Are Bucs Executives Showing Bad Character?
December 20th, 2011
In what felt like a scathing accusation of rockstar general manager Mark Dominik and Team Glazer, Bucs beat writer Rick Stroud questioned the character of those at One Buc Palace that haven’t come out publicly recently to express unity with Raheem Morris.
Stroud, employed by the St. Pete Times, gave his take on The Dan Sileo Show on Monday.
“But I think it’s unfortunate that you see in that front office, in that management, the sort of leaving [Raheem] out there on an island. And I think that’s disturbing to me,” Stroud said. “I would hope that there’d be more character in that building — that people would step up and say, ‘Hey wait a minute. The team’s not playing up to whatever talent level it is. It’s not playing up to it. But by the same token we picked these players and we’re all in this together.'”
Frankly, Joe’s not big on this kind of weak talk that says it’s unfair to Raheem that the organization seemingly has gone silent on his job status. Raheem’s a grown man earning $2 million a year to get the most out of the players he has, but Raheem has failed miserably on that task in 2011, losing eight in a row with three straight blowouts on the back end.
Goodness, Raheem repeatedly said in news conferences that he’s one of the most mentally tough individuals on earth. Yesterday, he even shared that routine childhood beatings gave him Superman-like mental strength. Raheem can thrive on “an island.”
No, Dominik and Team Glazer shouldn’t feel obligated to run cover via the media for their free-falling head coach. His players won’t step up and help him out. So why should his bosses?
December 20th, 2011 at 11:08 am
The next words you hear out of One Buc concerning Raheem Morris will be.
“This morning we decided to cut ties with Raheem Morris & his entire coaching staff.”
December 20th, 2011 at 11:16 am
Gee…and I thought MY family was dysfunctional.
December 20th, 2011 at 11:33 am
What is he supposed to say .. We Suck … Everyone will be fired ??!
Or come out and Lie and say We believe in Raheem.
Stroud is a d*ck. He constantly writes by jumping to conclusion. Writes opionions like they are facts. This team doesnt need to say a DAMN thing.
Show me something following the Falcons game in 2 weeks.
Raheem will be bummed if fired, but he will be just fine and be successful elsewhere as he grows and gets some experience. I feel Raheem would great in college coaching guys of that age group.
December 20th, 2011 at 11:33 am
Would we prefer they lie to us for two weeks then fire him? What could they possibly say right now?
December 20th, 2011 at 11:33 am
After what the Bucs higher ups are doing to Raheem..what “good” next head coach in their right mind would want to come here. Maybe the former coach of Texas Tech…Mike Leach?
December 20th, 2011 at 11:36 am
Now theres a great thought!! Leaving Raheem on an island. Gilligans Island comes to mind or maybe the one that the survivors on LOST were on. Hey no better yet where did Amelia Earheart crash her plane??? Yeah thats the one!! Can we leave him there never to coach again????
December 20th, 2011 at 11:38 am
I’d love to see what Leach could do as an OC or consultant in the NFL. I think he’d be a lock with Bucs fans with his brash, no-nonsense attitude.
December 20th, 2011 at 11:39 am
“We are sorry of this mess we have caused and we will be selling the team to someone who gives a damn.”
December 20th, 2011 at 11:39 am
Wel…we have ALL been on a 3-hour tour EVERY weekend with this team.
December 20th, 2011 at 11:39 am
The Glazers fingerprints are all over this trainwreck of an organization. They are at fault and only they can make things right again. However, Morris has proven that he is grossly incompetent and despite the fact that the organization as a whole is sick, he deserves to be replaced!
December 20th, 2011 at 11:44 am
No one knew this season would be the disaster that it is. Shaun King thought we were going 7-9, but we will end up being 4-12. Why would the Glazers even consider giving him a vote of confidence when they are going to fire him. I think they are doing him a favor by not firing him in the middle of the season. Barring a fight among themselves on the sideline during a game, Morris will survive until Jan, then be relieved. Hopefully they have a coach waiting in the wings, like what was posted last night.
December 20th, 2011 at 11:48 am
/signed
December 20th, 2011 at 11:50 am
I agree with Joe, maybe Dom didn’t get Raheem the tools he needed to compete but it is not on Dom and the Glazers to get the players ready for games and it is not on them to make sure players don’t quit half way through a game. A lot of us are wondering why the young back ups aren’t playing, because we clearly know that certain players will not be back especially if they are free agents ( SEAN JONES looking at you ). That is all on Raheem, Dom went out and got a guy like Ahmad Black, he stuck around on the practice squad now is on the roster, he should be playing no matter what.
December 20th, 2011 at 11:53 am
On another note, this is completely off topic but was just reading an article about a different player doing this, Does anyone think it is possible for Trueblood to play guard. It has happened with plenty of other tackles in the league before and continues to happen.
December 20th, 2011 at 11:54 am
“Hopefully they have a coach waiting in the wings, like what was posted last night.”
You and I both BucFan South Tampa, You and I both!!!!!!
December 20th, 2011 at 11:57 am
@thibs5599
Oakland did this with Gallery when they drafted him as a LT, he had slow feet so they moved him inside to LG and the guy is now a road-grading run blocker for Seattle.
December 20th, 2011 at 12:04 pm
Trueblood’s run blocking is light years better than his pass blocking. If we can pick up a new right tackle I wouldn’t be opposed to giving him a shot at LG. Move Zuttah to center to replace Faine, trueblood to LG, and a shiny new draft pick to RT. I have no idea if this would work or not, but it is an interesting thought.
December 20th, 2011 at 12:08 pm
The next words you hear out of One Buc concerning Raheem Morris will be.
“This morning we decided to cut ties with Raheem Morris & his entire coaching staff.”
I agree 100%. Can’t wait until the Monday following the Falcons game. Let’s get on with the coach search!!
December 20th, 2011 at 12:12 pm
The Glazers don’t have time for a statement regarding the Bucs. They’re too busy up in New Orleans building a new stadium for Tulane.
December 20th, 2011 at 12:14 pm
adam ant, that day will be January 2nd. Christmas for all Buc fans whoohoooooooooo!!!!!!!!!
December 20th, 2011 at 12:19 pm
It really disturbs me to see how excited you guys are to see Rah fired…..as if that’s going to fix everything.
Furthermore, who do you expect them to get? You better start getting used to hearing names like Bruce Arians, Bill O’Brien, or Tom Clements. Yea, that will generate excitement in Tampa.
If you think Cowher or Fisher are coming here then you’ve lost your mind. At this point I really wouldn’t be surprised to see Raheem come back with a brand new offensive staff and DC
December 20th, 2011 at 12:22 pm
If he DOES come back…he better have an extension because no assistant coach worth his weight in gold will come here on a one year deal.
December 20th, 2011 at 12:24 pm
@creamsiclethong The new coaches’ name could be Ronald McDonald and it would generate more excitement than the present buffoon.
December 20th, 2011 at 12:27 pm
“I really wouldn’t be surprised to see Raheem come back with a brand new offensive staff and DC”
He’s already made it be known he’s not willing to give up the DC position. So, there is only one answer.
I still holdout hope for a name veteran HC, but if they can bring in a current OC or DC with a proven track record to be the HC, I have no problem with that.
December 20th, 2011 at 12:28 pm
The more torches and pitchforks there are from the fans and media the more the Glazers thumb their noses and ignore. And they’ve obviously instructed Dominik not to say anything as well. The owners are as stubborn as they are cheap and will appease nobody even if it means Raheem Morris getting publicly lambasted everywhere. The Glazers ignorance is as frustrating as it is astonishing.
December 20th, 2011 at 12:28 pm
@creamsicle – I don’t care who it is as long as they have legitimate head coaching experience and a good track record. Raheem had neither and obviously has been in over his head from the beginning. I think long term, he may have another shot at becoming a HC somewhere (as somebody else said, he could be a better college coach than pro).
He can’t do anything to turn this team around. Get on with it.
December 20th, 2011 at 12:28 pm
Disagree. The talent is there. The building blocks are there. This team was 10-6 last year. This team showed depth last year. This team beat N.O. and ATL this year.
It is all lack of discipline (on & off the field, penalties, lack of execution, not knowing little details)….
This all leads to coaching.
I am all for a new coach & DC.
December 20th, 2011 at 12:37 pm
What I find funny is when Stroud and the rest of the media was skewering Gruden, very few had negative remarks concerning the objectivity or personality of the local media characters.
But look at the defenders of Rah., who hasn’t yet found the playoffs and has had his team go 4-12, 10-6, and likely 4-12. And in fact, it is rare that a “trend line” like that exists and a coach survives. Of course, it is also rare when a coach consistently makes the playoffs and is dismissed.
December 20th, 2011 at 12:41 pm
Give Rah and Dom the dreaded “vote of confidence”. That will ensure they both will be gone in January.
December 20th, 2011 at 1:04 pm
There’s really nothing for anybody in that front office to say at this point. We all see the writing on the wall.
December 20th, 2011 at 1:06 pm
@Meh
That is exactly what I was thinking
December 20th, 2011 at 1:07 pm
Kill all the weeds and dig out the roots or it will grow back meaning the Glazers will remain the root and somehow this problem will resurface. I keep saying this is a C-rated organization. So what Raheem is paid a wage and yes he has failed but so has this stinking organization who has failed and will continue.
Joe, spin it how you want but every other credible team with great and competitve ownership has come out and made statements about the state of their franchise. Dallas, Minnesota, Oakland, Miami, New York, and others always make a tactful well thought out statement that either acknowledge or refutes any bogus claims. Well if indeed Raheem should go down alone and maybe he will, the clowns that own their brand should protect their brand. That’s why the Bucs are the butt end of national media. I am emotionally connected to the team but honestly I don’t care about what happens because the Glazers are anti-win owners. They only see profit. Bunch of nerds…
December 20th, 2011 at 1:29 pm
Joel: Bill Cowher? Hey it’s Joel Glazer, how ya doing buddy? Wanna come coach the 4-12 Buccaneers?
Cowher: Well, your QB led the league in INT’s last year, and a lot of your high draft picks are having real trouble staying healthy….
