Looking Back At Horrible WRs
July 13th, 2016
“If only Mo Stovall could tackle.”
The year was 2010. Not that long ago.
But with every passing day, the fact the Bucs were robbed of a playoff berth that season stands out as one of the all-time most underrated coaching jobs in NFL history. Those Bucs were led by Raheem Morris, who the following season guided Tampa Bay to 10 straight losses to close the season and was fired.
On the 2010 defense, Barrett Ruud and Geno Hayes were your leading tacklers. Stylez White paced the team with 4.5 (!) sacks — yet the Bucs lost a playoff tiebreaker to the eventual Super Bowl champion Packers. The Packers would have missed the playoffs if the Bucs were not robbed of a game-winning touchdown catch by Kellen Winslow. It was wiped out by a terrible offensive pass interference call against the Lions that would have put the Bucs in the playoffs.
Even more stunning is when you look at who then-starting quarterback Josh Freeman had to throw to. The wide receiving corps was so putrid, Aaron Schatz of Football Outsiders, typing for BSPN, ranks the Bucs wide receivers that season one of the worst lots in the past decade.
10. 2010 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
WR1 Sammie Stroughter (31) / WR2 Mike Williams (est. 16) / WR3 Arrelious Benn (est. 28) / TE1 Kellen Winslow (67) / TE2 Jerramy Stevens (23)
This listing has a bit of an asterisk. The 2010 Bucs aren’t really 10th on this list if we include both wide receivers and tight ends. But if we only look at wide receivers, it’s hard to find a team over the past decade with less experience.
The No. 1 receiver on opening day was Stroughter, who had caught 31 passes as a seventh-round rookie the year before. (Yes, Joe knows Schatz is dead wrong and Mike Williams was named the No. 1 receiver in training camp and Benn was No. 2). Williams, a fourth-round pick, passed second-round pick Benn in training camp to earn a spot as the other wide receiver, so the Bucs’ top three receivers had a combined one year of NFL experience. The No. 4 receiver was Micheal Spurlock, a kick-return specialist with a total of four receptions in his first four NFL seasons. The No. 5 receiver, Maurice Stovall, was a 2006 third-round pick who never managed more than 24 catches in a season in his five years with Tampa Bay.
It really is stunning to remember how well that team did despite such a weak receiving group. Guess it goes to show just how important a run game can be for a passing attack.
No, Raheem Morris was not a good coach. But for one season, he worked a near-miracle.
July 13th, 2016 at 8:26 am
He was a good coach!…….team had no talent! Simple as that!
July 13th, 2016 at 8:27 am
Best coaching job in the last 10 years, especially when you consider what he had to work with from front office suits to coaches to players and a GM that unceremoniously dumped all the valuable veterans that would have provided some stability.
Got nothing but love and appreciation for Morris. He was youngry
July 13th, 2016 at 8:40 am
I agree with you guys. People laughed at him then but Coach Rah had a 10 win season with no budget and a terrible GM.
July 13th, 2016 at 8:41 am
IDK if I can name another coach who dI’d what he did with so little talent. That was a fun year. Bunch of young guys the league never heard of, but yet we kept winning. Wow, flash backs, Gen Hayes, Barret RUUUUUD. that’s the bucs luck tho, u finally have a decent season and go 10-6 and STILL get robbed of a playoff berth over a Frickin tiebreaker?? Cmon.
Stroughter as a no. 1?? Wow no wonder that was one of the worst corps I the league. That guy was a no. 4 at best. Mike Williams was a decent receiver but was more of a no. 2 than 1. And I always liked Benn, maybe cause he had the ability to be a good receiver in this league, and had the size and speed to go with it . He was a decent deep threat when healthy as well.
It just seemed like every one stepped up that year when needed, u had guys like Cody Grimm picking passes off and returning them. We got all the breaks it seemed it. Something we seem to never get anymore.
July 13th, 2016 at 8:43 am
What Rah did was nothing short of miraculous. He was hung out to dry by ownership and ridiculed for being too young and energetic. I’m 100% sure that he would’ve been able to take this team to the playoffs if given more talent.
