What Role Will Fan Sentiment Play?
November 28th, 2011
“Our fans are our stockholders. They’re what we play for — the people in our stadium and the ones that watch on TV. That’s what it’s all about: winning and how they feel about the team. If they don’t feel good about the team, then there’s something wrong. . . I think you all know the sense that’s out there. It was time for a change.” — Bucs owner Bryan Glazer following the firing of Chucky in 2009.
As Joe ponders the future of Raheem Morris, as many fans are now, Joe comes back to the above quote from Team Glazer following Chucky’s surprise firing in 2009.
Team Glazer essentially made it clear that the pulse of Bucs fans was a critical element to ending the Chucky era. So Joe must assume that same pulse still matters to the owners, especially as they’ve become more fan-friendly and fan-conscious since 2009, and as they struggle to sell tickets.
That written, Raheem’s approval rating is no doubt at an all-time low with only five games to right the 2011 ship.
After this season, Joe wholeheartedly believes Team Glazer will do what they do following each campaign; evaluate everything and set a direction for the following season. But how will fan feedback shape the course?
Readers of JoeBucsFan.com often confuse what Joe believes should happen versus what Joe thinks will happen. Those are two unrelated animals that unfortunately get blended together by some. Make no mistake. Joe is always clear about what he’s writing about and, when Joe has a take, he trumpets it loud and proud.
At this point, Joe’s 100 percent certain Team Glazer brings back Raheem for a fourth season if the Bucs win seven games. If it’s six wins or less after a 4-2 start, Joe’s pretty sure there will be such widespread fan outrage that Team Glazer will be forced to act on how fans feel — something we already know they hold dear.
November 28th, 2011 at 10:08 am
If this team operates on fan sentiment then we’re in trouble. Besides, most of the outrage is against the Glazers. Can they fire themselves? Why don’t we start an “Eddie for Owner” Campaign
November 28th, 2011 at 10:08 am
why would the cheapest owners in the nfl for 7 straight years fire the cheapest head coach in the nfl who is doing two jobs for the price of one
November 28th, 2011 at 10:09 am
I don’t see 3 wins in this team. 1, maybe 2 at most. Fans are the ones who buy the tickets. If Rah is back next year the fans wont be.Fan sentiment should play a roll in their decision.
November 28th, 2011 at 10:12 am
I would love to see DeBartelo own this team. [Kappa: Joe knows you are p!ssed off with the team but try to temper the personal attacks. Thanks — Joe ].
November 28th, 2011 at 10:31 am
If they were ‘more fan friendly since 2009’ and about the fans ‘that watch on TV’ then there wouldn’t be blackouts.
It is time for major changes, starting with gutting the coaching staff.
November 28th, 2011 at 10:47 am
@Meh — Well they did buy all the tickets in 2009, and I appreciate the cheaper tickets and the half-price food on opening day. But give me a new coach and I’ll be damn excited.
November 28th, 2011 at 10:50 am
If they followed fan sentiment we would have a new coach every year!
November 28th, 2011 at 11:05 am
I really like Raheem, but he’s not a good coach, just hasn’t proven it. It’s simple as that.
November 28th, 2011 at 11:09 am
If there was fan sentiment, then the Bucs would got out and get some freed agents: Sproles, Jonathan Joseph, Doug free.
November 28th, 2011 at 11:13 am
The problem is we don’t really know what the Glazers are trying to do with the Bucs. After winning a Super Bowl by opening their checkbook and trading away future gems they seem to be trying to rebuild the team the Rays way. If true we shouldn’t be surprised the GM and HC staff and coach the team the way they do. The Bucs remain a team in transition. They don’t like stats but they appear to build their game plans to counter what the other team does best and catch them napping rather than what the Bucs do best. If this is really what they’re up to they may need to let the fans in on the plan before the parking lot’s empty.
November 28th, 2011 at 11:13 am
The fan sentiment is we need to spend money to bring in better players. Just look at the sad state of our running backs. There is nobody behind Blount. Nobody. So I blame Dom and the owners more than I blame Rah. Give him some playmakers.
November 28th, 2011 at 11:24 am
Bottom line, Raheem just doesn’t have the skill set for either job HC or DC. I’m not questioning his intelligence, just his experience and ability to lead men. Olsen has been a failure at each of his stops, he needs to go back to being a QB coach, elsewhere, while he’s at it, take Van Pelt with him, as he hasn’t gotten thru to Josh at all apparently. Remove Raheem & Olsen from the equation and I think this team can flourish, the talent is here, it just needs to be coached and led by a PROFESSIONAL coaching staff, from what I have seen these last 3 seasons, especially this one, is Raheem is not a professional.
