No, not the damn horses.

Make sure to check out all the cool last-minute gifts and stocking stuffers at HootersCalendar.com.

Kellen Winslow makes new bold statements about his head coach

Last week Kellen Winslow, Jr. said Raheem Morris getting fired would “ruin” the Buccaneers.

Speaking to the Carolina media yesterday, a crushed-sounding Winslow elaborated, saying “it sucks” what’s happening in Tampa now and Raheem Morris is the best motivator he’s encountered.

“Coach Morris is the best motivational guy I’ve been around. He gets his guys going. It’s not there in the win-loss column. But I’ve never been around anybody better than him. I really haven’t. You know, it sucks what’s going on here, but we need him to carry on,” Winslow said.

“We really need this guy; he is the main part of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. We need that guy. I just can’t say enough about him. …And I think I’m speaking for the team. This is how everybody feels. You know, they would give their right arm for this guy. We didn’t have a good season. We’ll try to finish out the last two games, but we need this guy to move on to the next year. And you know, just move on, man. We gotta move on from this year. He’s just the heart of this team.”

Joe’s tired today and doesn’t feel like beating the same old drum about the paradox of Bucs players saying Raheem is the man while collectively the team is not playing for him. Something’s dreadfully wrong. Actions aren’t backing up the words.

Popcorn-munching, coffee-slurping, fried chicken-eating, oatmeal-loving, beer-chugging Peter King is down on the Bucs. Big time.

So much so that the vaunted Sports Illustrated scribe sees the Panthers giving the Bucs yet another alley-beating this weekend. By three touchdowns to a nine-loss team no less!

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-10) at Carolina Panthers (5-9)
“You know what I love about Cam?” owner Jerry Richardson of the Panthers told me the other day about Cam Newton. “He hates to lose. He really hates to lose. That’s something I really like to see in our team leaders.” It’s taken Newton about five months to become one of the main ones on this team.

King predicts the score to be Panthers 34, Bucs 13.

That’s how bad the Bucs have sunk in this ugly eight-game tailspin. People expect the Bucs to have their teeth kicked in each week.

Remember the heralded “three-headed-monster” plan at running back for opening day of the 2009 season?

The Bucs were going to run an unorthodox 2-2-1 rotation in the backfield with Derrick Ward, Cadillac Williams and Earnest Graham sharing series as the feature back. Of course, that wacky plan never materialized, and Graham finished 2009 with a mere 14 carries. Greg Olson bumped up Graham to 20 carries last year before he got a more prominent role this season.

Speaking Monday on the Buccaneers Radio Network, Davin Joseph said Graham would have been his top running back all three years.

“He was an every down back. And really, sometimes people forget about Earnest Graham. People forget about how good he really is. Because, for whatever reason, sometimes somebody else comes along and they want [that guy] to carry the ball,” Joseph said. “If it was up to me, Earnest Graham would have been carrying the ball for the last three seasons, hands down. But he is a utility player. He can do just about everything a running back should/can do and does everything well. There’s not really anything he can’t do. And LeGarrette’s getting to that stage where he can really be a utility back. It just takes a while.”

Joe found Joseph’s take interesting considering LeGarrette Blount had a 1,000 yards last season and Cadillac Williams was a such an inspirational figure in the locker room.

"Dear Santa, all I want for Christmas is some OTA's."

If the Bucs were competing, they wouldn’t collectively be talking about next season.

Back in 2009, when the Bucs had a two-game winning streak entering Week 17, Joe has no recollection of the team focused on anything other than the final game at home against Atlanta.

But nowadays, you ask a Buccaneer about next year and they seem far too happy and eager to talk about it. For Joe, these guys, including the head coach, should be so wrapped up in beating the Panthers this week and cleaning up the embarrassing losing-streak stain on the Tampa Bay community they wouldn’t even consider talking about next year.

Call Joe a hard ass, but Raheem should demand that nobody dare talk about 2012.

For example, after the debacle against the Cowboys, Donald Penn spoke of fixing things next season. Davin Joseph also spoke warmly on the Buccaneers Radio Network on Monday about how an offseason program will benefit the team. Raheem Morris himself happily fielded a question about next season yesterday during his news conference.

Raheem was asked about his 2012 defensive line and the coach rattled off an answer that spanned almost 1 minute and 45 seconds that concluded like this.

