Team Glazer Has “Got To Make A Move”
December 23rd, 2011
Yes, it’s the holidays, good will toward men.
Sadly for Bucs fans, that good will does not so much extend to embattled coach Raheem Morris, unless he is to clean out his office at One Buc Palace.
Joe cannot remember the last time a local coach/manager of one of the three professional sports teams was so reviled as Morris. But such is life when you are the leader of a team that is in the middle of an ugly eight-game losing tailspin, that gets curb-stomped on a weekly basis and as the defensive coordinator, and your defense has sunk to among the worst in the NFL.
Daily, Joe hears Bucs season ticket holders call local sports radio shows and write on this very site that they will cancel their tickets if Morris is stalking the sidelines next season as Bucs coach.
Yet another Bucs season ticket holder participated in an NFC South chat on ESPN.com and flatly stated if changes are not made in the coming weeks, he too will give up his tickets.
To which ESPN’s Pat Yasinskas replied, Team Glazer has “got to make a move.”
Big Bucs Fan (Tampa)
I am currently a season ticket holder for 4 club level seats and am tuely frustrated with the Entire team. If they don’t get this train back on the tracks I will never buy a ticket from that organization or watch them again! What can they do?
Pat Yasinskas
Only the Glazers can decide. But my personal opinion is, they’ve got to make a move. If they don’t, there will be a lot of other people like you that dump their season tickets and it’s not like they have much of a season-ticket base to start with. We’ll find out what they’re going to do soon enough.
Oh, there will be changes next season, Joe is confident. What those changes may be, is anyone’s guess.
Joe would be a bit surprised if Bucs offensive coordinator Greg Olson returns, but that is hardly a sure thing. If Morris returns, it’s pretty much a certainty he will have a defensive coordinator. There likely will be massive changes to the roster.
But as Joe has written many times, if Morris stays, with just one year left on his contract, the chances of getting any decent coordinators are slim unless Morris has his contract extended.
December 23rd, 2011 at 10:39 pm
Joe, to say Olson should go more than Cliche is absurd. The offense, although struggling, would put up 40 on this historically bad d.
I believe that Rah must go and a head coach and d coordinator come in while Olson and Van Pelt stay. That is the road to prosperity.
December 23rd, 2011 at 10:45 pm
That fan is not the only one. My 2 club seats are gone if Morris isnt replaced by someone experienced with a real commitment to winning. Enough is enough with this garbage product
December 23rd, 2011 at 10:45 pm
Thomas:
Right now the only two coaches that Joe can see being retained — if Morris is jettisoned — are Pat Morris (offensive line) and Kevin Millard (defensive line).
December 23rd, 2011 at 11:01 pm
Agree with Joe.
Olsen’s dink and dunk offense is awful, predictable, and awfully predictable. We are also not a run first team.
December 24th, 2011 at 12:53 am
This is better than an Agatha Christie mystery! The national media, local media, Clayton, King, Kirwan, Yasinkas, me, you, Joe, Thomas 2.2 et al – nobody knows. Only the Glazers know and they ain’t talking. And with Morris running around joking with the media and talking about bringing Talib back among other plans for next year has Thomas so nervous that Joe has to hold his hand to help him get his finger up his nose! LOL.
Merry Christmas Joe, 2.2, and the rest of the JBF posters!
December 24th, 2011 at 1:00 am
I have to reiterate that the problem goes WAY beyond the Head Coach and position coaches. The very CORE of the Bucs organization has to change too. Dennis Hickey, Dir of Player Personnel, is largely responsible for the players on this roster … the players that quit, the players that are too slow, the players that are content with Rah. And of course, Hickey is a good buddy of Dominik. They came up through the organization together. The Glazers have a lot more to consider than just Head Coach and position coaches. I’m not so sure that Cowher-Fisher-Billick type coaches would want to deal with the entrenched “Bucs organization”. We may be screwed unless the Glazers are willing to consider evaluating and changing the organization from top-to-bottom.
December 24th, 2011 at 3:03 am
@ Macabee
Apple’s buddy knows what the Glazers are going to do.
December 24th, 2011 at 5:43 am
Thomas.. Keep Olsen. Craziest thing I ever heard. 3 offensive td’s in 8 games? Ok. I thought Keith Millard coached d-line, who is Kevin?