November 28th, 2011 at 11:25 am
Jeff Fisher
November 28th, 2011 at 11:40 am
Joe, I am genuinely confounded with the Raheem hot seat issue. You used a pretty exact formula in your last paragraph to determine Morris’ tenure with the Bucs. Is this just your honest opinion or do you have knowledge from sources at Team Glazer that have set this marker and should we all now use this measurement going forward to determine the outcome? If as you suggest that Morris will return if he wins 7 games, does this mean that he will be ham-strung next year (no new DC or OC) because I believe it is also your contention that no Coordinator will want to pull up roots and relocate with a coach that has only 1 year left on his contract. To go forward without any changes seems like a fait accompli to me!
November 28th, 2011 at 11:40 am
I feel sorry for Morris. Could he have been or will be a good coach, not without more seasoning. He was a D-backs coach thrust into the limelight. The Glazers probably tossed the coin and hopped it would work out for the best. However, it did not. I think it is time to move on and let Morris return to the defensive backfield to get that much needed seasoning. Very few people in any profession have the maturity to step up and take the top jobs.
I am ok with Jeff Fisher.
November 28th, 2011 at 12:03 pm
Sorry . but I believe with his 10=6 record from last year will get Morris another year , even though I can see he has no control over this team . If they bring in a new head coach , they basically will have to start over . New offense , defense , special teams the whole ball of wax . I do believe Morris should hire a D- coordinator and just coach , if he can . OH well , we’ll get em’ next year .
November 28th, 2011 at 12:13 pm
I have lost all trust and respect for the ownership of this team, and that is putting it politely.
November 28th, 2011 at 12:43 pm
The Glazers can get a pretty good feel of the fans’ “sentiment” this coming Sunday when many come dressed up as an empty seat to show their support.
November 28th, 2011 at 12:54 pm
It’s going to be a fun, fun off season. New coach speculation, obsessing over the draft and hearing Dom and Raheem own up to the fact that they need to add some DEPTH in free agency. This year is a disaster, and it’s quickly getting worse. I say that if we end up finishing behind Carolina (I can’t believe I’m saying that’s a possibility, but it is) Raheem may need to go. This town will run him out of the state of Florida, right or wrong. Last place in the division is unacceptable.
November 28th, 2011 at 1:02 pm
Joe here,
@Macabee — What’s to be confused? Joe defines “hot seat” as a job not guaranteed for this year or next, so Raheem is certainly on the hot seat, as Joe wrote about yesterday. Rick Stroud put him there today, as well. That’s no real leap with the team at 4-7.
Joe’s simply giving his opinion here in this post. Of course, Joe has know knowledge from One Buc regarding a “magic number” for Raheem. But if the Bucs only manage two wins to finish 6-10, Joe believes there will be so much fan backlash, that it would seem impossible for Team Glazer not to make significant changes in the coaching ranks. Whether that’s Raheem or not, who knows? But Joe would start over if Team continues to regress. Believe Joe, if Joe’s ready to call for Raheem’s head, you’ll read about it here. Joe’s not there at all.
November 28th, 2011 at 1:04 pm
The only thing that will IMMEDIATELY improve the play, fan sentiment and sell tickets is to bring in a proven head coach – yes, even if the Glazers have to spend money. Jeff Fisher will do the trick.
The reason they responded to fan sentiment last time is: Gruden didn’t want to purge the roster of higher-paid (if they were better) players while rebuilding through the draft and avoiding free agency – this was a cost-cut more than a rebuild (every team drafts players every year so every nfl team is in a constant state of rebuilding).
Don’t give me the firing Gruden cost the Glazers millions argument, in the short term, in cost them a little, but in the longer term it saved money. You now have much a cheaper GM, Head Coach and no defensive coordinator to pay (Monte was making millions). Factor in the purge of Brooks, Dunn, June, Ike etc and they saved money by bring in the fRahd regime.
November 28th, 2011 at 1:09 pm
The best thing for the team would be to fire Rah and hire someone like Fisher. However, I honestly believe that the team would be made better just by removing Rah. The lack of discipline and jovial practice atmosphere and poor tackling and penalties and poor-game-planning will be eliminated with almost anyone else as the head coach.