“… especially to get with their coaches this offseason. Grady [Stretz] and Keith [Millard], you know those guys have been shuffling the deck all year, never had the chance to really lock in on anybody and get’em all going and get’em all excited,” Raheem said. “So hopefully you get these guys in the offseason to build on some of their fundamental things, to build on some of the things that they believe in, to build on some of the get-off, and build on playing together.”

Is Raheem serious? That his D-line coaches haven’t had a chance to “lock-in” on anybody and “get’em all going” and “get’em excited?”

Before this season, Joe never before heard of OTAs and minicamps as such a panacea for a team.

Raheem loves to preach “mentality before reality.” But Joe really doesn’t know how that core belief factors in when you’re talking about next season with two games remaining on your schedule, and you’ve got a mentality that your coaches haven’t gotten your players going.

Sure, the missing offseason didn’t help any team. But that just means this Bucs coaching staff needed to be more creative in everything they’ve done this season to overcome. Other teams with bigger obstacles like new coordinators and quarterbacks have done just that. The Bucs didn’t get it done.

Regardless, Joe’s not getting the vibe that the Bucs are completely dialed in to beating the Panthers on Saturday. Joe suspects the 5-9 Panthers are far more focused.

It’s gotten to the point with Bucs fans — watching the Bucs tailspin into an eight-game losing streak and counting, many of those losses with the team being completely worked over by inferior opponents like a two-bit bookie in an alley who won’t cough up winnings to a couple of wiseguys in the outfit — that many are no longer interested in the outcome of games, but pining for the moment embattled coach Raheem Morris cleans out his desk.

But as Joe has written all along, the only thing Joe is confident in is that Team Glazer would at least allow Morris to finish out the season.

Some, such as eye-RAH! Kaufman of the Tampa Tribune, are not ruling out the very real possibility that Morris will still be the Bucs coach when the 2012 season kicks off.

Kaufman appeared on the Primetime show earlier this week with Tom Krasniqi and Ronnie Lane, heard on WHBO-AM 1040, and explained his informed opinion.

“I don’t think the Glazers really want to make a move. They are not anxious to fire Raheem Morris. They picked him. The first year he gets a wash because the cupboard was bare. Then the team goes out and wins 10 games the next year and then has a terrible year [this season].

“You would think on the surface he deserves one more year, but to end with a 10-game losing streak, players not playing hard, seats are empty and the fans booing in front of the Glazers’ suite.

“It just doesn’t add up for Raheem right now, I’m sorry, it just doesn’t. … Two months ago the guy could have run for mayor. Boy, has that changed.”

It is a precipitous drop for the Bucs leader in such a short time, a span of a few weeks. The anti-Morris crowd had gone from aghast two years ago to a feint grumble last year to now, a roar for his head.

Not even that lout Vince Naimoli was able to have an entire community turn on him as what has happened with Morris.

Joe is the kinda guy that embraces all. Heck, even Thomas 2.2 is allowed to rant freely.

So even though Joe may be a bit late, he’d like to wish all his friends of the Hebrew persuasion a very Happy Hanukkah season!

In honor of Hanukkah, Joe will feature his favorite Hanukkah song. Actually, it’s the only Hanukkah song Joe knows of, but it may have the best line in music history:

“Some people think Ebenezer Scrooge is [Jewish}; well he’s not. But guess who is? All THREE STOOGES!”

Bucs icon Derrick Brooks says he believes Raheem Morris will return next year, the Bucs have plenty of talent, and the team will benefit immensely from a full offseason.

“This didn’t become a talentless football team overnight,” said Brooks, speaking today on WDAE-AM 620 in defense of the quality of the Bucs roster.

Brooks also scoffed at the notion that the Bucs would have any problem hiring new assistant coaches if Raheem is a “lame duck” coach for the 2012 season.

Now Brooks is almost always a pro-regime kind of guy in public, during interviews and as a guest on WDAE and as a personality on NFL Radio. It’s almost like Brooks spent so many years masterfully towing the Bucs’ company line that he doesn’t know another way to be. And this isn’t just Bucs stuff, Brooks often falls on the side of any organization and coaches and players regardless of the sport.

Joe’s unsure of what to make of Brooks’ comments. Is it possible to believe the Bucs simply need more time to gel with the current plan and to stay the course? Joe’s not in that camp, and neither are most fans, especially with what’s developing around the Bucs in the NFC South.

But a plugged in Bucs icon has spoken. Whether Brooks is strictly offering an outsider’s opinion or there’s more juice to his words is anyone’s guess.

"Olie, this is your week. Fast, hard, smart and consistent."

While a potential new era for the Bucs is around the corner, there’s still a game in Carolina on Christmas Eve afternoon.