December 24th, 2011 at 5:44 am
@ Thomas, your joking right? Normaly I agree w/ you. BVP maybe, no Olsen.
December 24th, 2011 at 7:50 am
Thomas… 9/10 times I agree with you, this time is one of those few instances where I don’t…It will not be “Road to Prosperity” but a “Road to Perdition” if any of them are retained. I say scrap the whole lot and start from scratch. Let a new HC come in and assemble a staff of coaches of his choosing. This nonsense that was shoved down our throats for the past 3 years should be over soon. If it is not, the only thing you will hear in the stands next year are crickets chirping.
December 24th, 2011 at 8:38 am
Olson stay??? Hahahaha. As likely as the Benn around.
December 24th, 2011 at 8:39 am
As likely as the Benn around working.
December 24th, 2011 at 8:46 am
Pat Morris? The O line has been terrible this year. Last season, the line was steady in spite of many injuries. The ‘next man up’ concept actually worked last season.
I expected the offense to at least perform at the same level as last season with a slight improvement on defense. If the offense can not put a few drives together, both sides of the ball pay the price.
Olsen has got to go. Way too many 4 yard pass routes when 10+ yards are needed. The Bucs claim they are a running team. Ever hear of setting up the run with the PASS!
December 24th, 2011 at 9:11 am
Settle down fellows. I will be fine with the whole staff being scrapped as well; however, I believe that Olson’s failures are a byproduct of Rah’s overall loose, unprofessional coaching style that causes poor execution.
As some have pointed out, we have less than ideal personnel for 3rd and long situations (no speed and no reliable 3rd down back like Graham), which also hurts the play caller.
Freeman’s regression is most likely due to the typical sophomore step-back: tougher schedule of defenses and defensive familiarity with his strengths and weaknesses. I believe that he will adjust but it may take more than just 1 offseason to do it.
Sproles and Jimmy Graham type players are desperately needed in this offense to help Free out in difficult down and distance situations. Teams have learned that Free struggles if you pressure him but don’t let him escape and take away the back out of the backfield bc he will force throws to Winslow and Williams – who get poor separation.
Those failures make it difficult on an offensive coordinator – and lead to desperate play calls – like the Benn end arounds on 3rd down. Trust me, Olson would prefer to send a Sproles-type out, Jimmy Graham type out, speed receiver out and Mike Will out but we don’t have that personnel which is a failure by Rah and Dom – not Olson.
The whole defensive concept needs to scrapped – they basically have no coordinator. Last year, Ruud made on field adjustments to cover for Rah’s ineptitude.
December 24th, 2011 at 10:25 am
Last years O Line coach did a much better job, but it is all a moot point, our new Head Coach will bring in his own people. Teflon Mark Dominick has succeeded in letting all the blame fall on Raheem, despite the fact neither Jim Bates or Raheem was able to field a winning product, with the talent he provided.
Teflon Mark Dominik served under 3 different bosses who all took better NFL Jobs. None chose to take Mark Dominik with them to their new jobs. He was left behind in Tampa.
Despite a record like this, I have still seen him being called a “Rockstar”
2009:
RD1 Josh Freeman: Horrible 2/3 seasons
RD3 Roy Miller: ZERO production
RD4 Kyle Moore: ZERO production
RD 5 Xavier Fulton: ZERO production
RD7 EJ Biggers: isn’t a starter in this league on ANY team other than TAMPA
RD 7 Sammie Stroughter: ZERO production
2010:
RD 1 Gerald McCoy: injured more than he plays…looks like a bust at this point
RD 2 Brian Price: Decent starter but nothing special, injury prone
RD 2 Arrelious Benn: number 3 starter at BEST
RD 3 Myron Lewis: ZERO production
RD 4 Mike Williams: no. 2 WR at best…not a number TRUE number 1 option
RD 6 Brent Bowden: ZERO production
RD 7 Cody Grimm: Decent starter, would be a backup on most teams
RD 7 Dakota Watson: ok backup nothing special
RD 7 Eric Lorig: backup FB at best
2011:
RD 1: Adrian Clayborne: quality starter
RD 2: DaQuan Bowers: quality starter
RD 3: Mason Foster: quality starter
RD 4: Luke Stocker: backup at best
RD 5: Ahmad Black: Zero production
RD 6: Allen Bradford: Zero production
RD: 7: Gaitor: Zero production
RD 7: Hardy: Zero Production