TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Bucs Q & A: Latest answers

ADVERTISEMENT

By ROY CUMMINGS | The Tampa Tribune
and IRA KAUFMAN | The Tampa Tribune
and ANWAR RICHARDSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 28, 2009

Updated: 12/17/2009 07:00 pm

Have a good question about the Tampa Bay Buccaneers? The Tampa Tribune's beat writers - Roy Cummings, Anwar Richardson and Ira Kaufman - will answer it.

Send us your own question.

Q: I just have one comment to make about the Bucs and the fan base. We all need to remember one thing, even with issues and mistakes made from the top of the organization to the bottom, they are still our team! I am only one fan but in their hour of need I want them to know that there are still fans that support them and will continue to do so!

Scott Sparenberg, Tampa

A: I can promise you that the Bucs greatly appreciate your dedication and loyalty. Take it from a life-long Cubs fan, it's easy to jump off the bandwagon when things are going well. It's hard to stay with it and wait out the storm.

-- Roy Cummings

---------------

Q: It looks like gettig rid of Chucky wasn't the answer. It seems to me that instead of getting rid of a proven coach for an unproven coach, we needed a playmaking quarterback. when are we gonna finally spend the money and get the quarterback we have been missing?

Jeff Adams, Houston, Tx

A: The Bucs drafted Josh Freeman in the first round to be their quarterback of the future. He's the playmaker for now. If he can't do it then the Bucs will go after someone else, but they won't give up on Freeman for quite a while.

-- Roy Cummings

---------------

Q: It's apparent that the Bucs have probably won the only game they will win this season. The coaching has been far less than competent or ideal. It's time the Glazers went after a Mike Holmgren or Bill Parcells type to oversee all the football operations. Barring that, they should go after Bill Cowher, Shanahan or one of the established coaches. What is your take on this idea of a football Czar to run things?

Jim Wright, Clearwater

A: If the Bucs do as you suggest and hire either Mike Shanahan, Mike Holmgren, Bill Parcells or Bill Cowher, they will have their "football czar." Shanahan, Holmgren and Parcells want to run the entire show. Same will probably go for Cowher if he returns. That's why the Bucs probably won't hire any of them or anyone like them. They're not big fans of one-man shows. They like the idea of checks and balances within the system.

-- Roy Cummings

---------------

Q: I picked up a commentary off of CBS Sportsline about head coaches on the fence of being let go. It includes Raheem Morris. Now that it is out in the open, will you three jump off the fence and agree with what the rest of us have been saying?

Sidney Valentine, Tampa

A: I have to believe the Glazers knew there would be some growing pains with Morris. Whether they knew there would be this many is hard to know, because they aren't talking. The easy thing to do, of course, is let go of the guy, pacify the critics and say you made a mistake. But if you really believe in him and think you have something special that just needs time to develop, then it's probably worth waiting to see if he can make the proper adjustments and get better. Either way, we'll have an answer soon enough.

-- Roy Cummings

---------------

Q: Can someone please remind Raheem to take advantage of the 45 second play clock before throwing his red flag during a challenge. He has challenged many plays almost instantaneously after the play is whistled. Coaches assemble a staff for support, yet he won't utilize any of them, instead opting to shoot from the hip with his challenge flag.

Spencer Trynom, New Smyrna Beach

A: Raheem has displayed a rather quick trigger finger with that flag. I'm sure he's well aware of the time he has to throw it, but I'm also sure that he wouldn't throw it if he wasn't convinced he had a chance to win the challenge.

-- Roy Cummings

---------------

Q: The hell with a G.M., let us fans have the say so on who comes, who goes who should we draft, etc. We are the ones packing the stadium and buying the merchandise putting more money in this organization then any G.M.ever could.

Tristen, Las Vegas, Nev.

A: Not even the Packers, who are a publicly owned team, would leave decisions of this nature up to the fans. You do help pay the salaries of the players, coaches and team executives, but some things are best left to the people whose job is to evaluate talent. This is one of them.

-- Roy Cummings

---------------

Q: Like most Bucs fans im looking forward to the draft! I am absolutely amazed by Ndamukong Suh. Everyone is assuming that the Bucs will take him. the Bucs should have at worst the third pic. If he is off the boards, who will they go after?

D.J. Smith, Tampa

A It's still too soon to know. So much can change between now and draft day. Still, I think a defensive lineman, a linebacker or a safety are the top needs. That and a left guard, but they can get that in the second or third round. Keep looking defense. That's sure to be the pick off the top.

-- Roy Cummings

---------------

Q: I highly question the wisdom of Morris' plan to "establish the running game." Why, after 13 games of mediocracy does he believe that within the next week or two he can create an new identity for the team whose identity has been established as one of ineptness? Morris and company seem overwhelmed and unable to right the ship. Does the present coaching staff have the knowledge, skills, understanding and experience to bring about the necessary changes to make this a winning team in 2010?

Jack Gundrum, Inverness

A: I'm not sure we have the answer to your question yet. All we can go by is the results we've seen so far and they're not encouraging. However, the defense is playing better since Raheem took over and the team seemed to draft rather well last year. Going by that you could certainly make an argument for Raheem and Mark Dominik to stay. Still, some changes will have to be made. The offense has been the biggest disappointment. I think that's where heads will roll, if heads roll.