Joe’s still holding out hope that the Bucs show up when the opening whistle blows. (Not win, but at least show up.)

If the Bucs do manage to muster an effort, the Panthers and their porous banged up defense are waiting to be gutted. The Panthers have been riddled with injuries on their defense all season and it’s getting worse, especially in their secondary, notes the Charlotte Observer.

Injuries forced the Panthers into contingency plans in the 28-13 win at Houston, where backup corner R.J. Stanford saw action at safety and rookie corner Brandon Hogan made his NFL debut filling in for Captain Munnerlyn.With only four days to prepare for Saturday’s game against Tampa Bay, the Panthers (5-9) could be short-handed in the secondary again. Three of the team’s top five defensive backs missed or were limited for Tuesday’s practice.

It’s really time for Greg Olson to channel the old days of whatever he did through much of the second-half of 2010, or the first two series against Jacksonville.

Letting Mike Williams get shut out against the Cowboys last week was a travesty, much of which has to fall Olson. Find a way to get the ball in your playmakers’ hands. The slant pass shouldn’t be a recurring allergy.

From the wailing of Bucs fans on sports radio and on message boards and on this very site, it seems Bucs fans are in near-unison they want embattled Bucs coach Raheem Morris rousted from the premises of One Buc Palace at the earliest possible moment.

But just because a new man will be stalking the sidelines of the football stadium on Dale Mabry Highway doesn’t mean the proverbial switch will be thrown and all of a sudden, a double-digit-win season will magically appear.

This is the gist of a Bucs fan’s query to the TBO Bucs Q & A feature recently.

Q: I’m a die-hard Bucs fan in the Atlanta area. We have a punishing running back in Blount that never seems to get to carry the ball. Is there a chance that we will fire Raheem, and hire Marty? I think we have the perfect team to play Marty Ball.

Jerome, Douglasville, GA

A: You’re right about Blount not getting the ball enough. That’s an issue that must be addressed. And yes, there is a chance Raheem will be fired and replaced, but I’m not sure which Marty you’re talking about. Marty Feldman, Marty Schottenheimer or Marty, the character that won Earnest Borgnine an Academy Award?

— Woody C.

May Joe kindly suggest to Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune, who answered this question, that the Bucs fan in Georgia could also have been referring to Marty Mornhinweg.

But yeah, if Marty Chokenheimer came here the days of this nonsense of giving Blount the ball a handful of times, only to see him sit on the bench from mid-second quarter on would be over.

But like a new coach may not automatically bring success, hiring Chokenheimer brings its demons as well. While Chokenheimer is fabulous at turning around teams, he’s also notorious for gagging away playoff games, in particular first-round playoff games.

And if losing first-round playoff games is the goal, then we are right back where we started with Team Glazer jettisoning Chucky.

When Jim Bates was defrocked and run out of town during the 2009 season, the Bucs could have simply kept his title and job in place and let him serve as an active defensive advisor to Raheem Morris after the head coach took over the reigns of the defense.

Hours before Bates was sent packing, Raheem had explained how Bates insisted on changing the defense on the fly that led to a Quincy Black interception and a near win in Miami. Even after Bates was defrocked, Raheem spoke of how much he had learned from Bates and treasured their relationship.

One would think the elder Bates would have been mature enough to handle it. But the Bucs opted to push him aside completely, still pay him, and let Raheem run the show.

This is one reason why Joe now thinks it’s unrealistic to strip Raheem of his defensive coordinator hat and let Raheem sit back and play No. 2 voice on defense to a new guy. Is Raheem mature enough to handle that? Apparently the veteran Bates wasn’t. And where else has that happened around the NFL? Let alone happened successfuly.

Now Joe knows that Raheem considers himself one of the most mentally tough individuals on the planet — he’s said that many times — but getting stripped of his defense would be the equivalent of getting sucker punched in the gut or gettting brazenly kicked in the balls.

The complete disaster the Bucs defense has become is a major factor here. A defensive coordinator would have to take over the defense and couldn’t just be a glorified yes-man for Raheem, who has proven he’s a bottom-tier defensive coordinator.

Listening to former Bucs DE Steve White (1996-2001) last night, on Two-Hand Touch on WQYK-AM 1010, Joe heard him say with certainty that if Raheem is to return next season, the Bucs would have to get him a new offensive coordinator, a new defensive coordinator and a bunch of new players outside of the talented core currently on the roster.

