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Joe has a hunch you wouldn’t mind watching the highlights of the Bucs upset win over the Saints? Joe also believes you will enjoy Bucs longtime broadcaster Gene Deckerhoff’s call of Michael Spurlock’s 77-yard punt return to tie the game at 17-17.
In his weekly grades, Pete Prisco of CBSSports.com handed out the highest grade possible with rating the Bucs upset win over the Saints as an A+.
Josh Freeman made some big throws, but the big play was the punt return for a score by Michael Spurlock to tie the game. The offense moved the ball all day. The defense bent but when you hold the Saints to 17 points it’s a good day.
Joe may have given the Bucs an A- or perhaps a B+ as the game was hardly perfect. But hey, an A is an A.
Not even John Lynch knows what will happen with Raheem the Dream.
The football equivalent of alarm bells and sirens thoughout the Tampa Bay area went off Sunday when Jason La Canfora of NFL Network reported the Bucs approached Bill Cowher to gauge his interest in coming to the Bucs.
On paper, it appears Raheem the Dream has saved his job with two straight road wins, the latter against the Saints being the biggest upset in Bucs history.
But Bryan and Joel have done nothing to dismiss — or confirm — the Cowher rumors, leaving poor Raheem the Dream to twist in the wind.
Don’t expect Bryan and Joel to make any public statements either, so reports Tom Balog of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
The rookie head coach whose team has won at Seattle and New Orleans to improve Tampa Bay’s record to 3-12, is operating under a presumption that he will be retained because Joel and Bryan Glazer, who run the team for their father, owner Malcolm Glazer, have not told him otherwise.
The Glazers have not made a public statement in support of Morris — something they have never done for any head coach — even as the media and fans are clamoring for a sign either way, in light of the team’s record.
Morris said he has not received assurance of his future from the Glazers, and talked around admitting he would like to have assurance he will be back in 2010.
Meanwhile, scant few people know if Raheem the Dream will get dumped into the bay following Sunday’s game; win or lose.
With rumors swirling that Super Bowl-winning coach Bill Cowher has had preliminary talks with the Bucs about coaching the team next year, and Bryan and Joel doing nothing (publicly) to dismiss those rumors leaving Raheem the Dream to twist in the wind, Raheem the Dream is getting support from a division foe.
Saints coach Sean Payton — who went to college with Joe — apparently feels sorry for Raheem the Dream and came out in support of the Bucs rookie head coach.
Vacation Man of BSPN.com documents Payton’s words of support.
“They went back to maybe some of the things they had done in years past,’’ Payton said. “They’re improved defensively, and I said that to Raheem (Morris) before the game and afterwards. They’re playing with good fits and good energy.’’
Joe understands that, short of accusing Bryan and Joel of having financial dealings with a felonious financier, Bryan and Joel do not comment on rumors.
Sadly, the longer they stay silent, the more it appears the Cowher rumors have merit.
Poor Raheem.
If you’re in the camp of Bucs fans who believe Raheem The Dream is a lock to return as Bucs head coach in 2010, then this bit of news might be a waste of your time.
For those who think the Bill Cowher-to-Tampa Bay talk is very real, this post is likely to raise your eyebrows.
The Charlotte Observer is now reporting that Panthers head coach John Fox and his entire staff have been given the thumbs up to return in 2010.
Fox, whose contract will expire after the 2010 season, will not be offered an extension, however. Sources say he is scheduled to make about $6 million next season.
The return of the general manager and coaches could be a reward for upset victories the last two Sundays of Minnesota and the New York Giants.
Another factor, however, could be a potential lockout after the 2010 season. Contract negotiations between owners and players is expected to be bitter. If the owners lock the players out, teams might reduce expenses to prepare for the economic fallout.
It has long been said that Cowher’s first-choice destination to be a head coach again would be in Charlotte, near his family residence.
If that’s off the table for 2010 and Cowher wants to coach next year, where might he go?
Joe suspects Buffalo is not as attractive as Tampa, for a variety of reasons including the zero state income tax in Florida.
"See that cheerleader over there Chucky? Her name is Rachel Watson. I'm guessing they don't make women with bodies like that in Knoxville."
Between Raheem the Dream dodging questions about his job status and various Bill Cowher-related questions, Raheem the Dream did drop a little bit of a bomb.
