Raheem The Dream Needs To Try Decaf
February 26th, 2010
Taking a break in Indianapolis from spreading agent-driven speculation, The Mad Twitterer of the St. Petersburg Times caught up with Raheem the Dream in an Indianapolis coffee house for a surprisingly candid, on-the-record conversation.
Maybe it was the bold brew of Java or maybe Raheem the Dream is this confident, but he spoke proudly, boldly, that the Bucs are on the cusp of great things, as is his career.
“We really have the ability this year — (general manager) Mark (Dominik) and myself — to tell you with straight faces, that we’re light-years ahead of where we were last year, just based on knowledge, based on what we’ve been able to partake, our own film study, our own tape, our own reports — all those things that are critical,” Morris said.
“It’s got to translate onto the field. I’m not going to sit here and act like you go 3-13, and just because you’re getting better and competitive every game, that’s acceptable. There ain’t no way.”
Then, presumably after throwing down another 20-ounce slug of coffee with a triple-shot of espresso, Raheem the Dream claimed so many people (fans?) wanted him fired because others coveted his job with the Bucs so much.
“I know why there’s no talk about (Jim) Schwartz and there’s no talk about (Browns coach Eric) Mangini,” Morris said. “It’s because I’ve got the best job in football. We’re in Tampa. Everbody wants my job. Every coach who’s retired or out of football wants my job. Everybody doesn’t want to coach somewhere else. But everybody will come to Tampa. If the Dallas job comes open, every name will be thrown against the wall to see which one sticks. Tampa, it’s the same thing.”
Joe calls baloney on this. Lunkhead Mangini was a dead-man walking until the Browns upset the Steelers late in the season at home on a nationally-televised Thursday night game on the NFL Network. People very much were after Mangini with lit torches.
Joe also wonders who exactly Raheem the Dream is referring to that every coach out of football wanted his job? Was he hinting at Tuna? Or was this a jab at Bill Cowher? Or perhaps — God forbid — Marty Chokenheimer?
February 26th, 2010 at 9:21 am
I’ve come to accept that we are never going to have another coach with character like Tony Dungy. And it remains to be seen if Raheem is the second coming of Tomlin. I only say that because Tomlin was handed a pretty darn good team that needed some polishing (and outstanding coaching.) Raheem was given a jallopy with a Ferrari cover on it.
But the question on everyone’s mind is can they turn the team into a Ferrari. Unfortunately, we saw how hard it is to expose everyone to the truth – peeling off the Ferrari cover and exposing the jallopy. Can Raheen and Dominik gain momentum and turn the ship around. Or will they get consumed in the process.
As a loyal Bucs fan, I will remain optimistic. But it will be very tiring if we are 10 season down the road still hoping to simply make the play-offs.
Raheem, doubling your victories to 6 is not light years ahead. Studying film and tape is fine, but translate that to interceptions, touchdowns (for our team), sacks and victories. . . then we’ll get excited when you make your optimistic comments.
February 26th, 2010 at 9:24 am
But that’s why we got such top coaches as Leeman Bennet, Ray Perkins and Richard Williams. Seriously the weather and the taxes are good but I think right now people look at the Bucs job as possibly being a career ender ala’ Oakland. If you’re not given the tools you just can’t succeed. I’m not saying that’s proven here yet, but I’ll bet a lot of coaches consider it. BTW I can’t help but notice Cowher didn’t come here, and he probably could have if he wanted to.
February 26th, 2010 at 9:30 am
Raheem is an idiot!! People wanted him fired cause him and his dumb ass boss made more mistakes in one year that others make in a century. Oh and this just in, most coaches that go 3-13 get fired.
February 26th, 2010 at 9:39 am
How does the saying go…it is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak up and remove all doubt….perhaps you should stay silent Raheem.
February 26th, 2010 at 9:40 am
I see this for what it is Raheem is just sucking up to the Glazers and blowing smoke up everybodys ass the guy is a fucking joke!
February 26th, 2010 at 9:42 am
No one is calling for Jim Schwartz head because he took over an 0-16 team and make them slightly better… Raheem took over a 9-7 team on the cusp of the playoffs and made them demonstrably worse.