Months ago, Joe suggested the Bucs hire a consultant to help figure out the Bucs’ slow starts and other woes. And Joe has written many times, starting months ago, about how a defensive coordinator would/could help Raheem. But for Joe the game has changed a bit with Raheem leaving no doubt that he deserves an F grade as Bucs D-coordinator through 14 games. A new guy would have to be the alpha dog and it would take a minor miracle for that to be a smooth transition.

Maybe the Bucs offense would be better if Raheem had more time to be up his offensive coordinator’s ass? Maybe the defense would be better if Raheem had less on his plate?

Those are questions for optimists, and Joe’s no optimist when it comes to the head coach. The more Joe studies the Bucs’ plight, the more it appears that starting with a new head coach is the move with the best chance of success.

The Bucs are in a sad state of affairs.

Just over two years ago, the Bucs pulled the trigger on the heinous Jim Bates Experiment as opposing offenses looked akin to a cattle stampede the way they ran through the Bucs defense.

Head coach Raheem Morris took over the defense and, for a variety of reasons, that defense has reverted to levels worse than the heinous Jim Bates Experiment.

The offense isn’t that much better after the Bucs were curb-stomped by the Panthers, chain-whipped by the woeful Jags and alley-beaten by the Cowboys, on national TV no less.

And while the embattled Morris may very well pay for this mess with his job, Steve Wyche of NFL.com is of the mind Morris’ players are Pearl Harboring Morris’ tenure with the Bucs.

Players resoundingly say that they really like Morris and want to play for him. But liking Morris and respecting him are two different things. There’s a good chance that some Patriots players don’t like Bill Belichick, but they respect him. The fact that the Bucs want to play for Morris could signal that they are too comfortable with him.

That the Bucs are 4-10 also tells me that they don’t like playing for him that much. Getting blown out in their past three games — a 41-14 loss to Jacksonville being particularly inexcusable — also tells me that they’re really not playing to save Morris’ job.

That shouldn’t matter. What should is players playing to save their own jobs. The film won’t disappear if Morris is fired. A new coach will come in, see that lack of effort and start making changes.

Now Joe has made it clear he has no idea if Morris will be jettisoned at season’s end or retained. Joe’s quite certain Morris will finish out the season unless he unexpectedly resigns, which is not in his DNA.

But Joe is certain whoever the coach is, as Wyche hints, there will be wholesale changes in the roster.

The eye in the sky doesn’t lie.

Asked today to assess Mason Foster’s play in the middle of the Bucs’ porous defense, Raheem Morris praised his rookie MLB for playing “Grade A ball” early in the season and battling ankle injuries before hitting a funk.

Morris also went on to say Foster is missing the gift of experience around him and time to ease into his job.

“…Then he hit a little bit of a rookie wall. Got a little tired there. Got a little fatigued. You know, everything started to ache. Everything started to battle. Now he’s starting to come back around, starting to play fast, starting to play physical. He’s done this all year, so he’s one of those guys that’s going to grow into his body and become that natural mike [linebacker,]” Raheem said.

“He was thrust into kind of an awkward situation at the Bucs. You know, Derrick Brooks had Hardy Nickerson. Shelton Quarles had Derrick. You know, these guys had established guys around them that were beasts and in some cases got a chance to sit behind. You know Barrett Ruud got a chance to watch Shelton for a couple of years. … That was something [Foster] was thrown right into. He’s done a nice job of handling it as a young football player, and he’s done a nice job of all the aches and pains you deal with in the NFL.”

Well, there you have it. Foster, per Raheem, is coming around to his Grade A ball self. So Joe can’t wait to see Foster display that and yungry on Saturday at Carolina.

Also, it seems clear Raheem doesn’t see Quincy Black as an “established” guy who is a “beast.” It’s good to know the coach and Joe are on the same page on that one.

“And I respect Raheem Morris with the utmost respect. But a lot of these guys has quit, man. They’ve shut this thing down. I know quit when I see quit. And quit is not disguised tonight. It’s evident they’re not mentally, physically, emotionally in this thing tonight.” — Deion Sanders on NFL Network at halftime of the Bucs-Cowboys game.

Those were the damning words of Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders at halftime of the NFL Network’s broadcast last Saturday when discussing the Bucs.

Of course the players never heard it until later. And those words from Sanders irked Bucs offensive tackle Jeremy Trueblood who blasted Sanders today, via Rick Stroud of the St. Petersburg Times.

