Morris reiterates claim Bucs are NFC's 'best team'

Raheem Morris refused to budge Monday. A day after he called his team the best in the NFC, the second-year Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach stood behind his bold and brash statement and nothing, it seemed, was going to move him.

Even after it was pointed out that the Bucs rank 23rd in the league in total offense and 22nd in the league in total defense (including 31st in the league against the run), Morris refused to alter his claim.

"Stats are for losers, so you keep looking at stats and we'll keep looking at wins," Morris said a day after Tampa Bay improved to 4-2 with an 18-17 win over the Rams at Raymond James Stadium.

"I mean, you are what your record says you are in this league, and right now we're tied for the fewest losses (in the National Football Conference), so that makes us the best team."

The Bucs are actually tied with three other teams for the fewest losses in the conference, and if he would look at Atlanta's five wins, Morris would see that the 5-2 Falcons actually have the conference's best record.

Still, at 4-2 and with his running game finally down off its blocks and purring like he hoped it would, Morris has good reason to feel a little cocky about where his team stands right now.

"We're getting better and (on Sunday) we showed some growth," said Morris, whose team showed the most growth in its rushing attack, which finally got the spark it's been looking for.

That spark came from rookie running back LeGarrette Blount, who ran 11 times for 72 yards, including 66 in the second half, and apparently has forced his way into a regular rotation with lead back Cadillac Williams.

"Yeah, and that's really what we were after at the beginning of the season," offensive coordinator Greg Olson said Monday. "We've been looking for someone to kind of spell Cadillac a little bit.

"We were hoping that it would be Derrick Ward or Kareem Huggins, but the circumstances just didn't dictate that, and that's why we're very fortunate to have picked up LeGarrette Blount."

The Bucs claimed Blount off waivers from the Tennessee Titans and while it has taken him a few weeks to learn some of the nuances of the position, the Bucs have known all along that he could help them as a runner.

"We've always talked about this being a big man's game, and he's obviously a big person," Olson said of the 6-foot, 247-pound Blount, who already has drawn comparisons to former Bucs standout fullback Mike Alstott.

"And he showed that (Sunday). He's got tremendous strength and power, and we were excited with what we saw, so there's no reason to believe he won't be a guy who will continue to carry the ball for us."

Neither Olson nor Morris was ready to commit to a breakdown of the workload for Blount and Williams, but it's possible the situation going forward could look a lot like it did late Sunday against the Rams.

Blount got the majority of the second-half carries, getting the ball 10 times while Williams got it once. During the game-deciding drive, however, Williams was targeted five times as a pass catcher, including on the game-winning play.

"To me, he's still a very good running back," Olson said of Williams, who is averaging just 2.5 yards per carry but is considered a better pass catcher and blocker than Blount.

"He has a different style obviously than what LeGarrette has, and he does some different things. That's why he was instrumental in the end there. He brings a lot of value to our football team, so we'll still count on him moving forward."

Williams doesn't seem to mind the prospect of playing a reduced role. He said he'd like to remain a starter, but he's more interested in winning. Morris said being a starter isn't what matters on his team.

"Starter is a word that's becoming nonexistent around here," Morris said. "Anytime you're out there on the field you're a starter, because we have a bunch of different personnel groupings and rotations that we use.

"When you talk about starters, that's a term that's fun for the media and fun for the fans, but as for us as a team, we like to keep it out (of the conversation). To us, it doesn't matter who the starter is.

"What matters is what you do when you're in the game. Like with our two backs (Sunday). One was productive running the football, the other was very productive with his pass-catching abilities and in pass protection.

"And those things, they all tie into each other and go together, and those guys played well together (Sunday) and hopefully they'll continue to grow and help us grow as a football team."