Joel: Well that’s the good news! See, we are going to build through the draft…no free agents evah! If they were drafted by another team we don’t want ’em. It’s not that we’re cheap…we’re just doing it differently. Hello? Bill? Still there???
December 20th, 2011 at 1:42 pm
CreamsicleBananaHammock are you kidding me??? Did you just crawl out from under a rock??? My dog could coach better than Raheem. This is an embarrassment to the team to continue to send this guy out and stick up for thugs have ZERO game plan and then have his defense that he drew up in “the lab” have its ass handed to them every Sunday. Are you kidding me?? Wake up and smell the coffee any buffoon could coach better. This is not like when we got rid of Gruden and then regretted it. There are 100 better candidates than Rah to coach our team. When he is fired I want you to come on here and tells us where he lands!! I bet he won’t be anything but a D back coach and probably not in the NFL.
December 20th, 2011 at 1:44 pm
@ creamsicle – It isnt going to be Cowher. He is done with coaching, just like Gruden. Why would he want to go back to the stress of coaching? He has his SB ring and a great, cushy job with CBS. I don’t see him coaching here or anywhere next season. Fisher, on the other hand, is a different story. He has the right amount of experience and toughness to come in here and clean house (coaching staff).
December 20th, 2011 at 1:49 pm
Nick-
I’ve said from the beginning that I thought Rah was in over his head. There is still no doubt in my mind that the guy knows X’s and O’s and is a great defensive mind…..but he’s no leader of men.
Now, I think with what we’ve seen this year (a team that consistently gives up) leaves us no choice but to part ways with Raheem but I wouldn’t be shocked if he’s back and if he is (with his back clearly against the wall) I think we would see the end of the buddy-buddy BS that has hurt him tremendously IMHO.
I also think it’s important to point out that the two guys everybody (idiotically) thinks we’d be going after, Fisher and Cowher, went through some awful seasons…both of them had the fan bases call for their heads after more than a few seasons but they had owners that remained steadfast in their support and, in the case of Cowher at least it paid off with Championships.
Last but not least, you all need to realize there will not be a big name coach here next yr no matter what. No big name coach is going to want to come to an organization where the ownerships commitment to putting a winning product on the field is in question. If we do fire Raheem, and I still think it’s a big if, then you’re going to get Rah 2.0…..a young coordinator that is just happy to take the job
December 20th, 2011 at 1:53 pm
You can’t win. If the owner comes out and gives the coach a vote of confidence it is viewed as the kiss of death. If the owners stay silent it’s because they are not in solidarity with their coach. There is no correct move in this situation.
December 20th, 2011 at 2:01 pm
The correct move is to fire Morris today.
December 20th, 2011 at 2:08 pm
I say we organize a JBF party the day Rah is canned, and a parade if rah and dom are axed.
We can call it “the return to legitimacy party (or parade).”
December 20th, 2011 at 2:11 pm
@Dave
This team was not that good last year. The 10-6 covered up what this team truly was. Freeman always had to bail us out consistently. You know why? Because we played like sh!t for most of the game too often. The slow starts were constant, it was more of the same this year, only Freemans 4th qtr magic ran out after only so long. Our easy schedule WAS the main factor for 10-6, and even you should see that. The only good team we beat was the Saints. And even in the wins against the easy opponents, we still barely survived. Look back at the Rams, Bengals, and Redskins games. Look at the backup QBs that we beat too.
December 20th, 2011 at 2:48 pm
Patrick
I understand they were not a typical 10-6 team. My point is they did show talent. They have a lot of good players and the coaching is not doing a damn thing to get it out of them this year.
Last year they had a lot of injuries and players stepped up. Not this year.
They seem lost on both sides of the ball.
BUT PLEASE do not point out games they barely won, because the same is always true in opposite. There were games they lost that could have gone the other way as well… same can be said for every single team.
I guess my main point is: I do not think the talent level from one team to another is as great as many think. Certain players and positions, sure, but not as a whole team.
It is about coaching and execution and discipline.
3 weeks ago I was still for keeping Raheem and getting a DC….
Now I think he absolutely has to go.
December 20th, 2011 at 3:05 pm
Glazers have previously made greaat hires at the Head Coaching position. One disaster is not a trend.
Work the phones and get it done.
December 20th, 2011 at 3:27 pm
Thomas, since the current path looks like inaction its a shame we can’t march on One Buc just like the Occupy movement did LOL. I mean this is the team we pay our hard earned dollars to watch while Bryan and Joel play with it like a bunny rabbit at Easter time only to be discarded after they lose interest. A sad sad state of affairs.
December 20th, 2011 at 10:30 pm
Disagree totally Joe.. Dominik should have to answer the questions . He’s as much responsible if not more for this mess. His plan of a youth movement, cutting veterans, writing bad contracts, not signing FA’s, hiring inadequate coaches, not hiring a DC, lands directly on his doorstep. As a GM he pretty much set Raheem up to fail. Hell he hasn’t even made any moves this year (not counting Haynesworth) to even try and improve certain positions. I think he took the path of most Rock Stars and got too big and hooked on drugs.