“Basically, he doesn’t play for us. He’s an outsider looking in,” Trueblood said of Sanders. “Great player, but that doesn’t mean he knows exactly what’s happening in our locker room and on our field. You know, you respect what people have to say, but you don’t always have to agree with them.

“We wouldn’t have done better as the game went on, so I don’t really find any merit in that at all. The offense started playing better toward the end, if we had quit, that wouldn’t have happened.’’

Well, if Trueblood is angry at Sanders, then he should also be mad at his head coach, embattled Raheem Morris who admitted his team didn’t give a great effort in the Bucs’ eighth loss in a row.

Bucs fans and the nation saw rockstar Bucs general manager Mark Dominik wearing a headset in a sky box during the Bucs-Cowboys game on NFL Network on Saturday.

Listening to sports radio this week, Joe has heard many fans wonder aloud why Dominik is doing such a thing, and even Bucs beat writer Rick Stroud was on The Fabulous Sports Babe Show on WHBO-AM 1040 today saying he had no clue why Dominik would wear a headset, and then Stroud whined about not having access to the general manager to ask him.

Allow Joe to shed some light.

First, Dominik routinely wears a headset. In fact, he’s an active participant and in communication with coaches. Raheem Morris talked about it on his radio show on WDAE-AM 620 back in November. The head coach was asked about whether he knew about Saints being down several live bodies in their secondary. And Raheem explained that he’s getting a steady flow of personnel information from his eyes in the sky.

Raheem Morris: We do a great job of in the box of handling a lot of that stuff. You know, Mark Dominik’s on with us. He tells us exactly what’s going on up there. We got our trainers, Todd the trainer, all our coaching staff is the box to see what’s going on and how many players they got what, who’s going out when, and who’s coming back in and all that kind of stuff. We get a bunch of information over the sets.

Also, just two weeks ago, eye-RAH! Kaufman of the Tampa Tribune noted how he spotted Dominik walking out of the coaches’ box during the curb-stomping at the hands of the Panthers. Additionally, it was Morris who admitted he spoke with Dominik in the middle of the game when the Bucs played the Patriots in London, letting Dominik know he was putting in Josh Freeman in his first NFL action.

Joe gets that some fans and media will have a knee-jerk reaction to this information about Dominik, something like, ‘what the hell kind of power trip is Dominik on to be meddling with his coaches during games?’

But the reality is that if Dominik knows the playbook and is supposed to be constantly evaluating talent, then he should have a headset on to know what play is coming next so he can most effectively scout the team.

As for Dominik communicating to coaches during games, one can speculate all day long, but there’s no way to know the depth and scope of the communication. Only the guys with the headsets know that.

Joe has done research in the past six weeks on whether this is common practice among NFL general managers. Joe’s gotten a wide range of answers, so Joe really can’t offer an intelligent take on that.

One thing is clear, though; Dominik is extremely hands-on.

Hope Bucs fans got a good look at the Bucs starting secondary Saturday. It could be drastically different next season, as pointed out by Stephen Holder of the St. Petersburg Times.

It’s very possible that Ronde Barber, Sean Jones and Aqib Talib all could be gone.

No one knows what Team Glazer will do with embattled coach Raheem Morris. But let’s put that aside for a moment.

The Bucs will likely stink again next year, if the Bucs truly are as bad as their record says the team is. So why would Barber actually want to return to this mess, or have to come in and learn a new defense under a new coach or new coordinator?

Then there is Sean Jones, whose contract is up after the end of the season. Jones could walk away or the Bucs could let him walk. Either way, it’s entirely possible Jones won’t be back.

Then there is Aqib Talib. There again, the State of Texas could make the Bucs decision for them if he is thrown in a jail cell. And if that doesn’t happen, there is always the looming shadow of NFL warden commissioner Roger Goodell.

And if there is a new Bucs coach, is he going to want to put up with all the drama of Talib? It’s not like he’s irreplaceable.

So keep that mental picture of the Bucs secondary in your memory from Saturday night. The next time the Bucs play at home, it could be very different.

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?

Just like Raheem Morris, Joe has core beliefs for his website and sets goals. One of those goals is to hit 400,000 actual visits to JoeBucsFan.com for the month of December.

Thankfully, Joe is in striking distance of this record number. And since it’s the season of giving, Joe’s asking you to give him a little help.

Perhaps take half a minute to tell a friend about JoeBucsFan.com, or use one of the little buttons below every post to share a story on JoeBucsFan.com with your Facebook or Twitter followers. Or maybe just remember to come back on Christmas Day. Yes, Joe will be pounding away on his laptop.

