers and the Bucs should win some games next year!! Draft a cornerback that can cover and stay out of trouble, a speedy back that can hang onto the ball and a wider reciever that can seperate from the DB’s. This is what will help this team win!!! Until then, GO LIGHTNING!!!!!
December 30th, 2011 at 5:44 pm
Herm edwards ruinedf 2 teams in his hc career the Jets traded him to KC for draft picks he SUCKS like Raheem
December 30th, 2011 at 6:47 pm
I’m not defending Raheem, but at the same time it has become painfully obvious that we still need a drastic increase in talent on both sides of the ball. We are all quick to get rid of Raheem, but do any of you feel that ANY coach could make this roster (as currently constructed) a legitimate contender? I sure don’t. We have way too many holes. Now should we be 4-12 and not even competitive, of course not, but we don’t have anywhere near the talent of the other playoff teams in the league. So although choosing the right coach is important and exciting, it is not a cure-all for our problems. We have a lot of work to do with our roster before we can start celebrating wins in late January.
December 30th, 2011 at 7:22 pm
No Hawaiian Bro, we have to get some top tier free agents, like at LB, Safety, CB, RB, WR, TE, RT, LG. Did I miss anything??? I like Zuttah at center and Penn at LT, Davin at RG but needs more consistency. I like our D line and think Foster can be a productive OLB. I would like to draft Morris Claiborne if available when we pick, but if Griffen is still on the board we might be able to trade back a little ways for more picks and draft Dont’a Hightower for a MLB. Rod Marinelli would be my first choice for a new head coach.
December 30th, 2011 at 7:31 pm
Kensington Says:
December 30th, 2011 at 3:56 pm
Perhaps he can play shortstop for the Rays, too. lol
God and I thought that was a decent idea:)
December 30th, 2011 at 8:19 pm
My nominations for Coaching changes, if changes must be made:
Head Coach – Tom Clements
1) 19 season coaching experience. Played QB in CFL, was 7 time division all-star and entered their Hall of Fame.
2) Has been a quarterbacks coach in Green Bay (current) Pittsburgh, Kansas City and New Orleans, and had success in all of them.
3) Developed Aaron Rodgers. Need I say more?
So the guy is good at developing a QB and has coached on some of the most dominant NFC teams.
Offensive Coordinator – John Ramsdell
Currently the Quarterbacks Coach for the Chargers. Ramsdell worked with Trent Green and Kurt Warner in St Louis…when they were good. Under him, the Rams never ranked lower than 5th in passing offense. With the chargers, Philip Rivers is the second quarterback to pass for over 4,000 yards in 3 consecutive seasons.
Defensive Coordinator – Clarence Brooks
Currently the Defensive Line coach of the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens run a 4-3. They are 3rd in total defense and 2nd in sacks in the NFL. He has been with the Ravens for 7 years and he knows his stuff very well.
I would love this stellar lineup of coaches!
If we had those three guys here in those positions, we would become one of the most dominant teams in the NFL, both on offense and on defense.
December 30th, 2011 at 8:21 pm
Oops, forgot to mention, under Brooks, the Ravens have 47 sacks this year.
December 30th, 2011 at 9:20 pm
@BigMacAttack……..are you high? The guy who led a team to an 0-16 record is your first choice? lol
December 30th, 2011 at 9:23 pm
Ouch. May as well keep Raheem Morris. At least Morris had a winning season.
December 30th, 2011 at 11:02 pm
Pete, you might want to take a look again at the type of defense that the Ravens employ. Otherwise, I am impressed as usual with the organization and presentation of your posts.
December 30th, 2011 at 11:06 pm
I heard it is going to be Marv Levy, the 80 some year old Ex Great Buffalo Bills Coach. Reportedly, there were several NFL teams who wanted the 80 some year old Ex Coach, but Tampa won out because they have more and better nursing homes.
December 30th, 2011 at 11:59 pm
The HC must be able to attract top assistants, otherwise it is an exercise in futility.
December 31st, 2011 at 12:09 am
You gotta hire a coach who hasn’t won a superbowl yet!
December 31st, 2011 at 1:18 am
Max, that’s stupid.
December 31st, 2011 at 7:33 am
Okay, you guys go ahead and knock Rod Marinelli about the mess in Detroit, but much of that blame goes to Matt Millen, the worst GM in history. I understand the knocks on Rod, but he is doing a pretty good job in Chicago right now, and has been good everywhere except when he worked for Millen.
And too, as Millen was to blame for much then, so is Dominick for much now.
December 31st, 2011 at 8:57 am
How a out Joe Maddon?
December 31st, 2011 at 9:37 am
On top of all thats going, the Glazers continue to hide under there rock. Personally I think there the number one problem with this team. You get what you pay for, and frankly when it comes to the bucs theyve been doing there shopping at save a lot.
December 31st, 2011 at 3:50 pm
Do we really want an OC who is so hated by his teams fans as our head coach? Seriously I visited the Falcons SB Nation site before the first Falcons game this season and those dudes HATE Mularkey. Falcons fans almost universally believe their offense is better when Ryan is calling his own plays in no huddle than when Mularkey is calling plays.
December 31st, 2011 at 6:25 pm
@BigMacAttack, I’m with you on Rod Marinelli. Many players on the SB team said that Coach Rod Marinelli was the reason they made it all the way that season. POUND THE ROUND!!!! That was all Coach Rod Marinelli.