February 26th, 2010 at 9:47 am
None of you guys will ever grow up to be politicians. Whats wrong with the guy campaigning for his team and his job and his city? Even if you don’t buy it, don’t say he’s stupid for it.
February 26th, 2010 at 9:59 am
I think it’s nothing but a good thing that Rheem believes Tampa is truly the best coaching job in the NFL. True or not, him believing it is very good for him and us.
February 26th, 2010 at 10:00 am
Whats wrong with it Nick? Maybe people just don’t like being lied to and being played for suckers consistently by the head coach, GM and owners. Maybe if that organization just tried being honest and straight with its fans, everyone wouldn’t be so darn angry.
February 26th, 2010 at 10:25 am
Nick:
Big difference between a politician and a football coach.
Look, Joe is not a Raheem the Dream hater, but some of the stuff he says is so stupid if not a lie, you don’t talk down to your fans (i.e. ticketholders, i.e. consumers) like that.
It boils down to credibility and respect. To even try to float the premise that people weren’t calling for Eric Mangini to be fired is like trying to say Jim Bates’ defense was stout against the run.
If Joe was an ass, he’d call that a con job.
February 26th, 2010 at 10:27 am
Here is another quote not included –
“We’ve got to do better and we can; we can this year. I don’t want to be the naive coach or the cocky, arrogant, young guy who says you’re going to win the Super Bowl next year. … Because I’ve got to believe that in my heart. I believe that we have the guys in place, that if we do the right things, we can win a significant amount of games to put ourselves in a position to compete with anybody”
I like what he says here … The Bucs will be better
February 26th, 2010 at 10:30 am
thedeej3000:
The 2008 Bucs were 9-7 and close to the playoffs, but let’s be honest, that team was not full of untapped potential. That’s as good as that team would be, and even under Gruden would’ve have been worse (not necxessarily 3-13 worse) before they got better.
Morris and Dominick recognized this, and figured it was better to blow thing up, start from scratch, then have a slow, painful decline over the next 2-3 years, THEN start getting better. Admittedly they’ve made plenty of mistakes the first year; which for the most part they’ve admitted too and tried to correct; they’ve also made some good decisions, that should set this team up nicely for the next few years (Freeman, K2, CHI’s 2nd rounder, Miller, Stroughter).
As far as Raheem saying this team is lightyears ahead of where they were last year, that’s scary because last year he told everyone this team wasn’t talking rebuilding, this team was talking playoffs (and we know how well that worked out).
I like Raheem for the most part, and I think he and Dominik have the team going in the right direction, however sometimes he just sounds too Rah-Rah about the team (pun intended).
February 26th, 2010 at 10:34 am
For people saying the team is making more mistakes than any team in 100 years … PLEASE .. I hear where your coming from .. But for a rookie HC and GM .. I really dont see much of a falloff from Jon Gruden besides an EGO the Size of New England
Dominik has already possibly put together a better draft and made better trades than Allen did in his career in Tampa ..
Allen brought in Ryan Sims .. Mike Bennett .. Dominik brought in K2
They need to be better but there are some bright spots and if we dont dont go 8-8 or 9-7 then I agree we need some changes .. But they got this year to Build
February 26th, 2010 at 10:37 am
And lets not forget the Mighty Gruden posted a 4 win season and 5 win season after going to the playoffs .. So lets stop the talk of Morris destroyed some mighty Playoff team … The hinges were rusted and falling apart
February 26th, 2010 at 10:38 am
Joe,
Don’t act like your surpprised that he would say that people wanted him fired so that we could have another coach come in here.
How many stories did you feature on this website about Bill Cowher wanting this job? How many press conferences did he have to answer the stupid questions over and over again about Bill Cowher. That is exactly what he was talking about. When he says “retired coaches” and you know it.
Look, yes some of the stuff he says sounds a little silly but I would rather have that than someone who has everything all planned out and never varies from the script.
He says whats on his mind. I highly doubt that he is trying to fool anyone. He is just a young guy who is happy to have a job as an NFL head coach and he thinks he has the best Job in the league. So he goes a little overboard with it. Big deal, who is it hurting?
And to be honest it is a pretty damn good job.
