Raheem Revising History
December 16th, 2010
"Jimminy Christmas, Raheem. You're saying I won ugly. You're out of your freakin' skull. That was the best @#$%'n Super Bowl team of the decade. I put Brad Johnson in the @#$%'n Pro Bowl. You give me Josh Freeman and you think I'd win ugly? If I'm so ugly, then why don't you throw out my damn playbook already and get off my damn coaching tree."
Some things are sacred among Bucs fans. One would be the memories of the 2002 Super Bowl season.
These great moments are tattooed on the brains of legions of Bucs faithful. Joe’s getting chills.
Now Raheem Morris was a young man on that Super Bowl winnng staff. But it seems Raheem has forgotten just how dominant that team was.
Speaking on The Raheem Morris Show this week on WDAE-AM 620, Raheem talked about his 2010 Bucs winning ugly and divulged one of his memories of the ferocious 2002 squad.
“I was here in 2002, and I don’t remember ever having a pretty win. I think they all were ugly. You know, every single game we played up until the Philadelphia game out there [in the playoffs], they all were ugly. They were all grinders,” Raheem said. “We called it Buc Ball or Torture Ball, whichever one you prefer. They were all like that. We enjoy it [in 2010]. We play an exciting brand of football. If you come out and stadium and see, it’s dynamic.”
Now Joe nearly fell off his chair hearing this nonsense. First, Joe’s hoping Raheem isn’t comparing the two teams. Joe doesn’t think so. Joe’s memory recalls suffocating wins in 2002, when you felt the opposition had no prayer against the Bucs defense.
In fact, the 2002 Bucs won eight of their 12 regular season games by 14 points or more, then walloped San Francisco 31-6 in the playoffs before winning in Philly, the game Raheem referenced above. That’s hardly winning ugly every week.
Joe wonders if Chucky seethed while hearing Raheem’s comments on the air from his palatial Tampa estate.
December 16th, 2010 at 9:31 am
Although I love the Baby Bucs there is no way I’m ready yet to compare the 2002 Superbowl Dominant Bucs to this 2010 squad. I hope Rah Rah is not either.
December 16th, 2010 at 9:36 am
Ugly wins? Raheem, come on man! We scored 346 points and allowed 196. That’s a 150 point differential in the positive! Hard to have many ugly wins with that kind of season!? We crushed the Ravens in that ugly one 25-0, Oh and the some of the other ugly wins included 35-7 over Bengals, 20-6 and 34-10 over Falcons. 26-14, 38-24. Ugly, ugly wins! Strength and conditioning coaches must not pay that much attention to the seasons scores!
December 16th, 2010 at 9:37 am
Oops, meant……Quality control coaches…
December 16th, 2010 at 9:41 am
I remember some of those regular season games in 2002. Yes, the D was suffocating… but so was the offense. Brad Johnson was hurt (broken rib, I think) in several games and backup QB had to play… some ugly affairs. I don’t have access to the box scores now, but I recall several times where the D outscored the O… and where Gramatica was the most consistent non-defensive player. SI had the Bucs out of their top 10 in power rankings for almost the whole year. They also lost to the (Aaron Brooks-led) Saints TWICE that year.
Now I’m not taking ANYTHING away from the 2002 Bucs. When it mattered (in the playoffs) they turned it on and became very balanced. Kenyatta started blocking (and stopped holding/putting hands to the faces), Pittman held on to the ball, and Keyshawn shut up long enough to catch the damn ball (remember when he got mad and cut his sleeves because of fumbleitis?) But the regular season was ugly.
December 16th, 2010 at 9:47 am
OAR- the Ravens (Jeff Blake and Chris Redmon) and Bungles (Akili Smith and John Kitna???) were dreadful that year. Falcons were mediocre. Yes, a shutout is impressive.. but the Bucs shut out the 49ers THIS year, too.
December 16th, 2010 at 10:04 am
I realize it’s Joe’s job to fan the embers and evoke a large blog response, but I believe what Raheem is trying to do here is play up the underdog approach. He has a young team believing in themselves by telling them no one else believes in them but just believe in yourselves. He’s telling them ‘your no different than the Superbowl team’ so go win games.
