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Rams Eyeing Morris

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By ROY CUMMINGS | The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 7, 2009

TAMPA - Less than 24 hours after dining in the shadows of the Rocky Mountains with Broncos owner Pat Bowlen, Raheem Morris returned to Tampa on Tuesday. Getting him to stay long-term could prove to be quite a chore.

While he was flying back from a meeting with Bowlen about the Broncos head coaching position, Morris, 32, officially became a candidate for the St. Louis Rams' vacant head coaching job, according to NFL.com.

Though Morris said late Tuesday that he still had not heard from the Rams, NFL.com reported that the Rams had asked for and received permission from the Bucs to speak to Morris.

"The first I heard of this was when I got off the plane in Tampa," Morris said. "Everything is just crazy right now. There's a whole lot of things going on all over the place."

Indeed, the NFL coaching carousel is in full twirl, and there's no way of knowing just yet where Morris or fellow Bucs assistant coach Casey "Gus" Bradley will be when it stops.

Bradley, who has coached Bucs linebackers for the past two years, spent Tuesday in Seattle, where he interviewed with new Seahawks coach Jim Mora Jr. for the Seahawks' defensive coordinator post.

The Bucs soon may be on the lookout for a new defensive coordinator, but Morris said his current plans call for him to continue looking for candidates to fill the holes in his staff here in Tampa.

Along those lines, the Bucs are believed to be contemplating promoting former Division II All-America safety and second-year quality control coach Ejiro Evero to the secondary coach post that Morris left when he became coordinator.

As far as finding a replacement for Bradley, 44, Morris said that is now his "No. 1 priority," and it appears likely he would rehire former Bucs linebackers coach Joe Barry should the need arise.

Before he starts poring over resumes, Morris may want to catch his breath. Just two weeks ago he was finishing his second season as the Bucs' secondary coach. Now, he is one of the hottest head-coaching candidates in the game.

"I'm having a hard time believing all of this is happening," said Morris, who was pleased with the four-plus hours of meetings he had with Bowlen and the rest of the Broncos brass.

"It went really well," Morris said. "The guys there are all great. It went well when we were at the facility and it continued to go well when we were at dinner. They really know how to treat you right, I can say that."

Reporter Roy Cummings can be reached at (813) 259-7979 or at rcummings@tampatrib.com.

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