Louie (November 02, 2009 at 11:22am) :

If someone wanted to write a book on how NOT to run an NFL franchise, just chronicle the last 9 months of this team.

Can the fans sue for malpractice?

wordy_sanchez (November 02, 2009 at 11:51am) :

You know, I don’t really expect much from Morris on this one. What I’d have liked to see is Freeman, and a few other players who one day dream of winning a game show up and practise any-fucking-way.

“Oh well, coach thinks its cool then its cool.”

Yeah… no. Is it unfair to expect players to show more motivation than their coach, probably, but I’d like to see someone take extraordinary efforts to add a little variety to the outcomes of these games this season.

Matt Price (November 02, 2009 at 12:45pm) :

Wow, things are even worse than I imagined. Just stunning.

You know, wordy brings up a good point. How is Freeman going to act when he gets a new coach next year and the guy makes him follow a real NFL schedule? Talk about learning bad habits.

wordy_sanchez (November 02, 2009 at 02:03pm) :

One possible upside if Morris gets the axe is that if we get someone like a Cower, then Freeman is on a short leash if not a Greyhound bus to backupville via trade.

Face it, the only people who are HIGH on Freeman are the current coaching staff, and possibly only Morris. It seems he likes what he knows, and that’s fine, but might have caused us to severely overreach on Freeman.

A new regime altogether might not want to gamble, and may just want to use that high pick for a QB that more than 1 coach out of 32 thinks can make it.

campyone (November 02, 2009 at 03:03pm) :

We all understand that Morris doesn’t know what he’s doing. But couldn’t he disguise it a little by at least talking like he knows what he’s doing? Why does he have to make his incompetence so obvious just by opening his mouth?

Matt Price (November 02, 2009 at 03:05pm) :

I haven’t seen enough of Freeman to know if he’s going to be any good, but you’re right that he wasn’t all that highly sought after when we jumped up to get him. I wonder if we would have jumped if Morris hadn’t spent a year in Kansas?

Any idea who you would draft, if you were looking for a QB? Scott seems high on that kid from Tennessee, what’s his name… Crompton?

GeorgeCostanza (November 02, 2009 at 03:24pm) :

1. Suh or McCoy
2a. Another D-lineman
2b. A cornerback
3. A linebacker
4. An O-lineman
5. no pick
6. A wide receiver
7. A safety

2 conditional picks from Alex Smith and Luke McCown trades — cornerback, wide receiver

HouseofG (November 02, 2009 at 03:36pm) :

Coaching class of 2010 is sure looking attractive.

prof_joe (November 02, 2009 at 04:32pm) :

Unfortunately I think there will be pressure from the Glazers to see what Freeman has since they are paying him 1st round money. Take Bud Adams for example. You have the longest tenured coach in the NFL in Jeff Fischer but when Adams said jump Jeff asked “How high?” Do you REALLY think that either Radio (good thing this forum isn’t on buccaneers.com) or whatever coach they bring in would ignore the owner and draft another QB rather than trying to see what Freeman has in him? Bill Walsh said you need 32 games to decide if a QB can play in the NFL. Most coaches agree as do I (most of the time, I can already see JaMarcus is a bust, Al Davis can’t see it because JaMarcus is never at the facility). I disagree with staying the course rather than improvising in all but this aspect. We SHOULD have made the team practice on the bye week. TEs and WRs should have stayed to get on the same page as Freeman. Radio SHOULD have kept the team in to watch film. But it’s too late now. Lets just hope our pretty healthy team is much healthier after this bye week.

@Festivus I agree on Suh, he’s a beast. But I think we need one of those late round picks to be depth on the O-Line. We don’t need another Mahan on our squad.

@HouseofG I like that Gruden guy. But what we need is a Holmgren to come in and change the culture, add stability, and have an established presence as coach and GM. And it’ll be cheaper, No GM!

@wordy Loved both posts.

@Scott if they draft Crompton I’ll help you commit ritual suicide. Got your back bro.

TheBrainStem (November 02, 2009 at 06:10pm) :

Raheem Morris takes notes from Allen Iverson!