He’s referred many times to wanting ‘angry workers’. The 2002 offense was very mediocre (ranked 15th in offense i believe), but the D was stiffling at times.
This is all just Raheemspeak propaganda to his team. And it’s working. The youngest team in the league has 8 wins. Keep doubting him Joe..he thrives on that!
December 16th, 2010 at 10:28 am
If Gruden had Freeman…Lmao that would require, you know actually drafting a QB with a high upside. Not QB’s at the end of the draft and starting 40 year old noodle arm has beens. Who gives a damn what Gruden thinks. Time to move on.
December 16th, 2010 at 10:39 am
The defense was dominant, a once in a lifetime type defense that was wonderul to watch.
The offense not so much. The offense didn’t really come on until the last couple of games and in the playoffs. There were more than one game where they put up only field goals and won.
Oar,
That Ravens win is a perfect example. Great game, a shutout and a 25 point win. The offense only scored 9 of the 25 points in that game.
December 16th, 2010 at 10:45 am
Thechnicaly the 9 points were from special teams but you know what I mean.
December 16th, 2010 at 10:52 am
Defense scored 5 tds or 35 points out of that 346. Martin kicked 32 FGs or 96 out of 346. We had 23 passing tds and 6 rushing. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think we were some offensive powerhouse, but we weren’t UGLY! Even though it was the same defense, the Rob Johson and Shawn King games were ugly, no doubt! What did you expect from those back-ups?
December 16th, 2010 at 10:57 am
NewEra,
You do realize that Gruden quote is fictious, made up, by the Joes, right? For entertainment purposes, right?
Again, I ask what high upside QB should Gruden have drafted then?
December 16th, 2010 at 11:05 am
Wow, lovely bunch of Bucs fans! Doggin the 2002 SuperBowl Champions, possibly the only one we get! I think they were great and would have beat any of the AFC teams that year! You guys crack me up with the defense this and that. No sh-t! In the top 10 defense for a decade(7 times in the top 5), DUH! What did you expect???? But, the offense did finally start to show up for a change and compliment our AWESOME defense!
December 16th, 2010 at 11:06 am
Oar,
I’m with you.
I think the Defense was just so good that it over shadowed the offense. And no matter what the offense did it was always going to be the defense that people remembered.
Thinking back almost every memory I have of that season is from the defense.
December 16th, 2010 at 11:08 am
Thank goodness for our UGLY 2002 Buccaneers!
December 16th, 2010 at 11:15 am
Yes of coarse I realize that was made up. That does not however change the fact that the Gruden Regime made no attempts at drafting or trading up in the draft to take a chance on a franchise QB prospect. Well obviously there would havd been many occasions to make such a move. Big Ben, Jay Cutler just to name a couple. Just remember how far the Jets moved down in the draft to take Sanchez last year. Its all about taking a shot. None are guaranteed but it sure sounds a lot better then trotting out the likes of Brian Gressie.
December 16th, 2010 at 11:18 am
Sorry if I sound grumpy, but 26 years of watching/going and waiting will do that!
BTW I watch our SuperBowl dvd every year and enjoy it! Watch it and you might be surprised about the UGLY team!
December 16th, 2010 at 11:26 am
NewEra,
Well in 2004 we didnt have a 2nd rnd, so not sure what we would have used to move up 5 slots get the Ben Rapistberger. In 2006, we would have had to move up 13 slots for Jay INT Cutler and missed out on our O-line beast Davin.
December 16th, 2010 at 11:39 am
Oar,
Don’t get me wrong. I loved every second of that season…well except for the losses. I also bring out the DVD all the time.
Some of the games were grinders on offense as Raheem called them but you know what that’s ok because that just shows how awesome that defense really was.
December 16th, 2010 at 11:41 am
One of those wins was 15-0 over the bears. 5 field goals. Not the prettiest
December 16th, 2010 at 11:43 am
I understand this new team has sustained some injuries, but when have the Bucs ever had a better, more explosive offense? I would say for the most part that they are running on 7 cylinders, but when they are hitting on all 8, they are crazy wicked good. Their potential upside is off the charts and Raheem & Dominick deserve a lot of credit. I love Chucky, hate Bruce Allen, but Rahdom has done in 2 years what his predecessors couldn’t do in 5 years. I can’t count the first 2 years because of the traded away picks. If the 2002 Bucs had the 2010 offense to go with that defense, they would have been undefeated, same as if the 2010 Bucs had the 2002 defense. It would be Twoperbowls.
