A New Era: Buccaneers Hope Raheem Morris Can Right the Ship in Tampa Bay

ffensive line coach in 1997.

From 1999 to 2003, Jagodzinski worked his first gig in the National Football League as the Green Bay Packers’ tight ends coach.

Jagodzinski took the same position with the Atlanta Falcons in 2004, and was promoted to offensive line coach in 2005 before returning to Green Bay to serve as the team’s offensive coordinator in 2006.

Green Bay’s offense ranked ninth in yards per game under Jagodzinski, but 22nd in scoring, averaging just 18.8 points per game.
In Tampa Bay this season, Jagodzinski hopes his zone-blocking scheme will jump-start the Bucs’ running game and create opportunities in the passing game to stretch the field.

Jagodzinski’s offenses produced balanced results at Boston College, and he’s known for getting a lot of players involved—particularly in the passing game.

Joining Jagodzinski is first-year offensive line coach Pete Mangurian, who is proficient in the zone-blocking scheme and holds 18 years of coaching experience in the NFL.

Running backs coach Steve Logan—the offensive coordinator at Boston College the last two seasons—and tight ends coach Alfredo Roberts, who coached recent trade acquisition Kellen Winslow in Cleveland the past two seasons, will also enter their first seasons with the Bucs in 2009.

Meanwhile, quarterbacks coach Greg Olson returns for his second season in Tampa Bay, and longtime wide receivers coach Richard Mann returns for his eighth season with the Bucs.

On the defensive side of the ball, 17-year NFL veteran Jim Bates takes the reigns for the Buccaneers.

Bates will implement his run contain system in Tampa Bay this season, though Morris has said Bates would also like to mix in aspects of the Tampa Two defense, which the Bucs have had a lot of success with over the years.

Bates previously led Denver’s defense for a year starting in 2007, but left the team in January of 2008.

Without the necessary personnel, his system was largely ineffective in Denver. The Bronco’s gave up an average of 25.6 points per game in 2007, and ranked 28th in the league in scoring defense.

Personnel needs for Bates’ defense are also a concern in Tampa Bay. While the Bucs have made personnel moves to accommodate needs at linebacker, questions remains as to whether the defensive line can hold its on within the scheme.

Prior to taking the job in Denver, Bates served as the defensive coordinator in Green Bay in 2005 and was with the Miami Dolphins from 2000 to 2004, including a short stint as the team’s interim head coach.

Over the years, Bates also worked in various positions for the Cleveland Browns, Atlanta Falcons and Dallas Cowboys.

In Tampa Bay, Bates’ staff will include linebackers coach Joe Barry, who returns to the Bucs after a two-year stint as Detroit’s defensive coordinator, first-year defensive backs coach Joe Baker, and defensive line coaches Robert Nunn and Todd Wash.

In all, the Tampa Bay coaching staff has a lot of work to do to prepare the Buccaneers for a tough 2009 schedule that looms just a few months away.

With Morris’ drive and his staff’s experience, however, I wouldn’t put it past this rag-tag group of newcomers and veterans to get the job done and give Bucs fans something to cheer about in the near future.

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