November 28th, 2011 at 1:13 pm
very nice work mr. joe. u called the glazer boys out fairly.
my only disagreement is that victories over the lowly panthers and jags will reduce the discontent. dont see that.
November 28th, 2011 at 1:18 pm
I wouldn’t mind Philly firing Andy Reid and bringing him here. Reid has a proven track record and would have a lot less pressure to win in Tampa.
November 28th, 2011 at 1:21 pm
I have been a loyal Bucs fan for quite some time. However, the current product is not worth what I have been paying. Blame the coach, the players, the GM, or the owners…It doesn’t matter to me. I will not be renewing my season tickets because I feel like I was ripped off this year. I would much rather attend a Lightning game.
November 28th, 2011 at 1:32 pm
@holymoly: Starting over from scratch has worked pretty well for San Francisco, even without the benefit of an off-season. Think it shows what a quality coaching staff can do in a limited time frame, even with an average QB and a few quality players mixed with some youth and journeymen. Would be willing to take that leap over what the current regime is offering. Seems like the biggest obstacle in bringing in an established head coach would be to get Dominik to agree to share the personnel decisions.
November 28th, 2011 at 1:49 pm
There is talk that Steve Spagnuolo will be replaced after the Season. He is a great defensive coordinator and it might be worth pursuing as a DC again. I would like to see Raheem remain as head coach, because I feel that Greg Olson has been responsible for the major problems on offense. Even when K2 was flagged late yesterday, he should have kept running Blount. Yes it was 1’st and 10 but Blount was getting 8,10,16 yards per carry on the drive. SO the the brilliant Greg Olson again outsmarted himself, put Blumpkin and passed and sucked and punted. I believe Raheem can get the job done but he needs a new OC and DC so that he can better focus on the Big Picture. I really hate to bash them, especially when they are down, but Lumpkin is the worst NFL back I have ever seen, bar none, he is horrible. He doesn’t block, and if he tries to, he goes after the wrong defender. It is so hard to watch when Lumpkin is in, because he is totally incompetent. Why don’t they run the ball on 3’rd and 2??? Again Lumpkin comes in and they know exactly what you are going to do. Greg Olson would have a hard team keeping a High School job right now. He is beyond his level of reasoning and comprehension. It is sad, I really support Raheem but feel he is in a bad situation, much of which has to fall on Mark Dominick. Getting rid of Cadi was so wrong.
November 28th, 2011 at 1:55 pm
BigMacAttack:
Is he? The Rams arguably have more talent on defense than the Bucs yet they stink out loud on defense.
The trick people have to bear in mind is that with Raheem only under contract through 2012, who exactly is going to uproot their family for just one year?
November 28th, 2011 at 2:11 pm
Yeah Joe I was about to highlight that as well. Spags is coaching one of the worst defenses in the entire league, Wells just ran for 220 on them yesterday. How’s he different than Raheem? Spags isn’t the answer.
I suppose we’ll have to wait and see, but if Andy Reid becomes available he’s a tough one to pass on. More so than Fisher and Cowher, Reid has been as consistent as they come, his only problem is he’s coaching in the crap hole of the U.S. known as Philadelphia. Like I said though, we’ve gotta see how the season finishes.
November 28th, 2011 at 2:13 pm
Mcabee is right. You don’t bring in new talent if you keep the same old incompetent coaching staff. Wholesale changes need to be made to create a new culture of discipline and accountability. Start benching players this week to see if the backups are any good for next year as depth. If the Glazer quote is true, then the fans need to stay away from the RayJay to make their point clear, it’s either Raheem or the fans. The Glazers need to show their commitment to the fans. If Raheem stays, you’ll know they don’t care about the fans.
November 28th, 2011 at 2:17 pm
K2:
Not sure what people see in Fisher. Not a bad coach but what exactly did he do in Tennessee? His postseason record was worse than Cowher’s.
November 28th, 2011 at 2:18 pm
Joe, that’s why Raheem needs to go. We need a new OC and a new DC, and the candidate pool is needlessly shallow with a lame duck head coach.
November 28th, 2011 at 3:04 pm
I would rather start over now than wait for another crappy year to improperly coach and ruin our young core of players. Raheem and his “Band of Idiots” have a 50/50 shot at a winning season next year. Last year was almost just dumb-luck that we won 10. It certainly wasn’t the coaching which for all intents and purposes is the same as this years coaching. We should not have to wait on the “Breaks” to have a winning team. Our team should be coached and progressed properly before it’s too late and we are rebuilding again due to players getting hurt or getting away from the Bucs. Fire Raheem and his “Band of Idiots” today as far as I’m concerned. We won’t make the playoffs and we might only win 1 or 2 more. Crap… Simply crap.