“Were talking about practice.” “Not a game, practice.”

Gruden is probably going to have to find employment and early for the bucs decide to pull the plug on Morris. No money is being spent right now. Were not the only team being cheap the bucs are just making it obvious.

One of the local radio guys said it during training camp that the bucs had quite a few light practices for a “training camp”. He was on to something.

JScott (November 02, 2009 at 07:59pm) :

His players could be banged up from all the hitting in practice and the tough schedule thus far, but there’s no hysteria in that…

Scott (November 02, 2009 at 08:26pm) :

Probably not Freeman, though.

prof_joe (November 02, 2009 at 08:49pm) :

I can’t see Freeman getting banged up too much unless he bumped into some people trying to get to the buffet after practice.

Slow Joe (November 02, 2009 at 09:32pm) :

Is there anyone that ever plays on Monday Night Football that Gruden DOESN’T think is a “beast”?

prof_joe (November 02, 2009 at 09:43pm) :

OR anyone he wishes he had on his team. OR anyone he wishes he drafted.

Matt Price (November 02, 2009 at 10:31pm) :

At least he hasn’t said “he’s just a football player.” Or if he did, I blocked it out.

Matt Price (November 02, 2009 at 10:32pm) :

P.S. I’ve got to say though, I really do like Gruden in the booth. He’s one of the best they’ve had in years IMO.

Slow Joe (November 03, 2009 at 01:20pm) :

I think Gruden has the potential to be fantastic in the booth, and he’s already a huge improvement over Kornheiser (but let’s face it, Gilbert Gottfried would have been a huge improvement over Kornheiser). Hopefully, experience (and ESPN) will train him to stop slobbering over every damn player.

On one play last night, Gruden lavished so much praise on the Saints’ offense for a particular play that he forgot to mention that they failed to convert a third down on it. Ron Jaworski gave him a little nudge right before the FG attempt, saying something like “Uh, but they didn’t make it, Jon”.

Scott (November 03, 2009 at 01:35pm) :

I have half an entry written spoofing Gruden’s performance last night, giving nicknames to everyone and so on. It kind of lost focus and petered out because there are so many things to make fun of. I may actually just take copious notes next week and use direct quotes from him instead of trying to make shit up. I think it will be funnier. This is a small piece of what will never get posted:

—
JG: This guy, Mike Bell, knows how to run. His is an OUTSTANDING football player who can hurt you with his speed, his power, and his GRIT.

RJ: I’m… I’m sorry, he can hurt you with his what?

JG: His GRIT, Jaws, are you fucking deaf? This guy’s got more grit than a sandpaper factory in the desert. I’ve got a nickname for for Mike Bell.

RJ: Of course you do.

JG: I call him “The Hammer”.

RJ: What does a hammer have to do with grit?

JG: He’s a gritty hammer, Jaws. So he doesn’t slip out of your hands… I guess. I don’t fucking care if you don’t like my nickname for him, you fucking walrus. Give me 20 guys just like Mike Bell on my team.
—

Anyway, that’s in lieu of a real post. Today is dead.

Slow Joe (November 03, 2009 at 02:23pm) :

@Scott: That is fucking hilarious!

Another way to analyze Gruden would be to compare him to what Cris Collinsworth would say about the exact same play:

Collinsworth: Reggie Wayne runs an out and up, but on an obvious blitz he HAS to know to break off his route! See, the corner reads it, Wayne doesn’t, which causes the easy interception of Manning. Wayne is a veteran receiver, and I really don’t know what he was thinking!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gruden: Wayne is a BEAST. He’s just a football player, man. Look at that cut, and that acceleration as he goes downfield. I tell you what, I hated having to play against him. He’s another of the University of Miami guys that–

Jaworski: Yeah, but it looks like he really should have broke off his route there. That interception was returned for a touchdown, for Christ’s sake.

Gruden: Don’t interrupt me! Anyway, I have a new nickname for Wayne; I’m going to call him “Flash”, because he’s fast and…