Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 3 Most Likely Candidates to Replace Raheem Morris as Coach

According to Fred Goodall of the Associated Press, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have fired Raheem Morris:

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The Buccaneers fired Raheem Morris on Monday after his three seasons as Tampa Bay's head coach. Morris went 17-31, including a 10-6 mark in 2010, when the Bucs (4-12) narrowly missed the playoffs. His entire staff of assistants was dismissed, too.

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That being said, Tampa is clearly revamping and rebuilding to become competitive in one of the NFL's most difficult divisions.

So, here are three potential coaches to replace Raheem Morris.

Note: Not included is Bill Cowher. According to NFL.com's Jason LaCanfora, Cowher's unlikely to coach in 2012.

Jeff Fisher

According to Michael David Smith of NBC Sports, former Tennessee Titans head coach Jeff Fisher wants to get back on the sideline:

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Multiple reports on this Black Monday in the NFL say that Fisher wants back in the business. And, no surprise, the reports say Fisher wants to coach a team with a stable quarterback situation. (In other words, he doesn’t want another Vince Young.)

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Well, he won't get another Vince Young in Tampa Bay. What he'll get is a potential franchise QB in Josh Freeman backed by a respectable ground game, but with no legit WRs.

Not to mention the Bucs are one of the NFL's youngest teams, as well as one of the worst defenses. Therefore, Fisher is the perfect candidate.

In his many years at Tennessee, the Titans were known for defense, and the offense wasn't all that bad either. With a proven track record capped off by a Super Bowl XXXIV appearance, Jeff Fisher will immediately get the respect of the locker room.

Tampa badly needs to improve on defense—especially considering they play in the NFC South—otherwise they'll be at the bottom of the barrel for a while. And with Fisher's defensive mindset, the Buccaneers will only improve.

It's the perfect situation for a coach looking to really take his career reputation to another level—by turning around a young franchise with no football identity.

Jack Del Rio

Sure, Jack Del Rio was fired from Jacksonville, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers should consider him.

Much like Jeff Fisher, he's a defensive coach that could really make an impact on one of the NFL's worst defenses.

Plus, being that he's a free agent coach, a fresh start with a young team would work. Tampa has a better QB situation and is also drafting high, so it would be an appealing team for Del Rio.

Now, it comes down to whether the Bucs are unable to land a guy like Jeff Fisher. Obviously you look to the seasoned veterans first, however the worst case-scenario would be Del Rio—and he's not a bad consolation prize, so to speak.

What Tampa Bay needs is to draft offense, as their youth on defense simply needs to improve. And with nowhere else to go but up, Del Rio is a good fit to turn a team around and reestablish himself as a good NFL head coach.

In arguably the NFL's most difficult division, the expectations aren't there, so neither is the pressure. Not to mention the Bucs are a young and immature team, leaving Del Rio with a win-win situation.

He'll vastly improve the defense, and if the offense can draft well, they'll also be better. Coming off a 4-12 season that ended with ten consecutive losses, well, any new coach will work.

Lest we forget, the Jaguars had beaten the Tennessee Titans and Baltimore Ravens before Del Rio was out.

Now, he should not be one of their top candidates. But Del Rio should at the very least be considered. 

Brian Billick

He won a Super Bowl in 2000 with the Ravens and went 5-3 in the postseason for his career. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers haven't won a playoff game since Super Bowl XXXVII and are coming off a 4-12 season.

Brian Billick is one of the top free agent coaches on the market, and he needs to be considered by the Bucs.

Unlike Del Rio and Fisher, Billick is offensive-minded, however a new coach is all Tampa needs. The defense is bad and so is the offense, so anyone—including a guy like Brian Billick—would help.

For starters, Billick coached a solid NFL QB in Steve McNair, and Josh Freeman has eerily similar capabilities—strong arm, can scramble when needed and is more accurate than most believe.

The main problem with this Tampa Bay team, is that they are extremely weak at WR. Obviously the defense has to improve as well, and Billick knows how to hire the right guys, as evidenced by his track record in Baltimore.

Plus, six coaches have become head coaches after serving under Billick, three of whom remain on the job today.

He's simply one coach that Tampa should consider, as he'll own the locker room from the start.

Plus, reviving a young franchise would certainly enhance his NFL reputation and make him even more appealing to the Hall of Fame.

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