Raheem the Dream in his weekly Monday press conference claimed special teams coach Rich Bisaccia isn’t going anywhere.
Numerous reports from BSPN to local outlets to websites based in Knoxville have reported that Bisaccia will leave the Bucs to take the running backs coach position opening at the University of Tennessee and be reunited with Volunteers defensive coordinator and former Bucs defensive guru Monte Kiffin.
Raheem the Dream dismissed those reports when he said that Bisaccia is under contract with the Bucs.
This could pose a problem if Bisaccia is under contract with the Bucs for the 2010 season.
If the Bucs decided to hold him to his contract, which is directly out of the Bruce Almighty playbook, that doesn’t bode well for the Bucs trying to lure other coaches into the fold, especially with Raheem the Dream on thin ice for next year.
Joe loves Earnest Graham. He’s an old school football player. Just tell him where to play, and he’ll do it and smash someone in the mouth.
Today at his news conference Raheem The Dream dropped the news that Graham suffered a toe ligament injury yesterday and is done for the season, a season that saw Graham turn down carries to give more to Cadillac Williams, play special teams, and switch to fullback out of necessity for the second consecutive season.
Graham presents another tough call for Mark Dominik and Raheem The Dream for the 2010 season (assuming they’re still here).
Cadillac spoke on the Buccaneers Radio Network in detail yesterday following the game explaining how he and Graham are incredibly in sync and how Graham is his eyes on the field.
So much to consider:
Would the Bucs bring back Graham as the No. 1 fullback? Is Caddy going to return as the No. 1 running back? Is Chris Pressley the fullback of the future? Will Derrick Ward puff and pout his way off the team in the offseason?
Do the Bucs draft a power running back?
Joe’s all in favor of making Graham the No. 1 fullback. He’s a weapon, and he needs to be on the field.
Josh Freeman took a breather just after Connor Barth booted the Bucs to an overtime win over the Saints to discuss the victory.
Raheem The Dream dropped the sad news at his Monday news conference: starting defensive end Jimmy Wilkerson is done for the season with a torn ACL (anterior cruciate ligament).
Fans watched Wilkerson hit the turf early in the first quarter against the Saints and not return.
A few weeks ago Anwar Richardson, of TBO.com, reported that Mark Dominik was hungry re-sign the 28-year-old free agent to a two-year, $3 million deal so he wouldn’t test free agency.
“They’ve made it clear that they’d like to have him back and Jimmy’s made it clear that he wants to be back and we’ve been working toward that a little bit,” said Harold C. Lewis, Wilkerson’s agent. “We’re not close to having anything finalized yet, but we have talked in parameters and hope we can get something done.”
Surely the Wilkerson deal is now off. No reason to give a contract to an average defensive end with a ripped up knee, who might not be ready for 2010.
And frankly, this development has to change the Bucs’ entire approach to the offseason.
Before Wilkerson was hurt, many would argue the Bucs needed a serious upgrade at the position. Now it has to become a priority.
Joe feels for Wilkerson. A guy’s NFL life is short, and he was having his best season with six sacks and 46 tackles.
"Ronde, keep texting Michael Silver that I'm coming back. Maybe that will keep him from including all his liberal BS opinions in his NFL columns."
In recent days, more and more Bucs are beginning to stump for the return of Raheem the Dream. Jeff Faine, Chris Hovan and Barrett Ruud were among the first to lobby for their head coach.
Now add Ronde Barber to the mix. The veteran Bucs cornerback reacted angrily via text — as best as one can react angrily via text — to a suggestion from Yahoo! Sports NFL columnist, good guy yet Maoist Michael Silver, that Raheem the Dream would get punked for Bill Cowher.
That Tampa Bay fought back from a 17-0 deficit to a team stinging from its first defeat of the season the previous Saturday – and looking to sew up the NFC’s No. 1 overall seed – makes the Bucs’ victory even more shocking. I asked veteran cornerback Ronde Barber on Sunday night to explain what the hell is going on in Tampa, and he attributed much of it to the players’ affection for Morris. “We’re just finding ourselves!” he wrote via text message. “One thing you cannot accuse us of is not playing hard. [A lot of teams quit, but] not us. We love our guy too much.” Trailing 17-3 at halftime, Morris, who took charge of the team’s defense after firing coordinator Jim Bates (in the wake of a 38-7 defeat to the Saints) five weeks ago, came up with some strategic wrinkles to help the cause. “Great adjustments,” Barber said. “A couple of defenses that we never even practiced, and guys were just buying in. Postgame, in our locker room, you’d have thought we won the Super Bowl.” As for the notion that Morris could be gone after Sunday’s regular season finale against the Falcons, Barber said, “Don’t buy into that [expletive]!”
