Rick Stroud: Glazers Won’t Pay For Name Coach
December 17th, 2011
It’s unclear to Joe why St. Pete Times Bucs beat writer Rick Stroud refuses to believe that Team Glazer is true to its word and doesn’t consider money when planning to make the Bucs a winner.
To refresh fans’ memories, about 20 months ago Joel Glazer said “money will never be an issue” when building the Buccaneers.
But in a column today Stroud speculates about Raheem Morris’ future and urinates in the face of Glazer’s statement, saying the Bucs won’t open their wallets wide enough to replace Raheem with a big-name coach.
Personally, I believe the Glazer family (which owns the Bucs) is rooting for Morris to win the final three games, silence some of the critics and keep its plan on course.
Why? For starters, they like Morris. Bryan Glazer sits next to Morris on the team charter to and from each road game. They’re frequently together socially.
But a bigger reason should be obvious: The Bucs aren’t looking to pay a big-name, proven coach $5.7 million a year knowing full well they can’t hire one without agreeing to spend at least $50 million of salary cap space on veteran free agents.
Hmm, $50 million on free agents next season? That’s a pretty ludicrous figure. The Bucs could have seriously upgraded their talent level and depth this season for about $15 million.
Joe also must add that the Bucs and the rest of the league, per all legitimate reports, will be forced to spend a cash minimum starting in 2013, so in some ways the Bucs job would be very attractive to a big-name coach. The Bucs currently have good young talent in the trenches and at quarterback, and a pile of money to spend on the horizon.
But all that aside, it’s entertaining and interesting to Joe how Team Glazer says one thing and a beat writer scoffs at it and ascribes sinister motives to ownership.
Joe would be interested to know why Stroud thinks its “obvious” Team Glazer won’t invest heavily in a head coach. They did it with Gruden’s second contract, then fired him three years early and paid him off a fortune. They also had no problem hiring veteran assistants Jeff Jagodzinski and Jim Bates and then firing them and paying them to watch soap operas for years.
If Raheem had a respectable season this year, Team Glazer surely would have been forced to extend his contract and pay him at least a few million a season. If Raheem returns next season and has success as a lame duck coach, then he’s sittting on a huge future payday.
Joe’s not buying that money will be an issue in deciding the next head coach.
December 17th, 2011 at 3:25 pm
I’m tempted to make a speech, but I won’t because it’s game day. Suffice to say, Rich Stroud isn’t the only one with this opinion, Adam Schefter is offering a similar opinion on PFT.
December 17th, 2011 at 3:37 pm
The NFL Network crew said that Morris was gonna be fired after the Jax loss but the reason they didn’t do it was because they don’t think anyone else can be the interim coach.
I don’t think Raheem will be back after this year. He has only one year left on his contract, and there’s going to be a lot of pressure from the fanbase and critics.
December 17th, 2011 at 3:45 pm
What? Money won’t be an issue? This the cheapest NFL franchise since 2004. It’s only about the money in Glazerland.
Why do you think rah rah cliche is the head coach? Because he was the fastest talking person under consideration?
The good news: it doesn’t matter who the coach is, it is impossible to do worse, rah rah cliche us the worst coach. Ever.
December 17th, 2011 at 4:31 pm
It wasn’t just that Rah came cheap, it was more that he was available and quickly. If you fire a coach like Gruden, with a better than 500 win %, you have to do it in the first couple of days of off season. If you wait a few weeks the better candidates are off the market and would have organizational issues putting together a staff. The Glazerhouses just lucked out that the best available was Rah and his band of idiots.
December 17th, 2011 at 4:36 pm
sick of hearing about money. the team is not cheap we spend a ridiculous amount of money in the beginning of the decade. won a super bowl with aging stars and then got stuck with a bunch of expensive over 30 year old players and lost. the glazers are rebuilding this team so we can be good for years to come. LETS PUT IT LIKE THIS. the average joe gets himself into 15k worth of credit card debt. spends the next 5 years getting himself out, now should he relax a bit or get himself into debt again. yea there were some players we could have signed to an offseason contract but we won 10 games last year. obviously they wanted to see what this team could do with a harder schedule and another year under their belts. and in the beginning of the season it looked like we were playing well. the losing is a combination of things between coaching lockout youth. the glazers will add a few free agents this year they want to compete, if they didnt want to compete they wouldnt have traded 5 draft picks for a head coach to win a superbowl
December 17th, 2011 at 4:39 pm
plus donald penn got a huge contract while having weight concerns, davin joseph got a huge contract playing decent. winslow got a huge contract playing decent, faine did also was playing good last year or so not that great. plus the busts that we have signed with every team does at some point the glazers are paying people. NAME ONE PERSON WHO WALKED FROM THIS TEAM GOT BIG MONEY AND IS A STAR NOW….none the last time i though we should have kept someone what dwayne white i believe de that went to detriot and didnt do much their either. sapp and lynch dont count they were older and that was all gruden and allen nothing to do with glazers. if freeman gets back on track he is going to demand a huge contract, blount will need money, williams too. within two years glazers will be forced to anyway to shut it
December 17th, 2011 at 4:41 pm
and enough of the big name coaches, look at the harbough brothers both new coaches both successful cowher won one championship, yea it would be great to have him but its not like the guy is god and won five championships he won one and thats only because he had one of the best qb’s to play the game
December 17th, 2011 at 4:51 pm
They would have to pay someone to coach this team !….
😉
December 17th, 2011 at 5:05 pm
money is the farthest thing from the glazer boys mind.
they only charge fot tickets cause they have to.
probably havent even been told that
they have lowest payroll in league.
not an issue whatsoever.
December 17th, 2011 at 5:11 pm
I’m so sick and tired of hearing that the Glazer’s do not want to spend money. Yes I’m very disturbed by the Bucs regression this season. However why wouldn’t Team Glazer want a winner. The Bucs surprised the league last season and everyone kind of (in my opinion) weren’t to worried about them. That didn’t happen this season. We loved Raheem when he took over the defense and the team turned it on. Now things have took a turn backwards now we want him gone. Makes NO sense to me
December 17th, 2011 at 5:29 pm
Joe, I am committed with team on championships. I will sit home and root and not spend a penny, Money is no object, but i will not spend for tickets, jersey, or any other Buc paraphernalia!
Let me be clear on this, I am committed to this team and championships! That is all.
December 17th, 2011 at 5:37 pm
thibs5599 not sure what rock you crawled out from but yes money is a huge factor with the Glazers. No free agents, rookie GM(cheap), rookie coach (cheap), there is not one thing the Glazers have done in recent memory that screams “hey we are all in with this team money is not an object.” Lowest payroll in the league since 2004 and nothing to say that will change except a league mandate which kicks in in 2013. That being said Gruden is off our payroll next year and the Glazers will HAVE TO SPEND in 2013. So my prediction is that hopefully the see the writing on the wall and know that another no name coach will not bring in fans and they will bite the bullet and hire a big name this year one year early. The other nightmare scenario is holding onto Raheem until 2013. The fans may light torches and storm one Buc Place by then but hopefully they see the light!!! FIRE RAHEEM NOW!!!
December 17th, 2011 at 5:42 pm
One more thing, the Glazers are business men first. To not hire a big name coach this year regardless of the NFL tv money would be a bad business decision. I believe gate ticket receipts concessions and NFL apparel money in addition to once again being the laughing stock of the NFL will force the Glazers hand. I could be wrong and they are just going to sit back and reap TV money and could care less about the team. I pray I am wrong and if I am fans need to band together to put pressure to force a sale because at that point we have seen the second coming of the Culverhouses if we have not already.
December 17th, 2011 at 5:55 pm
step one fire dom and rah
step two offer cowher job at highest salary in league and hire whatever gm he wants
and give him free rein in free agency.
if he turns it down same for fisher.
two very good steps toward credibility
since money is no object why not.
December 17th, 2011 at 6:20 pm
i don’t think money is the issue but I do think they hired Raheem before he really was ready, the Harbaughs had much more experience, as did someone like a Rex Ryan ( like him or not he wins ) but hey were experienced so its not just hiring a big name coach you can do it with an experienced coordinator etc. also I think we should look at Rob ryan
December 17th, 2011 at 7:30 pm
Jeff Fischer or Dom Capers would be great upgrades and proven leaders who command disapline.
December 17th, 2011 at 7:36 pm
I don’t care if the Glazers spend a lot of money on a coach, spend a lot of money on some good players next year.
Big money on a coach means your getting one of the big name retreads that are good in name only, as in, the last job they had. Seldom do they do good the second time around. Thats because things are NOT the same!
Look around the NFL, look at the successful teams, they hired good prominent coordinators, and thats what the Bucs need to do if they are going to get rid of Raheem Morris.
December 17th, 2011 at 7:46 pm
Joe……I know you are smarter than this….if the Glazers were being honest and money was not an issue, than Tulloch, J. Joseph, D Free, S Holmes, Caddy, Rudd, Puzluzney, and many other valuable missing peices might be on this team, we might be competitive,…..oh wait……I forgot about the punter…..nevermind, money is no issue…..SMH
This team is bush league from top to bottom. It’s a shame that the only ones that seem to care are the fans….
December 17th, 2011 at 9:14 pm
So you’d have signed Jonathan Joseph with Barber and Talib on the team? Not sure Free has better stats this year than Trueblood. Santonio Holmes was acquired in a trade and Caddy, Ruud and Pozluszny weren’t about money.
December 18th, 2011 at 12:20 am
follow the money Joe. Go to a game and compare it to the experience that you had a few years ago. everything since ManU has been done on the cheap. You can put your head in the sand and argue the fact but te Glazers have not done everything fiscally possible to win. They are trying to maximize their dollar return/investment ratio period. They feel like it is by going on the cheap and getting the TV money fans be d…..d.
Do some real reporting and quit taking up for these guys by saying oh.. we paid Gruden a bunch. And look at Koenon. Morris is paid like a mid level coordinator and yet he is doing two jobs for the price of less than one. He might be a great coach, but he might be as bad as we think. We don’t know and won’t because he was set to fail from the jump.
Really ashame.
December 28th, 2011 at 2:38 pm
Love United – Hate Glazer! Green and Gold till the club gets sold! Die you twat!