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Morris disappointed, not discouraged, by Bucs' 0-6 start

Staff photo by CLIFF McBRIDE

Raheem Morris discusses the Bucs' winless start during his weekly press conference today at One Buc Place.

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By ANWAR RICHARDSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 19, 2009

TAMPA - Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Raheem Morris has at least six reasons to be disappointed.

Morris assembled a team he professed would not have to rebuild in 2009. He was excited about the acquisitions of running back Derrick Ward, tight end Kellen Winslow, quarterback Byron Leftwich, kicker Mike Nugent and linebacker Angelo Crowell. Morris believed the re-signings of receiver Antonio Bryant, receiver Michael Clayton and tight end Jerramy Stevens would ignite his offense. He also hoped Tampa Bay's six new starters on defense would usher in a new era of winning.

After Tampa Bay's 0-6 start, owning the NFL's 28th ranked defense and 27th ranked offense, Morris admitted he was disappointed but insisted he's not discouraged about his team.

"That's the beauty of coaching. That never becomes exhausting. That's the best part about it," Morris said during his Monday afternoon press conference. "To go out there and see a couple of things you plan go the right way is beautiful. To come up on the short end of the stick this last couple of weeks has not been.

"Like I said, anytime you come out and you have an opening drive that scores seven. After that, you score on defense, and after that you run back a kickoff, and after that you win the turnover battle. So many good things happened."

Morris pointed to the performance by running back Cadillac Williams (77 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries) and the unselfishness of running back Earnest Graham, who played fullback for an injured B.J. Askew during a 28-21 loss against Carolina. He also said the ability of cornerbacks Ronde Barber and Aqib Talib holding Panthers receiver Steve Smith to one catch for four yards was another reason to remain optimistic.

Tampa Bay is currently one of three winless teams in the NFL, but Morris said he is still looking for players to step up.

"I was talking to [Carolina] Coach [John] Fox yesterday in the middle of the field and he said this is an 8-8 league," Morris said. "It's an 8-8 league and at the end of the day, some people have to push you over the top. We just need our people to do that, and we can, and we will. We'll figure it out."

Morris also dispelled any notion that rookie quarterback Josh Freeman, the Bucs' first-round draft pick, would play against New England on Sunday. The Patriots tuned up by crushing winless Tennessee 59-0.

"It's definitely challenging to get two young guys going, two young guys motivated to play, but Josh (Johnson) knows if he plays well, he can be the quarterback," Morris said. "Freeman has to wait his turn. (Johnson) just has to go out there and play. Josh (Johnson) is the quarterback. We got a short week going. It's New England. Josh can't worry about that. Josh (Johnson) has to focus on playing well while he's in there."

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