Timing right for Bucs to make Bates move

Something had to be done. The record alone tells you that. If you dig a little deeper, though, you'll find the real justification for the Bucs' decision to relieve Jim Bates of his duties as defensive coordinator.

See those rankings - 27th in the NFL in total defense, 32nd against the run, 31st in points allowed? They're pitiful. And there was nothing to suggest they were going to get any better anytime soon.

That's why Bates is gone. That, and the fact time was starting to run out on the Bucs. There are only six games left this season. That means there are only six games left to evaluate players and decide on a direction for 2010.

Something had to be done - now. To wait even another week would have meant wasting yet another chance to see who among the Bucs' defenders can play in the defense the Bucs want to employ.

What kind of defense is that? The Bucs strongly believe it will be a one-gap scheme reminiscent of the old Tampa 2, but with a series of tweaks tossed in. One thing it probably won't be is the two-gap, man coverage scheme Bates used.

Like many observers, the Bucs determined weeks ago the bulk of their personnel didn't fit that scheme. Still, they have to know for sure that something else is better for them.

That's why something had to be done now. After all, a draft awaits, and it's a critical one to the Bucs' future, one in which the team has 10 picks, including three in the first two rounds.

There's a good chance the Bucs will spend those high picks addressing defensive deficiencies. To do that correctly, they'll have to know what they're defense needs most.

Is it an under tackle like Warren Sapp or a pass rushing outside linebacker like DeMarcus Ware? Do they need a run-plugging tackle like Albert Haynesworth or a safety like John Lynch?

Demoting Bates was mostly about getting better, but also about getting those answers before the season ends. It was about finally admitting to and correcting a mistake.

Start with the scheme. These Bucs never really were cut out to play Bates' two-gap scheme. To get there, the Bucs realized, could take years. The Bucs don't have years. They barely have months. They have to get better now.

And while there was never any disharmony between them, Bates and Morris never really saw eye to eye on some things. There were some coverages and personnel groupings Morris wanted that Bates was hesitant to use.

And while Bates wanted his defense to be interspersed with veterans such as defensive end Jason Taylor, Morris didn't want that. Neither did General Manager Mark Dominik.

Though all three wanted to field a competitive, winning defense, Morris and Dominik knew that one of the things the Bucs had to do this year was evaluate the young players already on their roster.

If Taylor winds up in Tampa, that doesn't happen, because then Gaines Adams winds up on the bench. And if Adams winds up on the bench, the Bucs never learn what they have in him.

As it turned out, the Bucs did learn about Adams. They also know now what they have in Jimmy Wilkerson, Sabby Piscitelli and Elbert Mack. There's plenty more to learn, though.

By the time the season is over, the Bucs have to know if Roy Miller, Stylez G. White, Tim Crowder and Kyle Moore can fill regular roles for them up front in the one-gap defense they want to employ.

They also have to know if Barrett Ruud is indeed their middle linebacker of the future and if Geno Hayes, Adam Hayward and Quincy Black can do what's required of them in this defense.

It's possible the Bucs could have learned all that while Bates called the plays. But the results told them something had to be done, that a switch in schemes and play callers was not only necessary, but critical to their success.