(Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)
The 2008 season did not finish the way Buccaneers players or fans wanted. On the cusp of a second-straight postseason appearance, Tampa Bay floundered and found themselves on the outside looking in.
The organization decided that Head Coach Jon Gruden would be the goat of the collapse, and removed him from his duties.
By doing so the Bucs decided to go in a new direction and hired from within. Raheem Morris was promoted to the head coaching position.
Morris became the youngest head coach in the NFL, and had to put together a staff that could put the franchise back on track.
Raheem Morris
Morris became the eighth coach in Tampa Bay Buccaneers history when the Glazers hired him on Jan. 17. Morris, who has seven years of NFL experience, has spent his entire coaching career at the professional level with the Buccaneers.
He started in 2002 as a defensive quality coach. In 2003, Morris became a defensive assistant, and by 2004 he was the assistant defensive backs coach. Raheem did leave after the 2005 season to become the defensive coordinator at Kansas State.
Morris stayed with the Wildcats for one season before returning to Tampa in 2007 to become the defensive backs coach.
While in Tampa, Morris has been part of a successful defense, and in his first year with the club won a Super Bowl.
Morris is only 32, and he hails from Irvington, N.J.
Jeff Jagodzinski
Jeff Jagodzinski is the new offensive coordinator for the Buccaneers. Jeff does have nine years of NFL experience, but this will be his first stint with Tampa.
For the last two years, Jagodzinski was the head coach at Boston College. During those seasons he led the Eagles to back to back ACC Championship Game appearances.
Jagodzinski led the 2007 Eagles to their highest ranking since 1942, when BC was ranked No. 2 in both polls.
Prior to BC, Jagodzinski spent one season as the offensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers.
Jagodzinski has also spent two years with the Atlanta Falcons: first as a tight end coach, then as the offensive line coach.
While working as the offensive line coach, Jagodzinski learned from Alex Gibbs, who has helped form some of the best offensive lines in NFL history. Gibbs is best known for winning two Super Bowls with John Elway and the Denver Broncos.
During his time as the offensive line coach, the Atlanta Falcons led the NFL in rushing yards.
Jagodzinski got his NFL start with the Green Bay Packers in 1999 and was their tight ends coach until 2003.
Jim Bates
Jim Bates will start his first season as the Buccaneers defensive coordinator in 2009.
Bates has been coaching football for nearly four decades, and he is considered by some to be one of the top-tier defensive minds in the game.
Bates brings with him eight years of defensive coordinator experience. He spent the 2007 season with the Denver Broncos and helped lead them to a top 10 finish in pass defense.
Prior to Denver, Bates spent one season as the defensive coordinator with the Green Bay Packers. In his time with the Packers, Green Bay finished first in pass defense and seventh in overall defense.
Bates went to the Packers after spending five years with the Miami Dolphins, where he saw a lot of success.
In his first year with the Dolphins, the team led the league in interceptions and finished third in scoring defense.
In his third year with the team, Bates had six players earn Pro Bowl honors on a squad that finished third in overall defense and tied for fifth in run defense.
In 2003, Bates had the league's best red-zone defense, and his team did not allow a single 100-yard rusher all season.
Bates spent his last season with Miami in 2004. His defense finished second in total pass defense. With seven games remaining, the Dolphins fired head coach Dave Wannstedt and named Bates the interim head coach.
Bates went 3-4 in those seven games, and while the players favored Bates to become the full time coach, he left for Green Bay.
Bates' initial season as a defensive coordinator came in 1994 with the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons squad tied for eighth in takeaways.
Bates will bring a lot of experience to Tampa, and this organization that has always won with defense will have high expectations of him.
Richard Bisaccia
Richard Bisaccia returns for his eighth season as the Bucs' special teams coach.
During Bisaccia's time with Tampa, the Bucs have had their most success on special teams.
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