Three weeks ago, I wrote an article defending Raheem Morris and advocating that he was the right person to continue coaching the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

In the interim, without public support of ownership or on-the-field backing of his players, my lone voice was certainly not enough to prop up the beleaguered third year coach.

With the season ending on a frightful 10 game losing streak, on Monday, January 2nd, General Manager Mark Dominik bitterly relieved Coach Morris of his duties.

Though blame for the team’s failures can hardly be cast upon the 35 year-old, given the way the disappointing year unfolded, the Glazer family likely executed the only decision possible in these dire circumstances.

This move can only be commended if soon accompanied by wholesale roster changes. When a club sits a full $50 million below the NFL’s salary cap, there is ample room for such turnover. Yet, ownership has yet to display a willingness to its fans that they will make such bold moves.

If those moves do not follow, firing Morris is mere window dressing and not the gateway to building a team properly, for which fans of the Pewter Pirates yearn.

The 2011 Bucs’ roster featured an eye-popping 20 first or second year players. It must be noted that Raheem Morris did not make such risky decision. Furthermore, these competitors, many of whom were lower-ranked draft picks, often were forced to assume significant responsibilities, where they quickly displayed an inability to meet such a challenge. With a harsh schedule from modest success in 2010, and only a sparse checkbook provided by ownership, there was simply not enough veteran leadership to right the ship.

Admittedly, as the squad was embarrassingly outscored 203-88 during its final 5 games, such direction also did not come from its head coach. Through a multitude of missed tackles, lagging efforts, and prolific turnovers, the players made it apparent that they quit on their leader.

In the team’s final game against the division rival Atlanta Falcons, the Buccaneers even managed to fall behind 42-0 mid-way through the 2nd quarter. Such a notorious feat is not easy to accomplish in the NFL, even for the worst of teams. But it is a testament to an utter breakdown in the assembly of the club’s roster.

The necessary talent is not present, nor is the heart to win.

Only after getting beyond those issues, do problems with the coaching staff truly come to mind.

With Raymond James Stadium rarely full and football fans alienated throughout Tampa Bay, signing a new coach can inject some hope into the franchise. From that standpoint, firing Morris was a move that ownership had to make. However, given their track-record, I would caution Buccaneers’ fans to keep tempered expectations.

Let’s hope that changing the coach does not prove to be the highlight of off-season makeovers of this franchise—for this cast of misfits does not need a new tailor, it cries out for a completely new wardrobe.

Source:

Yahoo! Sports

More by Jeff Briscoe from Yahoo! Contributor Network:

Do Embarrassing Efforts Mean End of Morris’ Era in Tampa Bay?

Jeff Briscoe is a writer from Florida who covers sports for the Yahoo! Contributor Network and the Fort Myers Examiner. A loyal Tampa Bay Bucs fan, his favorite sounds include the firing of the cannons at Raymond James Stadium.

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Published: Jan. 2, 2012 at 1:03 PM

TAMPA, Fla., Jan. 2 (UPI) — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers fired Coach Raheem Morris Monday, one day after the team ended the season with a 10-game losing streak.

Tampa Bay finished the season 4-12. Only the Indianapolis Colts, St. Louis Rams (both 2-14) and Minnesota Vikings (3-13) had worse records in the NFL. The Rams fired Coach Steve Spagnuolo earlier Monday.

Morris coached the Buccaneers for three seasons. After going 3-13 in 2009, Tampa Bay was an impressive 10-6 last season. The Buccaneers opened this season 4-2 but sank under the long losing streak, which included a 45-24 loss at Atlanta Sunday.

“I have a lot of respect and appreciation for the passion Coach Morris gave to our football team but this change is one we felt was necessary,” said Tampa Bay General Manager Mark Dominik.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers fired Raheem Morris on Monday after his three seasons as Tampa Bay’s coach. The team announced the change one day after a 45-24 loss to the Atlanta Falcons extended the franchise’s longest losing streak within the same season since 1977 to 10 games.

Morris went 17-31, including a 10-6 mark in 2010, when the Bucs (4-12) narrowly missed the playoffs.

“I have has a lot of respect and appreciation for the passion Coach Morris gave to our football team, but this change is one we felt was necessary,” General Manager Mark Dominik said in a brief statement released by the team, which is owned by the Glazer family.

“We want to thank Coach Morris for all his hard work and dedication as head coach, ” team co-chairman Joel Glazer said.

The Bucs scheduled an afternoon news conference to discuss the change.

The 35-year-old Morris was hired in January 2009, replacing Jon Gruden after Tampa Bay lost the final four games of 2008 to miss the playoffs following a 9-3 start.

This year’s collapse followed a promising 4-2 start that included wins over NFC South rivals New Orleans and Atlanta, which are both headed to the playoffs.

Morris began his stint as the NFL’s youngest coach with a seven-game losing streak. It ended with a skid that rivaled some of the worst stretches in franchise history, in part because it came only a year after it looked like the Bucs might be headed in the right direction.

Raheem Morris … out.
(Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)
Raheem Morris of the Tampa Bay Buccanneers is the second NFL coach to be fired today, according to ESPN and the NFL Network.

Earlier, the St. Louis Rams’ Steve Spagnuolo was the first casualty on Black Monday. Morris was 17-31 in three seasons with the Bucs, who started 4-2, then cratered with 10 consecutive losses. (Eight of those came after the team picked up Albert Haynesworth.)