Despite Barber’s sell, Silver noted that he isn’t totally buying. Silver points out that Bryan and Joel have been enamoured with big-name coaches before and that Bryan and Joel have been known to react swiftly, if unexpectedly, when making coaching moves.
Therefore, Silver writes, there may be smoke to the Cowher fire as Peter King points out.
Joe admits Silver’s argument is compelling. We will all find out in roughly three weeks who is full of it and who isn’t when it comes to Raheem the Dream’s job security.
Cris Carter and Jon Anik of BSPN break down the Bucs upset win over the Saints. Carter talks about Raheem the Dream’s job status and rookie quarterback Josh Freeman.
Vacation Man of BSPN.com, who resides in Tampa, decided to make the trek across the Gulf of Mexico to take in the Bucs-Saints game.
After the Bucs upset the Saints, Vacation Man came up with some interesting nuggets that caught Joe’s attention:
* The Buccaneers became the team with the fewest victories (two) entering a game to defeat a team with at least 13 wins in NFL history.
* The Bucs are 11-0 when Williams has 22 or more carries in a game and 8-1 when he rushes for 100 or more yards.
* Raheem the Dream now has two victories in December. That’s precisely two more than Jon Gruden had last December.
This just reinforces what Joe has been beating the drum for: Run the damned ball!
Michael Spurlock's 77-yard punt return helped get special teams coach Rich Bisaccia the coveted "Coach of the Week" honors from no less an authority than Peter King of SI.com.
Peter King, in his must-read SI.com column to start the week, Monday Morning Quarterback, each week gives out his weekly awards. Among them is the best coach of the weekend.
This week King goes so far as to recognize a special teams coach.
The Bucs special teams coach, Rich Bisaccia.
The 77-yard punt return for touchdown by Michael Spurlock that helped the Bucs shock New Orleans continued a superb season for the Bucs’ special teams. Bisaccia’s crew has returned punts and kickoffs for touchdowns, blocked two extra points, blocked one field goal, blocked two punts, deflected one other punt and recovered two onside kicks. Bucs special teams accounted for 14 of their 20 points at New Orleans.
The thing that impressed Joe the most is that pulled a guy off the street (Spurlock) to make the game’s biggest play on a punt return.
Despite the fact Woody Cummings and eye-RAH Kaufman, both of the Tampa Tribune, are reporting from their sources within the walls of One Buc Palace that the rumors about Bryan and Joel reaching out to Bill Cowher are false, it’s almost like a lone wolf howling in the wilderness.
The rumors continue to swirl, fueled by national reporters that there is merit to the whispers.
Joe Henderson, also of the Tampa Tribune, writes that Bryan and Joel can easily quash these rumors — provided they are false — if they so chose.
But they have not (yet).
Every minute [the Glazers] delay undermines [Raheem the Dream] and casts doubt over just what they plan to do with this team. When there is silence, the void gets filled with opinion, analysis and flat-out guessing.
You start thinking that if the Glazers (or their designated representatives) “reached out” to Cowher, as NFL.com says they did, maybe they should keep reaching until he tells them no. As uplifting as beating the NFC’s best team is, you don’t base the future direction of your franchise on the outcome of one game.
The Bucs declined comment on that report, and who is surprised by that?
Joe sure isn’t.
If Bryan and Joel like Raheem the Dream so much, why let him twist in the wind? Sure, they may have privately assured Raheem the Dream he is returning next season, but why let the man’s reputation continue to get tarred?
If Raheem the Dream is coming back, just direct Bucs media honcho Jeff Kamis to issue a one sentence release:
“Bill Cowher will not coach the Buccaneers next year.”
Peter King of Football Night in America believes there may be smoke to the Bill Cowher to Tampa Bay rumors, though he also believes Bryan and Joel equally like Raheem the Dream.
King explains the details in this NBCSports.com video.
