Coming off of a horrendous 2009 campaign which saw our beloved Bucs win just 3 games, a free agency period past with minimal free agent activity, (No offense to Sean Jones) and a draft in which we spent our 1st 2 picks on defensive linemen the assertion made by Raheem Morris in training camp that the Buccaneers could win 10 games was laughable.
Most people did laugh. Analysts on ESPN, and the NFL network scoffed at this rag tag bunch of green tailed rookies. Most people, myself included, thought optimism for this team was a 6-10 season. The pre-season offered little encouragement. We didn’t look like a team people should fear. But something happened in week 1 of the regular season. Down late to the Cleveland Browns an attitude emerged. A certain swagger if you will. It was something that was certainly not there in 2009. These baby Bucs didn’t crumble under the pressure being down late. They rose up to meet it.
What followed was an unforgettable 2010 campaign which saw the Pewter Pirates validate Morris’s training camp prediction. Not only did they validate the 10 win prediction but they did it with flair. They did it in style. I believe that can be traced back to one source. Raheem Morris. The charismatic head coach who took this team of inexperienced rookies and made them into a force to be reckoned with and put the rest of the league on notice.
I was skeptical of Raheem Morris when he was promoted to the Bucs top job. He’d had no head coaching experience and just 1 year of experience as a defensive coordinator with
In all honesty, given our penchant for big name coaches in our history I’ll admit I thought the Glaziers were setting Morris up as a patsy. When he was first hired I thought to myself that we would struggle for a year under Morris who would be a cheap option then after a year under him we’d fire him saying he wasn’t ready and we’d go after one of the big name coaches out there like Cowher, Shannahan, or Harbaugh.
After the 2010 season I was sure that I was right and Raheem Morris was about to get the axe. When I heard that the Bucs brass had decided to keep Morris on staff I was very skeptical. Why were we sticking with this guy who had coached us to our worst season in more than a decade? Why were we sticking with this coach who hired an offensive coordinator then weeks before the start of the season fired that coordinator effectively throwing his team into turmoil? Why were we sticking with this coach who fired his defensive coordinator halfway through the season in favor of himself? I pondered why we would keep this young inexperienced coach around when there were coaches with championship pedigrees sitting out there for the taking.
Regardless of my own misgivings Morris stuck around for 2010. When I heard his 10 win training camp prediction I thought he was out of his mind and just desperate to hang on to his job. But week 1 changed everything. Down by 4, with just under 7 minutes to go the Buccaneers were looking at a home loss at the hands of the lowly Cleveland Browns. It was the type of game we would have lost in 2009. Then Josh Freeman’s pass soared into Michael Spurlock’s outstretched hands and you could almost feel all the naysayers raising their collective eyebrows in astonishment.
Sure it was just the Browns. Sure it was week one. But there was a swagger about this team, a confidence that said we don’t care who you are, we’re going to compete. It was that attitude that so embodies their head coach that carried these guys for the rest of the season. Raheem Morris made believers out of his team, and in their second season it netted them 10 wins. More than that Morris made believers out of the fans. I believe Raheem can lead us back to the top of the mountain! Am I ready to make any predictions? Not even a little bit. However we can always speculate. So what do you think year three will bring?
Utterly Unsubstantiated Rumors Yet to be Started
- Upon hearing Raheem Morris say that he talks to several of his players, "all the time" Rodger Godell began drafting a coach’s personal conduct policy so he could start suspending coaches and players.
- After re-examining the deal the Buccaneers have for Raymond James Stadium the mayor of
- Recognizing that Cadillac Williams is over the hill all 32 teams told his agent he should just retire.
Buc Banter
This week we hear from our starting right tackle James Lee. He and several other NFL players and current Buccaneers were in
I wrote an article yesterday about possible nicknames for our defense/defensive line should they become a group worthy of a nickname. A lot of people seem to like the suggestion from one Travis Aldrin.
"Going with the Pirate theme
I suggest "The Kraken". The whole line is just a beast."
Please Rah can you not say things that will get the team in trouble. Of course you’re going to talk to your players but can you not advertise the fact!? Common man!!