July 13th, 2016 at 8:45 am
I liked Williams, Benn and Winslow. It could have been worse.
July 13th, 2016 at 9:37 am
Lovie wasted more money on bad system specific free agents, ex bears and cowboys than raheems entire payroll yet lovie gets to look up at Raheen on the bucs all time win list the rest of his pathetic coaching career. Glazers setup Raheem to fail. Glazer clowns focus was on paying debt down not building bucs. Raheem was given No GM, No front office, no payroll, no free agents and cheap assistant coaches. Raheem never stood no chance. Anyone listing Straughter as a number 1 is almost as hilarious is that bum murphy being considered a 3… hilarious
July 13th, 2016 at 9:38 am
rah is a good coach…..GO BUCS!!!
July 13th, 2016 at 10:33 am
That corp should show you something: scheme matters more than players.
The current WR corp is vastly superior top-to-bottom, that 2010 bunch.
And I suggest Koetter’s scheme is also superior.
Could be an interesting year in Tampa Bay.
July 13th, 2016 at 11:23 am
I ‘ll never forget his term for the team “youngry ” for young and hungry. In the end they turned out to be “yitty” for young and ——!
July 13th, 2016 at 12:07 pm
Joe had to bring up that Kellen Winslow call.
There is a LESSON in that call!!! Kellen Winslow was guilty of frequently pushing off to get open. He was mouthy with refs and he developed a bad rep. Hence the bad call.
And the LESSON? Wake up and smell the freaking coffee ME13. A moron doing the same kind of immature sht as you literally cost us a playoff spot!!! Grow up!
July 13th, 2016 at 12:07 pm
That 2010 team was the LUCKIEST team in franchise history. Without the uncanny streak of luck the team had that year, the record would have been 5-11 or 6-10 at best. But damn near every questionable call and lucky bounce went our way that year and at least 4 or 5 “wins” resulted simply from good fortune – something the team has been in short supply of ever since.
So if you ever wonder why the Bucs always seem to get screwed by “bad calls” or “unlucky bounces”, its because that “youngry” team used up 5 years worth of good fortune in one season – and ultimately it didn’t mean squat as the playoffs were missed in a 10 “win” season.
Now to be fair, Freewee played his ass off that year and Mike Williams and Winslow made a lot of big plays in the passing game. But the team as a whole was pretty devoid of legit NFL talent thanks to bad drafting by Allen and Dom combined with owners who had the tightest wallets in all of sports.
Ah – the good ol days…. LOL
July 13th, 2016 at 12:29 pm
Actually the reason for that year is because of Josh Freeman and those defensive guys played hard for Raheem.
July 13th, 2016 at 1:08 pm
i still scratch my head when I think of the 2010 bucs. Freeman hits on so many jump balls, we go 10-6, we had a bad roster, we had sooo may injuries… still hard to figure out how we did it.
July 13th, 2016 at 8:08 pm
This teams receivers have plenty of questions too; Vjax 33 coming off injury, asj always hurt, bell and hump inexperienced. I’d love to add a vet with some tred left on the tires as insurance. How bout it licht..
July 14th, 2016 at 3:30 am
All I remember was they gave the young coach bupkis in the free agent area…that was a pretty miraculous year if you think back…..good coach? Meh……but for that epoch in time they jelled as a cohesive unit
July 14th, 2016 at 4:56 am
Pickgrin calls us lucky but he knows we lost our top 3 pick to injury that year smdh
July 14th, 2016 at 10:08 am
No free agent signings for Rah? His second year they gave a boatload of money to that PUNTER from ATL that we held onto for far too long.
Yes, Rah was hung out to dry; but good coach? Probably not.
July 14th, 2016 at 4:01 pm
I’m not sure today’s crop is any better. An aging VJAX coming off double knee injuries combined with Mike “Hands of Stone” Evans and Adam Humphries doesn’t scare anyone. Brate, Stocker, and ASJ “The Human Chandelier” aren’t much better.
I’m not sure any of those guys could make any other NFL team right now. Maybe Evans would get a flier.