December 16th, 2010 at 11:46 am
By reading the last sentence in his quote you can tell hes just trying to get people to the stadium.
December 16th, 2010 at 11:46 am
d-money,
I know! Its cool, afterall we’re all just Bucs fans! Just have differerent opinions about that year being described as “ugly”?!
“and I don’t remember ever having a pretty win. I think they all were ugly.”???? ALL of them? Shutouts aren’t pretty? I just don’t buy it, Raheem!
BUT, Go Bucs!
December 16th, 2010 at 11:49 am
Nick,
Again, even though it was the same defense, the Rob Johson and Shawn King games were ugly, no doubt! What did you expect from those back-ups?
December 16th, 2010 at 12:08 pm
I am with OAR on this one too guys. I also think it is Morris pumping up the troops. Maybe we will see another great team like the 2002 Bucs, but it is not this year.
December 16th, 2010 at 12:10 pm
Yeah, I can buy that BigMac…
December 16th, 2010 at 12:10 pm
Here is the breakdown of what Raheem was talking about:
2002 (from gamebooks)/nothing on losses since coach says they are for losers
Gm 1 vs NO 26-20L (ot)
Gm 2 at Balt 25-0w complete grind/0 off tds/15-0 gm late 3rd due to Truth punt ret td & safety/brooks int td sealed it midway 4thQ
Gm 3 vs Stl 26-14w grind also/2 off tds/Rams score td 4th cut lead 19-14/brooks seals w/int td, again, for final margin
Gm 4 at Cin 35-7w blowout/easy win/lots of off/td’s
Gm 5 at Atl 20-6w GRIND all way/1 off td/despite playing doug johnson who had 3 ints/only 10-6 gm ino 4th/again sealed by brooks int td (3rd straight gm)
Gm 6 vs Cle 17-3w Grind again/10-0 gm into 4th despite Cle w/no off/ sealed by Alstott runs/1yd td
Gm7 at Phil 20-10L
Gm8 vs Car 12-9w COMPLETE GRIND/epitome of what Raheem talked about/No Brad Johnson off terrible/3 Gramatica fg’s of 47yds or more in 4th Q/last one won it :05 left
Gm9 vs MN 38-24w EASY win/complete blowout w/lots of off/B Johnson 5td passes
Gm10 vs Car 23-10w Grind, again/trailed 7-0 after 1/10-10 at half/picked Peete twice in 4th Q leading 17-10 and kicked Fg’s for final margin
Gm11 vs GB 21-7w score another GRIND for Raheem, trailed 7-0 after 1st/took 3 2nd half picks of Favre to seal it/last one by Dexter Jackson set up short td pass for final margin in 4th
Gm12 at NO 23-20L
Gm13 vs Atl 34-10w Easy blowout/lots of off tds/B Johnson 4td passes
Gm14 at Det 23-20w COMPLETE GRIND (again) tied 10-10 in 2nd/retied by Lions midway 4th at 20/Johnson leads winning fg drive final 3 min
Gm15 vs Pit 17-7L
Gm16 at Chi (Champaign) 15-0w FINAL COMPLETE GRIND/despite 4 ints by Henry Burris/off does nothing w/o Brad Johnson/Gramatica has to kick 3 4thQ fg’s for final margin
So, the totals:
4 losses (stats are for losers)
12 wins: 8 of them WERE GRINDS where game was still in doubt until 4thQ, 4 of them offense dominated and were breath easy wins.
I’d say, by and large, Raheem knew what he was talking about with the comments about “Buc or Torture Ball” Monday night.
December 16th, 2010 at 12:37 pm
Of our 12 regular season wins that yr, i’d say 3 of them fell into the ugly category (12-9 @ Carolina, 23-20 @ Detroit, 15-0 @ Chicago), the rest we pretty much just beat the crap out of our opponents. The one that stands out to me was our 34-10 walloping over Atlanta, when Vick proclaimed he would have his best game of the season.