Breaking sports news video. MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL highlights and more.
Woody Cummings and eye-RAH! Kaufman of the Tampa Tribune appear in this TBO.com video from the Superdome after the Bucs upset over the Saints.
Among the Bucs topics, both touch upon the Bill Cowher rumors that surfaced early yesterday on NFL Network that the Bucs reached out to Cowher to discuss coaching the Bucs next season.
Both Cummings and Kaufman, citing their own individual sources within One Buc Palace, are adamant that the Cowher-to-Bucs rumors are false.
As for the Bucs game, Kaufman explains it’s the biggest Bucs win in recent memory.
"I have to keep checking the scores on my Blackberry to believe we beat the Saints on the road."
The rumor that popped up yesterday by Jason La Canfora of the NFL Network — later shot down by Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune— that Bryan and Joel have flirted with Bill Cowher, has former Bucs beat writer Don Banks dizzy.
In short Banks, now a columnist for SI.com, wonders aloud if Bryan and Joel want a Super Bowl-winning coach so bad, why did they get rid of one less than a year ago?
So let me get this straight: Tampa Bay fired its Super Bowl-winning head coach last offseason rather than risk losing its young defensive coordinator to another team that might target him as a hot potential head coaching candidate, only to find out that he maybe wasn’t ready for the job he was given, prompting the Bucs to at least look into the possibility of hiring a Super Bowl-winning head coach?
If you’re confused in any way, I was referencing Jon Gruden, Raheem Morris and Bill Cowher in the previous paragraph. And shouldn’t the Bucs think twice before they discard Morris, given his last-place club is on a two-game winning streak and making a bit of a late-season push for respectability?
To be honest, with the Bucs upsetting New Orleans on the road after winning a cross-country game the prior week, Joe would be surprised — not shocked — if Raheem the Dream didn’t come back in 2010.
The Bucs physically pounded the Saints in the second half and in overtime, they drained the spirit right out of the Saints.
The overtime period by the Bucs offense was a work of beauty.
For weeks (months?) Joe had been begging, pleading for Bucs offensive coordinator Greg Olson to ditch the Chucky playbook and run the damned ball.
Not only did he do that against the Saints, it appeared the Bucs were determined to ram the ball up the Saints’ rear ends in overtime, taking advantage of a tired Saints defense.
Avowed blog hater Len Pasquarelli, of BSPN.com, claims the Bucs in the late going took the will away from the Saints.
Not only did the Bucs thrash the Saints in the second half, they dented the Saints’ confidence as well. Tampa Bay’s 29th-ranked offense outgained New Orleans 250-170 in the second half and bashed the interior of the New Orleans defense with a running game led by Cadillac Williams.
“We felt like we were being pushed around,” said Saints free safety Darren Sharper, who had a first-half interception. “They were more physical than us. At the end, with [Williams] beating on us, we couldn’t stop them.”
Let’s hope Olson learned a lesson from Sunday: that even if the Bucs are down a touchdown — or 17 points at halftime — keep pounding the ball, don’t give up.
The results can be sweet.
If Bill Cowher comes to the Bucs, it likely won’t be until the 2011 season.
If there is a season.
Provided Raheem the Dream has an awful year in 2010.
That’s the summation that BSPN’s Adam Schefter laid out for listeners on BSPN Radio this morning as he co-hosted with Erik Kuselias, heard locally on WHBO-AM 1040.
Schefter explained to listeners that in recent days rumors of Cowher began popping up in his NFL channels and the two teams that were constantly mentioned were Tampa Bay and Carolina.
While Schefter said it is “likely” Cowher returns to the NFL coaching ranks next season, he doubts it will be for either the Bucs or the Panthers.
Part of that reason is both teams have had a resurgence to close out the 2009 season, in short saving both Raheem the Dream’s job and John Fox, coach of the Panthers.
Another more significant factor for Cowher not coming to the Bucs or Panthers is the looming labor strife of the 2011 season, Schefter said.
Schefter is of the opinion that there will be a work stoppage of some sort in the NFL in 2011, and neither Bryan or Joel, nor Panthers owner Jerry Richardson, are inclined to make a move prior to 2011 as they seem intent to wait until a new labor agreement with the NFLPA is in place before making such a major move.
