Tampa Bay Buccaneers: As a Disappointing Season Ends, Bucs Must Move Forward

For the last several weeks,  it's safe to say the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have quit on this lost season. Now, we can forget it once and for all.

It's finally over. The horror film we called the Buccaneers' last 10 games has come to a pitiful conclusion, with the Bucs being blown away by the Atlanta Falcons.

It's the end of a Bucs season that should immediately be left behind, along with some of the members of its brutal year.

Changes must come...now. The Buccaneers are far from needing a complete overhaul. It's a team with a bunch of kids. And I'm not just talking about the players.

There's LeGarrette Blount, Mason Foster, Davin Joseph and the seasons they had. Then there's Josh Freeman, Geno Hayes and more than half the rest of the squad who all underperformed.

Freeman's drastic descent has made Tampa faithful go from crowning him king of the Bay to wondering if he will even be with the franchise long-term.

If they plan to focus primarily on turning him around, then he needs talent surrounding him. His running back (Blount) is not a problem. Neither are his lineman, overall. But, the Bucs must add a wide receiver whether by free agency or through the draft.

Mike Williams is a debatable primary receiver, and there are no other receivers currently on Tampa Bay's roster that can fill that void as the No. 1 target.

Clearly, there are far more concerns on this roster than just at wideout.

The secondary could use a big upgrade. There's no telling if Ronde Barber will be in uniform next year, but either way, his days are dwindling.

Linebacker will need some assistance, and it might need to be through free agency rather than via the NFL draft. Foster has had a strong rookie year, but alongside him are areas of question.

Hayes is indeed one of those question marks. His attitude of invincibility carried over from his days at Florida State with an arrest last season. And now on top of that, he's lacking in performance. You would think the Bucs would at least keep a troublemaker that was talented.

Which seems to be a great place to talk about Aquib Talib, the corner and former first-round pick of the Buccaneers. He will go to court, and there's no certainty of anything when that happens. They have to make a move. And they need to now.

They have to release Talib—something they probably should have done long before this point. There will be a fair share of players following him out the doors of One Buc Place if the Bucs do what is needed.

Then, on top of who to keep or not among the players, there's an even more pressing subject. What will become of Raheem Morris?

At first, with a season left on his contract, you may say he deserves to stick it out for at least one more year. But, the Bucs made a mistake picking him to lead this team in the first place.

The Buccaneers need a true leader with the headset. They need discipline, direction and, most of all, a higher authority.

Morris was one of the guys, and the fact he may have initially developed good friendships with his players is not exactly the best thing to have in certain circumstances. He was not in control, and his players eventually proved that.

Morris wasn't ready to take a head coaching job, period. He said that himself just three months before the Buccaneers offered him the gig. And from the looks of this season, he still isn't prepared to lead an NFL team.

Though Morris may be the fall-guy for this season, he shouldn't be. But at the same time, there needs to be a change...now

The ownership family, the Glazers, can't sit on their salary-cap space, and Mark Dominik doesn't need to be sitting at the GM desk.

Jeff Fisher was spotted at the same hotel as the Buccaneers, sprouting speculation that he might be in consideration for a potential opening for head coach of the Bucs.

This, in a way, seems like a big hire, but it may not be the right one. Fisher has some of the same problems Morris does when it comes to controlling his players.

The Glazers will likely not hand Fisher the money—and certainly not the power—that he had while coaching the Titans. Whether the rumor is realistic or not, the Bucs need to move their franchise forward.

And while that may not be wiping the slate clean by any means, change is required...now.