There now are five vacant head-coaching position in the league: Jacksonville, Kansas City, St. Louis, Miami and Tampa Bay.

ATLANTA (AP) —
Michael Turner
and the Falcons didn’t want to settle for just making the playoffs.

They wanted momentum and the best seed possible.

Hoping for a fast start, the Falcons set a team record with 42 first-half points, including two touchdown runs by Turner,
and Atlanta cruised to a 45-24 win over the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
on Sunday to clinch the No. 5 seed.

Julio Jones
caught two touchdown passes in a span of 26 seconds in the first quarter as the Falcons gave the Buccaneers their 10th straight
loss.

“We didn’t want to come down to the wire, backing into the playoffs,” Turner said.

The Falcons were motivated by two blowout losses – 48-21 to Green Bay in last year’s playoffs and 45-16 at New Orleans last
week.

“Getting embarrassed like that last year, that’s not who we were,” Turner said. “We just wanted another chance.”

The Falcons (10-6) and Detroit (10-6) are the NFC wild cards. Atlanta, which beat Detroit on Oct. 23, won the tiebreaker with
the Lions for the more favorable seeding. The Falcons will play at the winner of Sunday night’s Dallas-
New York Giants
game in the first round of the playoffs.

“We wanted to play our final regular-season game with a lot of intensity and energy, and I think we did that in all three
phases,” Falcons coach
Mike Smith
said.

Josh Freeman
threw two interceptions and lost a fumble in the first half as the Buccaneers (4-12) closed their season with their 10th straight
loss, leaving the status of coach Raheem Morris in doubt.

“If I was in the business of working out my future, I wouldn’t be coaching,” Morris said. “I’m going to go to work tomorrow
until they tell me to stop.”

The Falcons led 42-0 when they began resting some starters, including quarterback
Matt Ryan
and Turner, late in the first half.

“We had opportunities the week before and just didn’t make the plays,” Ryan said. “Today, we made the plays and I think that’s
what we needed moving forward.”

Ryan was 6 of 9 for 106 yards, including touchdown passes of 17 and 48 yards to Jones in the first quarter.

Tampa Bay, which finished 10-6 last season and started 4-2 this season, is left with its longest losing streak in one season
in 34 years. The Buccaneers also lost 10 straight in 1977. They lost 11 straight between the 2008 and `09 seasons.

“This is not the season we wanted or expected, but we will need to rededicate ourselves and get ready for this offseason,”
Morris said.

Turnovers were a problem for the Buccaneers all season. Freeman began the day tied for the league lead with 19 interceptions
before completing 31 of 45 passes for 274 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions.

With Atlanta leading 42-0, Freeman threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to
Dezmon Briscoe
with about 2 minutes remaining in the first half. Freeman threw a 5-yard TD pass to Briscoe in the fourth quarter.

Tampa Bay’s other touchdown came on
Elbert Mack
‘s 40-yard interception return against Falcons’ backup
Chris Redman
in the third quarter.

Turner ran for 172 yards and two touchdowns, including an 81-yard scoring run late in the first half. The score capped the
Falcons’ run of six unanswered touchdowns.

The Falcons led 21-0 after the first quarter and then put the game away with three more touchdowns in the second quarter.

The strong showing was important for the Falcons. Last week’s loss at New Orleans was the worst in four seasons with Smith.

“The main thing we wanted to do was flush out of our system last week,” tight end
Tony Gonzalez
said.

The Falcons announced before the game Gonzalez, 35, has signed a one-year contract extension, ending speculation he might
retire after this season.

The Falcons had the No. 1 seed in the playoffs last year before losing to the Packers.

Despite the team’s lower seed, Gonzalez said the Falcons are prepared for a longer postseason run.

“Honestly, I’ve said it all year: I think we’re a better team than we were last year,” Gonzalez said.

Rookie
Jacquizz Rodgers
scored on a 1-yard run for his first career touchdown to start the Falcons’ scoring. Rodgers lost a fumble at the Tampa Bay
2 in the fourth quarter.

After Ryan’s first TD pass to Jones,
Dominique Franks
‘ interception on Tampa Bay’s first down gave the ball back to Atlanta.

On first down from the Buccaneers 48, Ryan again threw to Jones, who fought off safety
Tanard Jackson
for the catch. Jones then jumped up from the turf, hit cornerback E.J. Biggers with a stiff-arm and then dragged Biggers into
the end zone.

Turner had two touchdown runs and
Curtis Lofton
returned an interception 26 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter.

Matt Bryant
kicked a 20-yard field goal late in the fourth quarter after the Buccaneers were stopped on fourth down at their 10.

Notes: Ryan passed Jeff George for the Falcons’ most yards passing in a season. George threw for 4,143 yards in 1995. Ryan
has 4,177. … Turner has 50 rushing touchdowns in four seasons with the Falcons, passing Gerald Riggs’ team record of 48.
… WR
Roddy White
also celebrated a milestone, passing Terance Mathis for the most yards receiving with the Falcons. Mathis had 7,349 yards
from 1994-2001. White finished the game with 7,374 for his career. … By playing in his 225th game with Tampa Bay, CB
Ronde Barber
passed Derrick Brooks for the team record.

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