Schefter went on to say that yesterday, with the Bucs upsetting the Saints and the Panthers destroying the Giants, both teams should have given a game ball to Cowher as Schefter believes the Cowher rumors may have motivated both teams to save their coach’s jobs.
"I don't give a damn if Bill Cowher is standing right there, I'm coming back next year, fellas."
Reporters following the Bucs upset over the Saints yesterday wasted little time in peppering Raheem the Dream with questions about the report from Jason La Canfora of NFL Network that the Bucs owners approached former Steelers coach and Super Bowl winner Bill Cowher about taking over the Bucs.
Raheem the Dream seemed confident the win yesterday all but sealed his return for the 2010 season, so reports Vacation Man of BSPN.com.
“I’ve got a great relationship with my owners,’’ Morris said. “I’m pretty sure if I’m getting popped or fired my owners would come tell me.’’
Joel and Bryan Glazer, who run the franchise, sure didn’t look they were ready to fire Morris after his team came back to win after trailing 17-0. They were smiling out in the hallway of the Superdome and shaking hands with players, coaches and team employees.
It will be very hard for Bryan and Joel to fire Raheem the Dream now. The team has made progress in the past few weeks, specifically on defense. For any team to hold the Saints to 17 points on their home turf, well, that’s impressive.
So if one is to believe Jason La Canfora of the NFL Network and Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen of BSPN.com, one of the Glazers, or someone representing the Glazers, have talked to Bill Cowher or one of Bill Cowher’s people trying to gauge his interest in taking over the Bucs next year.
Sure, it could have happened. Joe suspects possibly not.
Roughly a week ago, Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune, in a TBO.com question-and-answer column, stated that Bryan and Joel like to have checks and balances in their football operations, which would rule out a football czar who is also a coach, such as Cowher.
Late Sunday, Cummings posted a story from a source close to the Glazer family that flat out denied any communication with Cowher concerning the Bucs coaching gig.
To Joe, this Bucs-talked-to-Cowher story smells like a plant.
It seems clear Cowher is starting to gather a team of assistants and front office types to make a move, perhaps for the 2010 season. The best way to get the best deal possible is to have options. If only one team is going after Cowher, it’s a buyer’s market. Cowher is pretty much at the mercy of one owner’s checkbook.
However, if there are more than a few teams going after Cowher, it turns into a bidding war. Major advantage: Cowher.
The fact La Canfora broke this story tipped Joe off that this was a plant.
Cowher’s agent, or someone working with his agent, calls La Canfora over the weekend with this info. To make sure La Canfora gets a major scoop, La Canfora gets assurance from his tipster that no one else has it. La Canfora then goes live Sunday on the NFL Network’s pregame show, which starts a full two hours before BSPN’s pregame show; three hours before CBS or Fox, nearly 10 hours before NBC.
So La Canfora breaks the story early and then the other four outlets are going to chase after the same story.
In other words, the best way for Cowher’s camp to get the biggest splash was to make sure La Canfora broke this early Sunday, which would ensure maximum exposure over five seperate national news outlets.
It worked.
Now, whether this “leak” is true or not, other teams possibly interested in Cowher have been jump-started into talking to Cowher’s agent. Again, more teams interested in Cowher means a bidding war.
That’s why Joe is convinced this leak came from Cowher. There’s no reason for the Glazers to leak this. Again, if Bryan and Joel were interested, why ignite a bidding war by tipping off La Canfora? There’s no benefit for Bryan and Joel tipping off La Canfora.
Mortensen claims the Glazers are smitten with Cowher. As Archie Bunker would say, “Whoop-tee-do!” Owners and coaches — both past and present — talk with and amongst each other all the time. If Bryan and Joel have told other owners they like Cowher, that doesn’t mean they are trying to hire him.
Joe is confident Bryan and Joel have told their NFL owner brethren they also like other coaches.
Could Bryan and Joel have spoken with Cowher? Well, remember eight days ago the Bucs were 1-12. Joe would suspect any serious owner(s) of a team with one win would begin to put out feelers if not start brainstorming about what coach may be available should they decide to hire a new coach. Hiring a new coach in the NFL is not something often done on the spur of the moment.
Joe believes Raheem the Dream punched his ticket yesterday for another season with the Bucs. But Cowher coming to the Bucs, Joe believes this was a well-orchestrated plant that worked perfectly.