-- Roy Cummings

---------------

Q: After Sunday's game. What did you get from it? Did our team looks like it improved or just regress? Did our coaching staff look like they knew what they were doing or lost on the side of the field? Were you proud to hear on CBS by the game announcers that Friday's practice was flat and without direction? Were you impressed that the same announcer Rich Gannon said that something was wrong when Freeman keep throwing into the Jet's best coverage? Are the three of you still on the priate ship saying that Morris still needs a chance to prove himself and that rebuilding is a rough road? Are you ready to change your tune and join the rest of the fans saying the Morris and Dominick are not ready for prime time and it's time to get us a new coaching staff?

Sidney Valentine, Tampa

A: I appreciate your passion about the Bucs. It beats the heck out of indifference. I prefer to judge Morris and Dominik after a full 16-game season. They've made more than their share of mistakes, but the finger-pointing in the locker room has been minimal and that says something about the respect the players have for their rookie coach. You can't pretty up a 1-12 record, so I don't think you are wrong to suggest this regime is far from assured of coming back intact in 2010. Maybe they felt that way after the Green Bay game -- but not now.

-- Ira Kaufman

---------------

Q: OK, after all this time -- three quarterbacks, fans with hanging heads -- is it not time to look at the coaching? OUR coaches are in way over their heads you can not teach players what you do not know. You can not fire up a team when they know you are not a leader. Freeman is a good player; he needs what the coaching staff is not capable of giving him. Do we blow another year listening to excuses or get some coaches who are up to the task?

Mark Romani, Ocala

A: Morris is definitely proving it is difficult to vault from position coach to head coach in the NFL without stopping to be a coordinator. He is learning on the job, and making a bunch of mistakes along the way that the Bucs are paying for every Sunday. It's all about Josh Freeman in the next three weeks and for the sake of Morris and Mark Dominik, he needs to show some progress. The Glazers don't want to make another regime change -- but they will if they feel they have to.

-- Ira Kaufman

---------------

Q: Why are Raheem Morris and Mark Dominik getting such a pass from the media? We had a winning head coach and GM who were chased out of town. These guys are BAD, and there is still talk of them coming back next year. They created this mess, ditched all the Veterans. Now we see their "direction" was a complete failure, ZERO improvement.

Rob Owens, St. Petersburg

A: Nobody is giving these guys a free pass. There have been a ton of mistakes made from the front office to the sidelines in 2009, but the Bucs may have found their franchise QB -- and that's a big thing. Much depends on how Freeman plays the next three weeks. Coaches usually get more than one year to prove their worth in this league, especially when ownership knew going in that it would be a long season for Buc fans. Gruden and Allen's failures were well documented, without a doubt. When the season ends, Morris and Dominik will be examined in depth and it won't be a pretty picture.

-- Ira Kaufman

---------------

Q: It is the halfway point since you made the statement, "If the Bucs show progress these last six weeks, Morris will stay." After three weeks, and Morris assuming the defensive coordinator role, the clock is runnning out on this leadership. Three losses, three backup QBs, and the Bucs look lost on the playing field. The defensive gives up a 33 yard run for a TD and allows 26 points to a team that has a hard time getting to 20 points on average during the season. What improvement have you seen? While Morris still has three games to go, it is of my honest opinion that time has run out. The team looks like it has given up and that is never a good sign for a head coach.

Sam Shukovsky, Short Hills, N.J.

A: Morris and Dominik may be running out of time, if last week's debacle is any indication. The team took a big step back against the Jets in front of a skeptical home crowd that craves a reason to believe in this organization. Morris is showing some promise as a defensive coordinator right now, but the team appears disorganized and more routs could follow in the last three weeks. I know the Glazers are already paying two head coaches and two GMs, but if this team doesn't show improvement down the stretch, there could be another January bloodletting.

-- Ira Kaufman

---------------

Q: I was wondering how long it was going to take before the coaches realized the young QB, isn't going to be able to carry this team by himself. Well, (against the Jets) we saw it. My question: what do you believe is the problem is with the running game? Is it the offensive line? Is it the running backs? Some of both?

Dave Kilmer, San Jose, Calif.

A: When this miserable season concludes, the Bucs will look back and realize they failed to establish the offensive identity Morris talked about since the day he replaced Jon Gruden. They weren't physical, they weren't tough, and they rarely won the battles up front. Players like Davin Joseph and Jeremy Trueblood struggled and new offensive line coach Pete Mangurian couldn't develop his guys into a cohesive unit. You can't pin all these problems on the absence of Arron Sears. And offensive coordinator Greg Olson isn't blameless, either. He didn't demonstrate much of a commitment to the ground game and he never allowed Earnest Graham to get a rhythm going.

-- Ira Kaufman

---------------

Q: Good day gentlemen. Thank you for your past replies to questions from one of the Canadian Bucs' fans.

I'm thinking about next year and feeling quite positive (early draft picks, still a lot of free agency money to spend). Am I off-base to think this offseason could bring: Suh or the Oklahoma defensive tackle and a good safety from the draft and a Boldin other marquee name on defense from free agency? Give Freeman a few more options and a couple more marquee names on defense. Is that a pretty good start? I don't want to see this end up like St. Louis, where the decline is never-ending.

Matt Berry, Toronto, CA

A: The Bucs have to walk away from this offseason with a minimum of four new starters. If they land Suh, as expected, they can follow up with a WR and DB in the second round. They should be able to find a LB and another defensive lineman in free agency and the key is drafting some keepers in the later rounds, like the better organizations find year after year. The Glazers know how important this offseason will be and they are determining whether they can trust the current regime to chart a new course.

-- Ira Kaufman

---------------

Send us your own question.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT