Bucs next head coach

[Who'sYourData?]

Do you want a coach that got fired for losing?

John Calipari has stated that you can't be the best if you haven't failed somewhere along the line. I agree with that thinking. There are lots of reasons a team loses, and coaching is only one of them. It's an entire program thing.

That said, I'd love to see Cowher.

[GaUSFBull]

Personally, I think this falls on Dominic and/or an incredibly cheap ownership. We have seen the Glazers spend money in the past for a quality product, so I'm inclined to think Dominic is the guy that should have gotten the ax. Rah Rah may or may not be a quality coach, but the glaring lack of talent and/or effort at some positions is completely embarassing. Some of it falls on the coach, but Dominic has been even worse.

Seriously? Talent isn't the issue, coaching is the issue. That's why Dominik still has a job in the organization. Raheem couldn't motivate the team to give a complete effort the final games of the season, and in the pros, if your head coach can't get the most out of the team, he doesn't have any business being the head coach of said team.

But if you're going to bring up talent, keep in mind that before the injuries to a myriad of starters on both sides of the ball, in the first half of the year, the Bucs beat the two playoff teams in the division. The talent is there; there are few holes, but now it's up to another person to fill those holes and put a contender on the field.

[Who'sYourData?]

Really? Name one unit outside of the offensive line and placekicker that is even league average.

The talent on the Bucs is dreadful. There isn't anything resembling a #1 receiver. Blount is a decent power back, but there isn't a pass catching back with speed to compliment him. The DLine is starting to come along, but it is young and Gerald McCoy can't stay healthy. That is the worst linebacker unit in the NFL. We love Rhonde Barber but he is old and Talib is inconsistent, nothing but bunch of UFAs behind those two. The safeties would be ok except for injuries and drug suspensions.

Freeman was good last year but he must have spent all offseason watching Desperate Housewives reruns and eating Twinkies.

All of that and almost no veterans around to hold the other players accountable. Letting go of Barrett Ruud to replace him with a raw rookie was the dumbest offseason decision in the NFL, especially since the lockout meant Foster had no time to learn anything.

The roster is an embarassment. There are some quality young players, but this team badly needs quality veterans in the right spots to turn this thing around.

[Joe]

Chudzinski from Carolina should be given a look. Knows how to run an offense. Makes things exciting.

My only issue with this is that he's never been a head coach before. Let's do our best to get one of the veteran HCs available - Fisher, Cowher or Dungy - and then start looking in that direction if we strike out there. Agree with bulldozier that they need to be teachers - young kids need teachers first.

The Bucs have some building to do, a seasoned head man probably isn't going to be cool with a rebuilding project led by owners who won't spend money.

I think they go for an assistant for that reason and the fact that it's cheap. Morris was making less than a million before this year.

Disagree, it's not a rebuilding project anymore, the rebuilding started about 3 years ago when they cut the veterans and drafted Freeman. Many of the puzzle pieces are currently in place, they just need someone proven who is capable of getting the most out of players, and this coach needs to have the ability to add veteran free agents in key positions of need. Bucs are really just a few players away on both sides of the ball from being contenders.

The issue is just when you pair up the league's youngest coach with the league's youngest team, you're going to have some maturity issues, and that really became evident in the 10-game slide. I think the Bucs will try to get a proven guy, the last time they did, they ended up getting a Super Bowl. It's when they went the assistant route that really screwed things up. I think the Glazers really thought that Morris was going to be the next big coach, like how Tomlin worked out. They made a business decision today and cut their losses.

Just bring in someone that knows what they are doing, and in two years, Bucs should be in position to compete for division titles.

I didn't say rebuild, I said build. There are pieces there, but the Bucs are littered with a lot of crap too.

It's going to take a couple years. Brian Billick was the rumor today. Hope he brings the Ravens d

[GaUSFBull]

Really? Name one unit outside of the offensive line and placekicker that is even league average.

That's a garbage argument - you're asking me to name a league average unit on a team that just finished 4-12, lost 10 games in a row and endured scores of injuries to its starters. How can I possibly do that?

There isn't anything resembling a #1 receiver.

You're right about WR, we all thought after Mike Williams' great rookie season he would be the guy, but he clearly regressed too. This is one of the puzzle pieces I'm saying we need. We need to draft Blackmon or Floyd in the upcoming draft to help our QB out. We get a stud WR that can stretch the field in either free agency or the draft and an everydown back (Blount is not an every down back) and game is back on. That simple.

The DLine is starting to come along, but it is young and Gerald McCoy can't stay healthy. That is the worst linebacker unit in the NFL. We love Rhonde Barber but he is old and Talib is inconsistent, nothing but bunch of UFAs behind those two. The safeties would be ok except for injuries and drug suspensions.

Agreed there.

Freeman was good last year but he must have spent all offseason watching Desperate Housewives reruns and eating Twinkies.

It started out not being Freeman's fault because WRs weren't getting open, but it's pretty obvious he felt he had to force things to try to move the ball. He did have a rough end to the year though. He still has the ability to be an elite QB in the NFL, he needs 1-2 more playmakers around him though.

All of that and almost no veterans around to hold the other players accountable. Letting go of Barrett Ruud to replace him with a raw rookie was the dumbest offseason decision in the NFL, especially since the lockout meant Foster had no time to learn anything.

Just don't forget that the Bucs won 10 games just a year ago with virtually the same roster. The defense was on the field FAR more than the offense this year, and of course that's going to wear a defense down and cause more injuries. I agree that the timing was bad for Foster, but I don't think Ruud was going to sign a one-year deal to get Foster acclimated. Ruud wasn't that great, anyway. Bottom line, it's a young team with some talent - they just need more of it, and I definitely think they need a coach that will get some key veterans in.

The roster is NOT an embarrassment - the backups, yeah, but the starters are young and talented. Keeping them healthy and getting some more playmakers on both sides however possible is a must at this point.

[Who'sYourData?]

ust don't forget that the Bucs won 10 games just a year ago with virtually the same roster.

I won't forget that if you don't forget the Bucs won 10 games a year ago with EXACTLY the same coaching staff. They did lose veteran players and did not replace them with veteran players, especially at the key middle linebacker spot. Defensively, the line was arguably better but the defense was atrocious as a whole. Did the coaches become dumb in one offseason?

Ruud was far more important to this defense than Dominik gave him credit for. It was a huge mistake letting him go. They should have kept him and Foster could have plugged one of the other linebacker spots with less responsbility for a year or two until he learned how to run the defense and became a leader. It is incredibly obvious that the other linebackers are special teams guys masquerading as starting linebackers.

While we're at it, we really need another quality DB or two instead of using 7th round picks and UFAs there.

[Bull Martin]

Bill Cowher and Justin Blackmon are what I want.

[Bull Martin]

And the Bucs winning 10 games last year was the result of a scheduling fluke. It was like UCF claiming they were actually the 25th best team in the country after they capped off their 10 win season beating 6-7 Georgia a year ago. Neither team beat a team with a winning record and neither team was really any good.

[flsportsfan83]

Bill Cowher and Justin Blackmon are what I want.

Cowher will not come to Tampa, fo the same reason he wont go to Miami. Both have a GM in place. The only proven head coach (the big 3) that would go to a place with a GM in place is MAYBE Fisher.

I believe the Bucs and Fins will both end up with current asst's. I Hope Miami is smart and gets Chud from Carolina.

[emrober5]

When Fisher won't even come in for an interview, and Wade effing Phillips cancels the night before, you know you're in trouble.

Glazers have run the Bucs into the ground.