February 26th, 2010 at 10:43 am
So which part of the quotes angers you more? The light years ahead part or the everyone in football wants my job part. I don’t see anything wrong with the light years ahead part. Every coach in every organization has to separate his perception and reality. At the beginning of last year he said he would meet Tomlin in Miami. Do you think he really believed that? Doubt it. But I have a feeling if he said “We are going to be playing for the 3rd pick in the draft this year so deal with it”, we’d all be just as pissed. Raheem is a positive guy and he’s trying to spread it around. Positivity is contagious. He has a bunch of young kids on his team, no veterans to say “Yeah right coach”. He has to make comments like “We are light years ahead”
February 26th, 2010 at 11:22 am
Nick:
The element that distrubed Joe was Raheem the Dream playing the martyr card; like everyone is picking on him.
Even a fifth grader who only gets his NFL information from the CCCP in Briston, Conn. knew Eric Mangini had both feet out the door in Cleveland until Josh Cribbs beat the Steelers.
The thing about making grandiose statements like the ones you cited from Raheem the Dream — Joe just rolls his eyes at those — for someone in such a high-profile position, if one doesn’t come close to backing up those boasts, not only is he digging his own grave, whatever statements he makes of substance will ring very, very hollow.
Then he’ll lose the respect of virtually anyone but the acolytes (including the guys who cut his paychecks).
Then he is nothing more than a fraud.
February 26th, 2010 at 11:22 am
Well, I gues some people on here forget all the intelligent things that our esteemed Coach (&GM) did last year. Things like The QB battle (sham), Getting rid of Matt Bryant for Nugent, Giving Clayton 25mil to stay with the Bucs, Starting Sluggo (leftwich), Firing the OC right before the 1st game, No mid-game adjustments (until the mysterious taking over the defense), firing the DC after 10 games. (and you kool aid drinkers really think Morris suddenly learned how to make a mid game adjustment after 10 games of no adjustments) Bone head decisions during games (Miami). Well, Welcome to 2010, where we are “light years ahead of last year”. So the Circus begins by dumping Bryant & keeping Clayton. Do you think Morris has learned yet? How’s that for a light year decision! Buckle up Folks! the 2010 light years Circus is just beginning! Oh, and you fans can forget Suh. As a matter of fact, have kleenex with you when you view the draft, because if you are a Buc fan, you are going to need them.
February 26th, 2010 at 11:37 am
Joe why dont you acknowledge the other quote in the story where he is honest and says Hey .. We arent going to the SuperBowl this year but want to build a team that will compete with anyone .. I feel thats pretty straight forward
February 26th, 2010 at 11:41 am
And Joe .. as far as the Light years ahead comment .. Think about this .. When you first started JoeBucsFan.com where were you compared to 1 year later .. I would imagine a much better understanding for how things go and more content to build around … I think this is the same premise ..
But i agree with the caffeine comment .. He sounds all ramped up lol
February 26th, 2010 at 12:37 pm
I want to like Morris and I want him to succeed. However, I lose respect for the guy when he says stupid stuff. He says things that are insulting to knowledgable fans. I don’t quite understand how Morris can say the Bucs job is such a coveted position. It used to be a coveted position, but as long as the team is on a shoestring budget, nobody with any self-respect is going touch it. Remember all the Cowher talk? He was only interested IF the owners were going to spend money. That was a show-stopper.
Let’s face it, Morris is doomed as long as the team is pinching pennies. No matter how good a coach he may be, he can’t win without some talent and that talent isn’t going to come solely from the draft. Out of last year’s draft, how many of those players are legitimate starters? So, far it’s just Freeman and that was for the last half of the season. So, just how much impact will this year’s draft picks contribute? I pray I’m wrong, but I’m afraid next season will look a lot like the last.
February 26th, 2010 at 12:42 pm
At what point is Morris held to the same standard as Gruden? This year? Next?
I know Gruden had some losing seasons, but in all but one case he turned it into a winning season the following year. Are we to expect the same from the Dream? Or is it a perpetual free ride?
How long till we know whether the “plan” is working?
February 26th, 2010 at 2:42 pm
He just needs to do less-talking. The guy won 3 frickin’ games last year and was lucky to keep his job. Get more wins Morris then talk shit, until then STFU!
sincerely mgmt
February 26th, 2010 at 2:58 pm
All I can say is; You can’t handle the truth!
February 26th, 2010 at 3:15 pm
Gary,
Very well put sir.