Thanks again for all your support. — Joe

Last month Bucs fans learned that Raheem Morris mastered the lesson of thick skin as a young elementary schooler, after some kids said his granny looked like a bulldog. Raheem beat them up and then his mother counseled him at home.

Feel free to refresh your memory here.

Last night on The Raheem Morris Show, the head coach shared how he developed mental toughness. Thank you Michael, Barry and Harry Morris.

“I grew up around three uncles who were all older than me and they beat the crap out of me every single day,” Raheem said. “And eventually, I became the big little guy. You know, and I changed that whole perception and how to deal with it. And that’s why you can sit in front of anybody and deal with any type of mental toughness disease that you have to deal with because that’s who I am. That’s who I’ve become. Because I built it through character, and I built it through hard work, and I built it through adversity. And that’s why I thank my uncles, Michael Morris, Barry Morris, Harry Morris, so much for, for building that type of character in me. At one point, [the Bucs] will be the big boys on the block. We’ll be the guys that come out and have future Hall of Famers, and future Pro Bowlers, and guys that come out and absolutely come out and take advantage of people as we grow and learn together.”

It’s interesting to Joe that a coach that credits childhood beatings for making him mentally tough is perceived to be soft on his players and has an undisciplined team that won’t play hard for him consistently.

Regardless, Joe loves the stories Raheem shares of his youth on the tough streets of Jersey.

Another injury plagued season for Aqib Talib is over. He was placed on injured reserve today, so Raheem Morris announced on The Raheem Morris Show moments ago on WDAE-AM 620. Officially, Talib played in 13 games this season, but in two of those, including Saturday, he played a flimsy handful of snaps with a hamstring injury.

After four NFL seasons, it’s fair to say Talib has been unreliable when it comes to his health, missing significant action over the past three seasons. Talib’s next challenge is now his court date in March.

“Myron Lewis will get his opportunity,” Raheem said.

Replacing Talib on the roster is defensive tackle Jovan Haye, a former Bucs starter at the 3-technique who the Bucs passed on in free agency after the collapse of 2008. Tennessee had signed him to a fat deal, but he was cut by them this year and was last cut by Detroit last week. “

Raheem said Haye is “a familiar face around here” and “a character guy.”

Clearly Haye is auditioning for a job next season replacing Albert Haynesworth, who is scheduled to earn about $7 million in 2012. Haynesworth has proven he’s not worth that kind of cash.

One of Joe’s favorite features on Buccaneers.com is the one labeled “Behind the Bench.” Essentially, NFL Films cameras capture cool stuff on the sidelines and give fans a glimpse of camera angles of game action seen nowhere else.

Joe highly recommends this week’s edition from the Bucs-Cowboys game. Just click here.

Here are Joe’s highlights/lowlights, depending on your perspective:

1) Watch Raheem Morris talk to the defense and Keith Millard deliver the most basic fundamental reminder to the defensive line.
2) Watch Dezmon Briscoe get drilled by Mike Jenkins at the goal line when Briscoe stopped running full speed as he approached the end zone. (If only the Bucs had kept running at Dez Bryant in the end zone).
3) See Frank Okam and Demar Dotson stay motionless and emotionless after the Bucs score a touchdown while others around them cheer.
4) Watch Albert Haynesworth demand the defense rally around him for what seems like a motivational speech on the way.

Feel free to offer your impressions in the comments.

Joe’s not sure whether the losing has gotten to Bucs fans or if they are delirious from their significant others dragging them to malls or awful company Christmas parties.

Joe has heard the calls on various sports radio shows, with fans giddy in a strange way for Team Glazer to pull the trigger on embattled coach Raheem Morris. Some fans on this very site note they refresh their computer screens several times a day, hoping to catch the news of Morris’ alleged impending exit from the team.

Calm down! It’s not happening. Not yet. Even NFL.com’s Jason La Canfora explains via Twitter.

Rams and Bucs have no plans to make coaching changes this week. If those moves takes place would be at end of season at this point

When Team Glazer has jettisoned coaches, never ever have they pulled such a move prior to the end of the season. Never.

If — and that’s an “if” because no one knows what Team Glazer is thinking — Morris is jettisoned, it will be on a Friday night in January, not before.

In this NBC Sports video, iconic NFL writer Peter King says he’s certain Raheem Morris will be fired and touches on “anti-Raheem” and “anti-Glazer” sentiment among Bucs fans, calling Raheem “the sacrificial coach.” (Bucs talk starts about 2:50 minutes in)