November 28th, 2011 at 3:16 pm
I agree Meh, If there is any question about Morris’ ability to make this team a winner, he should be replaced this year. As I stated in my earlier post, to bring him back under conditions of uncertainty with only 1 year left on his contract means a lame duck session and no good DC or OC is going to expose his career to such risk. I personally don’t think Morris is singularly THE problem, he is A problem that could be adresssed if the other problems are adressed too. The Glazers are highly sucessful businessmen. They knew exactly what they were doing when they put a position coach in as HC. There is a strategy and Dominik is Keeper of the Flame. For every body out there that thinks a high profile coach like Cowher, Fisher, or Reid is going to come here and work for Dominik under the circumstances that Morris has had to contend with is not being realistic. If the Glazers had wanted to, they could have done that in 2009. I hope he is released so everyone can realize that this was no after school project gone bad!
November 28th, 2011 at 3:40 pm
I actually think that Raheem is in some trouble, mainly as a result of fan sentiment. I think it’s going to take a little more than just winning a few games to save his job. First of all, I think we need to sweep Carolina and beat Jacksonville. I also think we need to beat either Dallas or Atlanta, as we need to beat a good team late in the year. I also think we need to blow out one of those teams, and not get blown out if we lose. That would put us at 8-8, which is still a failure of a season, but would warrant at least a half season in 2012.
I still believe in Morris, but even I can’t take too much more of this. I could actually take the Titans loss okay, had it not been proceeded with 4 losses, some of which we forgot to show up. I can’t take a lack of effort by the players, a lack of resources by management, and a lack of creativity by the coaches. He needs to prove he still has the locker room, and they can compete week in and week out. They also need to prove that they can beat the brains out of a weaker team every now and then. Every win shouldn’t give me a heart attack.
November 28th, 2011 at 4:25 pm
Joe,
Spags learned from Jim Johnson in Phili, having spent about 6 years there in various defensive positions. He was the Defensive Architect that helped lead the Giants to a win in the Superbowl against the Brady Super Attack. The Giants had one of the best defensive lines in the past 20+ years under Spags. Maybe things aren’t going so well for him in St Louis right now, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t know defense. He knows it inside out, upside down and backwards. You’d be hard pressed to find a better defensive mind in the NFL, short of Dom Capers or Dick LeBeau. Pullease Joe, is that all you got????
November 28th, 2011 at 4:48 pm
Yeah Joe I’m not so sure what people’s love fest over Fissure is either. It’s a big name, so like a lot of free agents over the summer, people want him. Him and Cowher were both long tenured coaches but extremely inconsistent. They’re essentially another Jon Gruden, another guy our fans ran out of town.
@BigMac, yes he slowed down the Patriots, but he also had 3 all pro’s (one a future hall of famer) on that defensive line to help him out a little bit. Without that talent in St. Louis he’s getting killed week in and week out.
November 28th, 2011 at 5:08 pm
Just for the record, I vividly remember the Giants coming to the CITS in the playoffs, with that same defense with Spags, and spnked Chucky’s @$$. Say what you want, and make excuses that he is no good, but I’m telling you that I followed Spags, the Eagles and Giants for a good bit, and the guy knows his stuff. He’s a helluva lot better than Greg Williams in N’olins or any other DC in the NFC South, present company included. Sorry Rah, but it is what it is.
November 28th, 2011 at 5:22 pm
Not calling for Morris’ head yet but do think they need a new DC and OC. They need to go after Hilton from F.I.U. as a speed receiver and get two new LB’s. Like Watson, and Foster should be fine but Black and Hayes are terrible. Maybe it’s the LB coach…I don’t know, but they underperform in spectacular fashion week in and week out. I think Morris will be fine as a motivator and as someone who manages personalities but he has proven that he can’t put a run D together.
November 28th, 2011 at 6:24 pm
I also forgot Rod Marinelli, another excellent Defensive Coordinator and D Coach. Steve White, that loves pass rush games says Marinelli is the master when it comes to this. No way he’d leave the Bears, and one could easily say Rod was not a good Head Coach based on the Lions’ performance during his tenure. He is still a great defensive coach though.
November 28th, 2011 at 9:40 pm
Fisher would be good. Mike Zimmer, Dirk Koetter, Gregg Williams, Perry Fewell or Chuck Pagano would be better choices, though.