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The Morris Touch

Tribune photo by JAY CONNER

Bucs Defensive Back Coach Raheem Morris during Tampa Bay Buccaneers Training Camp at the Wide World of Sports at Disney.

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By IRA KAUFMAN | The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 14, 2008

LAKE BUENA VISTA - He's seen defensive assistants come and go at One Buc Place, so Ronde Barber is cherishing every last moment with Raheem Morris.

Tampa Bay's dynamic secondary coach is considered a short-timer, no longer a secret in NFL coaching circles.

His return to the Bucs in 2007 helped Monte Kiffin's unit regain its typical stature among the league's elite defenses and Morris, who turns 32 in three weeks, appears to be on the same career track as his mentor, former Tampa secondary coach Mike Tomlin.

"Does Raheem get too much credit? Probably not enough," said Barber, the veteran cornerback who welcomed Morris back after his one-year departure to Kansas State. "You can't help but think he won't be here for long. He's on the same path as a Mike Tomlin. He's not a guy who's going to stick around and wallow in the same job for a long time."

Well before you even meet him, you can hear Raheem Morris on the practice field.

"His passion for the game is what makes him a special coach," Bucs general manager Bruce Allen said.

A former defensive back at Hofstra, Morris boasts the energy level of Chris Rock and the charisma of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.

"It's the ability to communicate," Bucs assistant head coach Larry Coyer said. "Raheem has it and you can't learn it. Good or bad, he talks to the players in a positive way. You can't fake it - he is what he is. I'd say he has an unlimited future in this league."

With the Bucs on their way to an NFC South title in the fall of 2005, Morris didn't know for certain that Tomlin would be leaving the organization. So when Kansas State expressed interest in naming Morris defensive coordinator, Tomlin's key assistant finished out the season in Tampa and decided to leave for Manhattan, Kan.

Tomlin would soon be named defensive coordinator of the Vikings, but Morris kept his word and joined the Wildcat staff. Defensive line coach Rod Marinelli also moved on and Tampa Bay's defense promptly plunged from first to 17th.

"I really had no intentions of being back to Tampa this fast," said Morris, who began receiving feelers from Kiffin after his first season with the Wildcats. "It was tough leaving K-State but I have to be honest - I love the NFL. I don't think I'd ever turn down an opportunity to work with Coach Kiffin."

When Morris returned to the Bucs in 2007, this time as defensive backs coach, he was greeted by a new facility and the news that another former partner on the staff, linebackers coach Joe Barry, had been hired by Marinelli as Detroit's defensive coordinator.

"I get excited for all these guys when they get opportunities," said Kiffin, who signed a multiyear deal in January to remain with the Bucs for a 13th season. "I've been around a lot of young coaches and you can tell the ones that won't be around for long, like Raheem."

Whether he's draping an arm around safety Jermaine Phillips or frantically waving to cornerback Phillip Buchanon that he's up next in the practice rotation, Morris never stops moving.

His move back to the NFL from Kansas State was hardly smooth, with the school suing Morris for breach of contract.

Tampa Bay's defensive backs probably would take up a collection to pay for any potential damages, but Morris said the issue with K-State has been resolved.

"Everyone learns in different ways and Raheem knows how to cater to you," said Phillips, a six-year veteran who enjoyed a revival in 2007 under the Morris touch. "With a lot of coaches, it's my way or it's the highway. Raheem gets to you the way you need to be gotten to."

Retired cornerback Everson Walls, who led the NFL three times in interceptions with the Cowboys, attended a Bucs practice and came away raving about Morris.

"With basically the same personnel, all of a sudden the Buc secondary was back at the top last year," Walls said. "They were right where they left off when Raheem left town. His energy and attention to detail are amazing and he does it with emphasis, without disrespecting players."

As Morris enters the final year of his contract, the Bucs are motivated to retain his services.

Morris may be destined to join Marinelli, Tomlin, Barry, Herm Edwards and Lovie Smith as The Man Who Got Away, but any NFL team in need of a defensive coordinator undoubtedly has him on speed dial.

"Right now, I'm Monte's secondary coach and I'm having a blast," Morris said. "I can't complain about anything. I would never want to be the guy that people thought was trying to push Monte out. He's going to go whenever he's ready to go."

Kiffin, 68, says he doesn't "even know how to spell the word retire."

If Morris leaves after the season for an opportunity elsewhere, Kiffin will understand.

"I don't know exactly why Raheem left, but it's probably a good thing that he left to be out on his own, making it his own way,"Barber said. "Now that he's back, it's just a matter of time before his name gets called. He'll go somewhere else and prove himself all over again on another level. Raheem Morris is really that good."

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