December 16th, 2010 at 1:36 pm
Nice breakdown Jimmy the Greek. I think you made the case. I will say that niether the current offense or defense is ready to compare to the d of 2002. But, whateveer it takes to motivate these young guys is OK in my book.
December 16th, 2010 at 1:37 pm
Also, notice the common theme of number 55! WHO’S YOUR FAVORATE PLAYER!!!!
December 16th, 2010 at 1:43 pm
I was AT the San Fran game in the playoffs, the game we all got big huge flags… we smoke them before halftime.
So where was Raheem’s dumb ass???
December 16th, 2010 at 1:51 pm
Uh, Buc You…On the side lines being paid to be there. You are a freaking fool.
I was at the NO loss, that sucked.
December 16th, 2010 at 2:09 pm
“I was at the NO loss, that sucked.”
what kind of comment was that??? All losses suck.
Rah said they were all grinds and he was WRONG, re-writing history.
The Bucs blew out San Fran in the play off game no less, and that game was a grind? Rah must have been smoking what he rolled up for TJax on that day.
The Bucs also blew out the Raiders at the Super Bowl might I add. The best Buc memory in all of the Buc’s history!
December 16th, 2010 at 2:12 pm
Joe, this was a FUNNY ASS quote:
“Jimminy Christmas, Raheem. You’re saying I won ugly. You’re out of your freakin’ skull. That was the best @#$%’n Super Bowl team of the decade. I put Brad Johnson in the @#$%’n Pro Bowl. You give me Josh Freeman and you think I’d win ugly? If I’m so ugly, then why don’t you throw out my damn playbook already and get off my damn coaching tree.”
December 16th, 2010 at 5:03 pm
I was at most of the games that year. The offense was a pitiful grind almost every game until the playoffs began. Our defense was scoring with regularity. I loved that SuperBowl team, but Raheem is right. We all bitched all that season about how boring the offense was, and how the Defense had to carry the team all season. This offense, in it’s infancy, is already waaaaay more fun to watch than that offense! Now if we can get this defense to remind us of THAT defense, life would be perfect here in Buc Land!!
December 16th, 2010 at 5:42 pm
@Capt.Tim
The offense back in 2002 wasn’t that bad actually. Brad Johnson had a good season and went to the pro bowl. We had a pretty good receiving corps with Keyshawn, Jurevicious, and McCardell. And Alstott did a great job as usual running people over.
I agree that it’s been fun watching Freeman and the young guys grow up so far this year, but our offense is still not anything great yet. Being honest, it’s still a little “boring.” Scoring points has been a struggle for us this year, and even though I’m tired of hearing it from the sports media, it’s true that we haven’t beaten a team with a winning record.
I know the offense will likely get better with the more experience they get, but right now you’re way too happy about an offense that’s only ranked 21st in the league. Like you, I’m really excited about the offense and think it has the potential to be VERY good. In other words, elite. But please give it some time. If the Bucs offense in 2002 was dreadful, we would not have gotten to the super bowl. Our defense may have been the main reason we got there, but the O played a big role too. In my opinion, Brad Johnson played a key role in our season because his play at QB that year was far better than anyone elses we had had in past years. Better than Dilfer, King, etc.
December 16th, 2010 at 6:35 pm
Yeah Raheem is wrong on this one. 2002 was the ONE year that Chucky’s offense was consistently decent.
December 16th, 2010 at 6:36 pm
It boggles my mind how the very same offense with the same players sucked the very next year.
December 17th, 2010 at 9:47 am
Buc You…He was only talking about the regular season games, and we had close games and slow offense. You are reading too much unto it. The 2002 Bucs are my favorite team of all time, how could they not be as a Bucs fan. All losses do suck, I was just stating that I was at that game. Our offense really kicked butt in the playoffs, and kicked it up a notch in the Super Bowl. To say the offense was awesome during the regular season would be a stretch, to say the defense was awesome in the regular season would be an understatement. You asked were Morris was, I believe he had a better seat, time in the film room, worked directly with the players and coaches, all of this makes him way more educated than fans like you and I. Do you simply read into everything exactly what you want, or do you lack in the reading comprehension department?